Undergoing an internship is usually required of students before they are given their certificate or degree prior to graduation. However, not all internships are pleasant experiences.
A young man hoping to equip himself with life skills via an internship found himself not only getting kicked from the job for no good reason, but also lost a substantial amount of money too.
Had to pay RM1,500 deposit for internship
In an interview with China Press, the man’s mother, who requested anonymity, said her son came across an internship opportunity at a counseling centre in Petaling Jaya as he wanted to gain experience before starting his Master’s degree.
After the job interview, he was accepted into the company, where he would undergo the internship for four months. However, he had to pay a RM1,500 deposit and was told he wouldn’t be paid too.
“We understood there wasn’t going to be a salary as some industries do not pay their interns. As for the deposit, perhaps the center feared interns might leave halfway so we didn’t object to it.
“After my son signed the contract and paid the deposit, he was given a document from the centre stating if he violated its policies and received two warning letters, the deposit would be forfeited.
“However, it didn’t specify what were considered as violations,” said the man’s mother.
M’sian intern fired after 9 weeks on the job
The woman told China Press that her son got his first warning letter after the person in charge of opening the door was late, causing everyone to clock in late and be penalised.
She added he was slapped with a second warning letter while he trying to answer a question posed by a customer.
“At the time, his colleague who was supposed to be on duty was unavailable, leading him to message the colleague via the center’s platform to get an answer.
“The center later accused him of breaching protocol and deleting the conversation from the platform, claiming it could be seen as leaking confidential information,” she explained.
And just like that, her son was fired after only nine weeks and forfeited the RM1,500 deposit.
Not the only one
The woman revealed that aside from her son, there were also three other interns who suffered a similar fate, with one of them getting fired on the first day for making a phone call due to an emergency.
I tried seeking help from police and lawyers, but to no avail. One lawyer even tried contacting the other interns, but most of them were students who didn’t want to escalate the situation further.
“While RM1,500 isn’t a large amount, the center’s actions are very unethical. If this incident isn’t exposed, many more interns could fall victim as well,” she explained.
A woman wasn’t allowed to pass her internship after she criticised her boss for body shaming her:
