Re: Interns @ $10 an Hour

[Lori Lathrop <76620 -dot- 456 -at- COMPUSERVE -dot- COM>]

Since I am an independent contractor who has had interns (who earned
college credit for the hours they spent with me) I've been following this
thread with some interest.  So far, I must say, I agree with Beth Agnew
(bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM), who said:

        For interns $10 an hour is quite acceptable, as long as
        it's a true internship position where the person will be
        receiving training and have a chance to gain valuable
        experience.  It's the intrinsic value of the position
        that balances the low wage.

So far, I have had four interns.  Three of them have worked out very well,
and I think those three would agree that their internship with me gave them
valuable experience, "real world" samples for their portfolios, and a
reasonable wage as soon as they learned enough to become an asset to me.

In my experience, taking on an intern is an "expense" (or, to phrase it
more aptly, it is an "investment").  I do not ask interns to reimburse me
for the time I spend with them on one-on-one mentoring, when I could be
putting in "billable hours" on my in-house projects.  The interns pay the
college for the credits they earn, just as they would pay for the credits
they earn in any course.  The big difference is that I am not a paid
professor; the college does not reimburse me for my time, and neither does
the intern.

Each time I have taken on an intern, it has been with the understanding
that I can not pay them for the one-on-one mentoring they receive from me.
I also explain that I will pay them a reasonable wage ($12 per hour, or
more) as soon as they learn enough to *save* me time.  After all, time is
money, especially when you're an independent contractor.

My definition of "success" when I take on an intern is a win-win situation
... when the intern and I can both say that we have gained from the
experience.  As soon as an intern learns enough to save me time and to add
value to my work, I am more than willing to pay a reasonable wage for the
time the intern spends with me.  Until then, however, their time is an
"investment" that I hope will pay off for both of us.

Happy indexing ....  Lori

P.S.  Please note my new address & phone number; my husband & I are moving
next wewk to Charlotte, NC (where we lived for several years).
***********************************************************************
Lori Lathrop ---------->INTERNET:76620 -dot- 456 -at- compuserve -dot- com
Vice President/President-Elect, American Society of Indexers (ASI)
Lathrop Media Services, 7308-C East Independence Blvd., #316
        Charlotte, NC  28227 / Ph: 888-611-INDX
URL - http://idt.net/~lathro19 (note: that's a "nineteen" at the end)
***********************************************************************


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