Unethical internships: Screen crew

For many people, ethical internships can be an invaluable and rewarding experience, setting entry-level workers up with the tools and skills to prepare them for work in their chosen industry.

Time and time again, unpaid work is used by companies to take advantage of young people looking to get a foothold in the industry.

Screen crew can be tempted to take offers of unpaid work often the entirety of a shoot. These undertakings are often take the form of:

• Work experience
• Unpaid internships
• Deferred payments

Whilst these can be excellent opportunities to learn and network, they cannot and should not take the place of paid positions and should only be utilised in conjunction with an approved course of study. Workplace safety responsibilities and potential liabilities, should any injury or damage occur, can also be in question.

If you hear about any request by productions for volunteer work, work experience or internships – please notify (MEAA and\or your local organiser) so that these can be investigated to ensure that your industry roles and rates are protected now and into the future.

MEAA Member Central: 1300 656 513