Quitting an unpaid internship?

[maliboo_girl]

Many states have strong intern laws, stating that an intern cannot replace a paid employee, and cannot do the same tasks as a paid employee. You should consider looking up the laws on interns in your state. If she is breaking them, report her anonymously. If she is found to be breaking laws, get a copy of the report or some confirmation in case anyone asks you why you left. Some states take this extremely seriously, as unemployment is high in many states, and the states lose income tax if employers are using unpaid interns instead of employees. Also, the state may end up picking up costs for health insurance, medical care, etc, if a person is not employed.

What about the credit you are receiving for the internship, is losing that going to be a problem? If your college found you the internship, you should tell them about it. Can you find another internship, or even better, a paid job? That way if anyone (potential employer) asks, you can say you needed the money, your car broke down so you had unforeseen expenses, blah blah blah.

Those who know what really goes on with a lot of interns will understand. The abuses have become really bad in some industries and area, and in many states, highly illegal.

Good luck!