Introduction

Some companies offer students or recent graduates what they call?internships. These are extended periods of work experience where someone can be working full-time without an actual contract and, in many cases, without even being paid. But does this mean some people on lower incomes can't afford to take up the opportunities it offers? We discuss the pros and cons of working for free.

This week's question

Which is the oldest stock exchange in the world? Is it:

A: Bombay

B: New York

C: Amsterdam

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript??

Sam

Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Sam.

Rob

And I'm Rob.

Sam

Before you got your first job, Rob, did you do any work experience?

Rob

I think I may have done a day or two at some companies, just shadowing, watching how they did things – but nothing much more than that.

Sam

Some companies offer students or recent graduates what they call?internships. These are extended periods of work experience where someone can be working full-time without an actual contract and in many cases without even being paid.

Rob

Ah – yes. This is a bit of a problem, isn’t it? Some companies are being accused of using students and graduates as cheap or free labour.

Sam

Yes, although the counter argument is that?internships?are valuable experience for people who need it before they can get a ‘real’ job. Well, we’ll look at this topic a little more after this week’s quiz question. On the topic of business and companies, which is the oldest stock exchange in the world? Is it:

A: Bombay

B: New York

C: Amsterdam

What do you think, Rob?

Rob

Tricky, because I was expecting London on that list. I’m going to take a guess then at Amsterdam.

Sam

OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme. James Turner is the chief executive of an education charity. Recently he took part in a discussion on the BBC radio programme You and Yours, on the topic of?internships. What does he think is a big issue with unpaid?internships?

James Turner, Chief Executive, The Sutton Trust

In many careers we’re now seeing that it’s almost as an expectation that a young person does an?internship?before they stand a chance of getting that first full-time job in that profession. And the issue with that from a sort of?social mobility?point of view is that a substantial proportion of those internships are unpaid and that effectively?rules out?those who can’t afford to work for free.

Sam

So what is the problem with unpaid?internships, Rob?

Rob

Well, if you can’t afford to work for free, it makes it very difficult to do an?internship?– particularly in expensive cities like London. This excludes, or?rules out?a lot of people from the benefits of an?internship.

Sam

This is bad for?social mobility, which is the ability of people to move to higher, better paid levels in society. So the poorer you are the more difficult it can be to get a good job, even if you have the ability.

Rob

Could you afford to work for free here in London, Sam?

Sam

No, I can barely afford to live in London as it is, so the idea of doing an unpaid?internship?would not appeal to me at all. Turner goes on to talk about other issues that are also problematic in?internship?programmes.

James Turner, Chief Executive, The Sutton Trust

Too often?internships?are open to those with?established?connections in the professions and again that?rules out?those young people who don’t have the?well-connected?families or friends who can?open?those?doors?for them.

Sam

So what are these other issues?

Rob

In many cases he says that internship opportunities are only available to those with?established connections?to the company or industry. This means they have some pre-existing link with the company, for example, through family or friends’ families.

Sam

Yes, it’s a lot easier if your family is?well-connected, if it has a lot of contacts and links to a particular company or important people in that company.

Rob

These links make it easier to?open doors?to the opportunity. To?open doors?is an expression that means to get access to.

Sam

So it seems that to be able to do an unpaid internships you need to have a fair bit of money and to get an internship in the first place you may need to have a previous link to the company through a family connection, for example.

Rob

So the system would seem to be difficult for poorer families and make it more difficult for students without those resources or connections to get on the job ladder. Here’s James Turner again.

James Turner, Chief Executive, The Sutton Trust

Too often?internships?are open to those with?established?connections in the professions and again that rules out those young people who don’t have the?well-connected?families or friends who can?open?those?doors?for them.

Sam

Right, time now to answer this week’s question. Which is the oldest stock exchange in the world? Is it:

A: Bombay

B: New York

C: Amsterdam

Rob, what did you say?

Rob

I went for Amsterdam.

Sam

Well done, that’s correct. Congratulations to everyone who go that right, and extra bonus points if you know the date. Rob?

Rob

Haven’t a clue! 1750?

Sam

Actually it’s a lot earlier, 1602.

Rob

Wow, that’s much earlier than I thought.

