Internships are often a springboard to full-time jobs, yet high living costs have some students questioning whether they can afford to take summer roles in certain locations.
Many companies are paying interns in order to compete for talent and ensure opportunities don’t go solely to those who can afford to work for little or no compensation. Yet some students and employers say stipends and wages don’t go as far as they did a year ago, and soaring rents from New York to Seattle also have changed students’ calculations as to where they’re able to take internships.
Debbie Girma, a rising third-year law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, has worked as a legal intern and political canvasser in recent years. Ms. Girma, who ultimately wants to do nonprofit or civil rights work on the East Coast, is interning this summer at a private law firm in Dallas, because it pays more than the $12 an hour many public-defender summer roles offer. Plus, the cost of living in Texas is relatively low.