Discussion in /r/socialwork here and here.
I know social work is not unique in this – teaching and academia share similar problems. And unpaid internships are offered in almost every industry.
But for background: To receive a social work degree from an accredited social work program in the United States, a minimum of 400 hours of internship labor is a degree requirement to graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). For a Master of Social Work (MSW) the minimum is 900 if you don't have a BSW, though many programs require 1000+. It's not a situation like business school where internships are highly recommended to get ahead so most students do them if they can. “Just don't accept them!” some say. But these internships are for academic credit (which really means we are PAYING to do an unpaid internship). You simply cannot graduate without your hours.
Nearly all of these internships are unpaid and force students to either overwork themselves to survive, or take on loans to pay the bills. There are a rare handful of paid opportunities but they usually consist of a meager stipend you receive after completing your hours, not an hourly wage. My undergraduate internship paid a $500 stipend after 450 hours were completed. Just over $1/hr. Hooray!
Many social service agencies build this unpaid labor into their budget because they know they can rely on a steady flow of interns from local social work schools. And some programs require a certain number of hours per week – I've seen up to 32 hours per week required, in which case your options are limited to 1. be wealthy or be married to someone who is, 2. take on loans, or 3. have 60+ hour work weeks.
Recently some students at the University of Michigan have begun a campaign called Payments for Placements (P4P) which demands the school provide pay for their mandatory hours. I'm sure they are not the first to fight this fight in the field of social work education. But previous attempts have been unsuccessful and I am hopeful they succeed in changing the rules at U of M.
There have been successes in other university settings. For example, graduate workers at the University of New Mexico unionized for better pay just 3 months ago. A similar national organization, Pay Our Interns advocates for the same thing across industries. I am also encouraged by the impacts of The Great Resignation – specifically that it is causing a major shift in the way we think about employment, income, and working conditions.
Social workers deserve better. Students deserve pay. And clients in need of help deserve to have social workers who are not breaking their backs to survive.
ps I am not affiliated with P4P nor U of M. I'm just a BSW grad and MSW candidate who wants people to be aware of the struggles faced by social workers.