When I raised the issue of unpaid internships, an employee of the Department for Work and Pensions observed, ‘it’s almost a two-tier system now.’ (I did raise my eyebrows at almost.) ‘If you can afford to work for free, you can get lots of experience and you can get a great position; if you can’t, you have to swim with the rest of us.’ (I forgot to ask whether they meant swim up rapids, swim in the same foetid pool, or sink.)
[Now cross-posted on (un)free archaeology.]