Sam

Right, let’s have a look again at today’s vocabulary. We’ve been talking about?internships?which are periods of work at companies as a way for students or new graduates to get experience in a particular field.

Rob

If they are unpaid it can make?social mobility?very difficult. This is the movement from a lower social level to a higher one and it’s difficult as poorer candidates can’t afford to work for free.

Sam

Yes, the cost?rules?them?out, it excludes them from the opportunity.

Rob

What helps is if you have?established?connections with a company. This refers to previous or pre-existing links with a company.

Sam

And also if your family is?well-connected, if it has good connections, for example if your father plays golf with the CEO, it can?open doors, or in other words, it can make it easier to get into the company.

Rob

So Sam, are you well-connected?

Sam

No, only to my smartphone!

Rob

Same here – but we still made it to BBC Learning English and you can find more from us online, on social media and on our app. But for now, that’s all from 6 Minute English. See you again soon. Bye bye!

Sam

Bye everyone!

Vocabulary

an internship

a temporary, often unpaid, job for a student or recent graduate at a company as a way of getting work experience in a particular industry

social mobility

the ability to move to a higher social status

to rule out

to exclude or prevent someone from doing something

established connections

previous or pre-existing links

well-connected

having strong links with important people at high levels within a company

to open doors

to make it easier to get into a career?

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雙語(yǔ)版Transcript

Hello. This is6 Minute English. I'm Sam.

大家好，這里是六分鐘英語(yǔ)，我是薩姆。

And I'm Rob.

我是羅伯。

Before you gotyour first job, Rob, did you do any work experience?

羅伯，在你得到第一份工作之前，你有工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)嗎？

I think I may have done a day or two at some companies, just shadowing, watching how they did things – but nothing much more than that.

我想我可能在一些公司干了一兩天，只是跟著他們，看看他們是怎么做事的——但僅此而已。

Some companies offer students or recent graduates what they call internships.

一些公司為學(xué)生或應(yīng)屆畢業(yè)生提供所謂的實(shí)習(xí)生崗位。

These are extended periods of work experience where someone can be working full-timewithout an actual contract and in many cases without even being paid.

這些是一段時(shí)間的工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)，某人在沒(méi)有實(shí)際合同的情況下全職工作，在一些情況下甚至沒(méi)有薪水。

Ah – yes. This is a bit of a problem, isn't it?

啊，是的。這有點(diǎn)問(wèn)題，不是嗎？

Some companiesare being accused of using students and graduates as cheap or free labour.

一些公司被譴責(zé)將學(xué)生和畢業(yè)生作為廉價(jià)或免費(fèi)勞動(dòng)力使用。

Yes, although the counter argument is that internships are valuable experience for people who need it before they can get a 'real' job.

是的，盡管相反的觀點(diǎn)是，對(duì)于那些在找到"真正的"工作之前需要工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人來(lái)說(shuō)，實(shí)習(xí)是寶貴的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

Well, we'll look at this topic a little more after this week's quiz question.

好吧，在這周的測(cè)試問(wèn)題之后，我們將了解更多關(guān)于這個(gè)話題的內(nèi)容。

On the topic of business and companies, which is the oldest stock exchange in the world?

關(guān)于商業(yè)和公司的話題，世界上最古老的證券交易所是哪個(gè)？

Is it: A:Bombay, B: New York, or C: Amsterdam?

是A：孟買(mǎi)證券交易所，B：紐約證券交易所，還是C：阿姆斯特丹證券交易所？

What do you think, Rob?

你覺(jué)得呢，羅伯？

Tricky, because I was expecting London on that list.

刁鉆的問(wèn)題，因?yàn)槲乙詾閭惗貢?huì)在名單上。

I'm going to take a guess then at Amsterdam.

我猜測(cè)是阿姆斯特丹證券交易所。

OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme.

好的。好吧，稍后我將在節(jié)目中揭曉答案。

James Turner isthe chief executive of an education charity.

詹姆斯·特納是一家教育慈善機(jī)構(gòu)的首席執(zhí)行官。

Recently hetook part in a discussion on the BBC radio programme You and Yours, on thetopic of internships.

最近，他參加了BBC廣播You and Yours節(jié)目中一場(chǎng)關(guān)于實(shí)習(xí)的討論。

What does hethink is a big issue with unpaid internships?

