For students, statistics on cost of living in internship decisions

Debbie Girma, a third-year law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, has worked as a legal intern and political campaigner in recent years. Ms. Girma, who eventually wants to do nonprofit or civil rights work on the East Coast, is interning at a private law firm in Dallas this summer as it offers $12 per month for several public-defender summer roles. Pays more than the hour. Plus, the cost of living in Texas is relatively low.

She turned down several internships as an undergraduate when offers to work on the East Coast didn’t cover her rent, and this year, thanks to inflation, the costs will be even higher, she said.

Ms. Girma, 23, set aside her goal of working in Washington, DC for now and “just applied to places where I could really afford to live,” she said.

Remote opportunities over the past two years allowed interns to gain experience working from locations they could afford. This summer, personal experiences have largely returned, but some say that temporary tricks are too expensive.

Phoebe Omoneira, a college sophomore who studied human rights and public affairs at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, opted for a remote internship consulting for a company in New York this spring, paying $500 for a seven-week tenure. She said that she focused on remote internships in her search because it was not possible to move to a big city for a small salary.

While face-time with her New York colleagues would have been nice, Ms Omonira said the stipend would not cover her living expenses if she moved. Instead, she connected with coworkers and managers online.

“You can’t be afraid to Zoom-chat and connect with someone privately,” she said. “Scheduling a 15-minute phone call with someone is easier than coming on someone’s calendar and having coffee or lunch with them.”

According to recruitment intelligence firm Veris Insights, about 11% of 180 employers planned all remote internships in 2022, up from 56% of 216 employers surveyed last year.

Maddie Haberberger, who recently earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Kent State University, said she would never have applied for her paid internship at NBCUniversal, requiring her to move to New York in the summer of 2021. Because she was able to do so. Away from her apartment in Ohio, she tried and won a spot.

“I’ve always dreamed of New York. I’ve always dreamed of working at NBC and the entertainment sector, but it wasn’t financially realistic,” she said, adding that the modest hourly wage was enough to be comfortable in Ohio.

His remote internship led to full-time remote work at NBC, where he is a social-media producer. She wants to move to New York, but worries whether she is financially prepared for such a move. For now, she plans to continue working at NBC, as well as doing graphic-design work to save money and pay off her student loans. She may move back to Cleveland with a college roommate before relocating to the Big Apple.

Companies are still considering their intern pool as a source of long-term talent in the tight hiring market.

A 2019 survey of 262 employers with internship programs found that 70% offered returning students; 80 percent of interns accepted a job offer, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which conducted research.

As bidding wars break out this spring More than interns in some fields, some large companies, particularly in technology and finance, have helped cover meals in their corporate accommodations and offices. software company

roblox,

Joe’s is bringing the internship back on-site, increasing its housing and equipment stipend for this summer’s interns to $7,000—$1,000 more than in 2019.

Paid internships are more common in corporate settings, less so in public and non-profit organizations. More than 70% of the 15,000 students surveyed by NACE in 2021 reported having a paid corporate internship, compared to 62% interns with the federal government and 32% interns at nonprofits.

NACE research also shows that students with unpaid internships were less likely to receive job offers than those with paid internships, although unpaid interns were better off than students with no such experience.

New research from the Strada Education Network, a nonprofit that connects students with employers, found that students with at least one paid internship experience earned an average of $4,755 more in their first role after graduation than when their Comparisons were made with peers without paid internship experience.

Tyrell Harrell, who runs a small media-production company in Atlanta, said he lacks the money to train interns, but doesn’t feel right about unpaid labor. He’s had to turn down unpaid work earlier in his career, saying that doing roles like these feels like an industry expectation that excludes people who can’t work without pay.

This year he said he was hiring entry-level employees instead of interns.

“It’s just a slogan to make no money,” said Mr. Harrell. “It just gives you way, far behind.”