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Why do German companies hate paying interns decent wages?

I just had an interview for an internship at a decently funded startup, and they proposed MINIMUM WAGE as a salary. Acted like it was the most normal thing in the world, too.
I do have a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and some actual working experience as a developer, yet they suggested they’d pay me even less than that if they were legally allowed to. Is that their way of saying they don’t want me after all? They did invite me to a second interview.
I get that interns generally aren’t as productive as senior devs who spend years on a certain project, but minimum wage? Fuck that!

Luckily, they’re just the first company I talked to, but I do feel a little offended.

Comments
  • 3
    I think this happens all over. Some of the contract offers i get take the piss.

    But, there's always some who'll take it and ruin it for the rest of us. Hence the practice continues.
  • 3
    @alice It’s actually illegal to offer unpaid voluntary internships longer that three months - which is why many companies switched to shorter periods
  • 0
    I think the exact term is "dick move"
  • 2
    Because interns cause all the cost of new employees, including draining productive time from experienced (and expensive) employees, but without the benefit after familiarisation. Even if internships were not paid at all, they'd be a net cost for the company.

    Nobody hires IT interns because they are productive, but because it's a good way to have an eye on future job candidates (if their internship runs well). Plus that it's mandatory in many studies - no junior devs if nobody hired interns first.

    As intern, you are not the giving side, but the receiving one. Sorry for the reality check.
  • 0
    @Fast-Nop Fair point, interns do take a lot of time and effort to onboard with unclear long-term benefits for the company.
    However, since I have previous working experience with the technologies they are using, I was hoping for a little more appreciation. But maybe it’s just not a good fit.
  • 1
    I'm doing an internship in Germany (it's a swedish company though) and I get 2,5k a month
  • 0
    @Fast-Nop can't disagree more with your points listed.

    Not only does a company exploit students but also refer to this as common practice. It has been a long going problem in my university, where companies participate in "giving out" interdisciplinary projects to students (mandatory part of study programme) to later manipulate project finalization and grading in order to work extra.
    Yes, these issues are being handled, but the unpaid-intern practice is so common that there's barely any progress.
  • 0
    @MasterCarl From my experience, a junior dev needs six months to get really productive. A senior dev with domain knowledge still takes two months. Many people like to pretend it's much less, but that's pipe dreams, IMO.

    @nicofee woah.. that's a dream internship.
  • 1
    I have a friend in Germany in the exact same situation. He gets paid shit for being a dev because it's part time and he does it whilst doing his master's degree.

    I.e. he already holds a bachelor's degree just like you do.

    Idk what I feel about it. Doesn't really apply to me though.
  • 1
    @Fast-Nop I’d guess it depends - at my last internship, my boss told me I was the most productive employee in my team. Of course, that might have been more due to the team rather than my own brilliance.
  • 0
    I can't understand why this is even allowed. If you can choose this is the only thing that should be interesting.
    If you are from Germany try to get in touch with the team of hrworks.de. Maybe you will be welcomed πŸ˜‰
  • 0
  • 0
    YOU'RE GETTING PAID?!
  • 0
    "I have other second interviews with companies that are offering me -- based upon my demonstrated skills -- more than minimum wage. If you would like me to come in for a second interview, you're going to need to make me a better offer."

    If they don't make you a better offer -- and you'll need to figure out what that is (some multiple of minimum 1.5, 2, 3, whatever) -- decline the second interview and walk away and don't look back.

    And don't tell them who the other companies are and don't tell them what the other offers are.
  • 0
    Oh boii , U gotta visit India .
    We don't get paid descently in jobs..,like ,actual jobs .
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