他認(rèn)為無(wú)薪實(shí)習(xí)的最大問(wèn)題是什么？

In many careerswe're now seeing that it's almost as an expectation that a young person does aninternship before they stand a chance of getting that first full-time job inthat profession.

我們現(xiàn)在看到在許多職業(yè)中，年輕人在有機(jī)會(huì)獲得該職業(yè)的第一份全職工作之前，先去實(shí)習(xí)差不多是意料之中的。

And the issue with that from a sort of social mobility point of view is that a substantial proportion of those internships are unpaid and that effectively rules out those who can't afford to work for free.

從社會(huì)流動(dòng)性的角度來(lái)看，該問(wèn)題在于那些實(shí)習(xí)中有相當(dāng)大的比例是無(wú)報(bào)酬的，那實(shí)際上排除了那些無(wú)力負(fù)擔(dān)免費(fèi)工作的人。

So what is the problem with unpaid internships, Rob?

所以無(wú)薪實(shí)習(xí)有什么問(wèn)題呢，羅伯？

Well, if youcan't afford to work for free, it makes it very difficult to do an internship –particularly in expensive cities like London.

如果你無(wú)力負(fù)擔(dān)免費(fèi)工作，那么你就很難找到實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)——尤其是在像倫敦這樣的高成本城市。

This excludes,or rules out a lot of people from the benefits of an internship.

這將很多人排除在實(shí)習(xí)的好處之外，或者排除了他們獲得實(shí)習(xí)好處的可能性。

This is bad for social mobility, which is the ability of people to move to higher, better paid levels in society.

這對(duì)社會(huì)流動(dòng)性是不利的，社會(huì)流動(dòng)性是指人們?cè)谏鐣?huì)中向更高、更佳收入水平邁進(jìn)的能力。

So the poorer you are the more difficult it can be to get a good job, even if you have the ability.

所以你越窮，就越難找到好工作，即使你有能力。

Could youafford to work for free here in London, Sam?

你能負(fù)擔(dān)得起在倫敦免費(fèi)工作嗎，薩姆？

No, I canbarely afford to live in London as it is, so the idea of doing an unpaidinternship would not appeal to me at all.

不，我?guī)缀踟?fù)擔(dān)不起倫敦的生活，所以無(wú)薪實(shí)習(xí)對(duì)我一點(diǎn)吸引力都沒(méi)有。

Turner goes onto talk about other issues that are also problematic in internship programmes.

特納接著談到了實(shí)習(xí)項(xiàng)目中存在的其它問(wèn)題。

Too ofteninternships are open to those with established connections in theprofessions,?and again that rules out those young people who don't havethe well-connected families or friends who can open those doors for them.

通常情況下，實(shí)習(xí)只面向那些在專(zhuān)業(yè)領(lǐng)域有既定聯(lián)系的人，這又再次排除了那些年輕人，他們沒(méi)有有門(mén)路給他們走后門(mén)的家人或朋友。

So what arethese other issues?

所以其它問(wèn)題是什么？

In many cases he says that internship opportunities are only available to those with established connections to the company or industry.

他表示，在很多情況下，只有那些與公司或行業(yè)有既定聯(lián)系的人可獲得實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)。

This means they have some pre-existing link with the company, for example, through family orfriends' families.

這意味著他們已經(jīng)與公司有了某種聯(lián)系，例如，通過(guò)家人或朋友的家人。

Yes, it's a loteasier if your family is well-connected, if it has a lot of contacts and linksto a particular company or important people in that company.

是的，如果你的家庭有門(mén)路，如果你的家庭與某家公司或公司里的重要人物有很多聯(lián)系，那就容易多了。

These links make it easier to open doors to the opportunity.

這些聯(lián)系使獲得實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)更容易。

To open doorsis an expression that means to get access to.

Toopen doors是意思為"獲得"的表達(dá)。

So it seemsthat to be able to do an unpaid internships you need to have a fair bit ofmoney,?and to get an internship in the first place you may need to have aprevious link to the company through a family connection, for example.

