UCL to pay all interns at London Living Wage rate

The current LLW rate is £9.15 an hour, which means that interns at UCL working a full week will receive a wage of £333. Under the new policy all UCL interns will in addition receive paid leave accrued on all the hours they have worked, and also be entitled to statutory sick pay.

The policy sets out explicitly the difference between internships, work experience, and volunteering. Internships are described as being for the education and/or career development of the intern. Interns must be offered meaningful work that will benefit them and the department, and internships must not be used to cover substantive work.

The number of interns at UCL is not recorded centrally, but it is estimated that at any one time UCL has approximately 30 working on campus.

Nigel Waugh, UCL Director of Human Resources, said: "UCL is committed to being an honourable employer. We are keen to encourage and support internships that prepare students for the transition into work. Following consultation across the University we have decided to take this step to pay all interns. This makes it far more likely that interns will benefit fully from the experience and makes explicit that they are not a source of unpaid labour."

Professor Gesine Manuwald, Head of UCL Greek and Latin, said: "Our Department has long been paying all interns and casual workers the London Living Wage. We feel that they do important work contributing to the success of the institution as a whole, and, as a responsible employer, we should honour this.

"I am absolutely delighted that paying interns the London Living Wage has now become general UCL policy, so that all interns across UCL will be treated equally. I hope that other higher education institutions and major companies in London will follow suit. In addition to a good degree, internships are vital stepping stones in preparing today's young people for the world of work, and since interns typically do not have access to other sources of funding, it has to be ensured that all young people who are interested in and would benefit from a period of being immersed in the processes of a work environment can take up such opportunities."

Links

• UCL Internships, Work Experience and Volunteering Policy
• UCL Human Resources

Image

• UCL Quad (Courtesy of UCL)