因此，要想獲得無(wú)薪實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)，你需要有一筆可觀的錢(qián)，而且要獲得實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)，首先你可能需要之前就與公司有所聯(lián)系，例如通過(guò)家庭聯(lián)系。

So the system would seem to be difficult for poorer families and make it more difficult forstudents without those resources or connections to get on the job ladder.

因此，這一體系對(duì)貧困家庭來(lái)說(shuō)似乎很困難，也讓那些沒(méi)有資源或人脈的學(xué)生更難獲得實(shí)習(xí)生崗位。

Here's JamesTurner again.

再聽(tīng)一遍詹姆斯·特納所說(shuō)的。

Too often internships are open to those with established connections in theprofessions,?and again that rules out those young people who don't havethe well-connected families or friends who can open those doors for them.

通常情況下，實(shí)習(xí)只面向那些在專(zhuān)業(yè)領(lǐng)域有既定聯(lián)系的人，這又再次排除了那些年輕人，他們沒(méi)有有門(mén)路給他們走后門(mén)的家人或朋友。

Right, time nowto answer this week's question.

好了，是時(shí)候回答本周的問(wèn)題了。

Which is the oldest stock exchange in the world?

世界上最古老的證券交易所是哪個(gè)？

Is it: A:Bombay, B: New York, or C: Amsterdam?

是A：孟買(mǎi)證券交易所，B：紐約證券交易所，還是C：阿姆斯特丹證券交易所？

Rob, what did you say?

羅伯，你說(shuō)是哪個(gè)？

I went for Amsterdam.

我說(shuō)是阿姆斯特丹證券交易所。

Well done,that's correct.

做得好，回答正確。

Congratulations to everyone who go that right, and extra bonus points if you know the date.

恭喜每一位答對(duì)的人，如果你知道日期，還有額外的加分。

Rob?

羅伯，你知道嗎？

Haven't a clue!1750?

不知道！1750年？

Actually it's alot earlier, 1602.

實(shí)際上要早得多，1602年。

Wow, that'smuch earlier than I thought.

哇，那比我認(rèn)為的要早多了。

Right, let'shave a look again at today's vocabulary.

好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)看看今天的詞匯。

We've been talking about internships which are periods of work at companies as a way for students or new graduates to get experience in a particular field.

我們一直在討論的實(shí)習(xí)是指在公司工作的一段時(shí)間，是學(xué)生或應(yīng)屆畢業(yè)生獲得某一特定領(lǐng)域經(jīng)驗(yàn)的一種方式。

If they are unpaid it can make social mobility very difficult.

如果他們沒(méi)有報(bào)酬，社會(huì)流動(dòng)性就會(huì)變得非常困難。

This is themovement from a lower social level to a higher one and it's difficult as poorercandidates can't afford to work for free.

這是從較低社會(huì)階層向較高社會(huì)階層的邁進(jìn)，而且由于較窮的申請(qǐng)者負(fù)擔(dān)不起免費(fèi)工作，所以那很困難。

Yes, the costrules them out, it excludes them from the opportunity.

是的，成本把他們排除在外，排除了他們獲得實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)的可能性。

What helps isif you have established connections with a company.

如果你與一家公司有所聯(lián)系，那就會(huì)對(duì)你有幫助。

This refers toprevious or pre-existing links with a company.

這指的是以前或之前與公司的聯(lián)系。

And also if your family is well-connected, if it has good connections, for example if your father plays golf with the CEO,?it can open doors, or in other words, it can make it easier to get into the company.

而且，如果你的家庭有門(mén)路，如果有很好的社會(huì)關(guān)系，比如你的父親和公司的CEO打高爾夫，那么它就可以讓你走后門(mén)，換句話說(shuō)，它可以讓你更容易進(jìn)公司。

So Sam, are you well-connected?

所以薩姆，你有門(mén)路嗎？

No, only to my smartphone!

不，我只和我的智能機(jī)關(guān)系好！

Same here – but we still made it to BBC Learning English.

我也是，但是我們?nèi)阅芎虰BC教學(xué)英語(yǔ)有聯(lián)系。

But for now,that's all from 6 Minute English. See you again soon. Bye bye!

節(jié)目就到這里了，以上就是本期節(jié)目的全部?jī)?nèi)容。下次見(jiàn)。拜拜！

Bye everyone!