I work full-time as a paid intern for a United Nations agency, and I currently have 40$ on my bank account.
Most of my groceries come from local food banks, as my salary monthly stipend only covers my rent and about two weeks of groceries. I tried to “make-do”, as most of my peers have. I got a second and a third job during the weekend, I stopped eating meat, I started eating more rice, potatoes, popcorn for dinner. I stopped going out almost altogether, save for free events or when my friends offered to pay.
Also, because I didn't really have any free time. I was always working.
During the weekend, I would work until late on my second and third jobs, and the second I got home I just crashed in bed. During the week, I got to the office at 8:30am and usually left at around 7pm, 6pm if I was lucky. Not that I was ever paid overtime. Working as an intern for UN agencies you get paid a set amount, no matter how much work you do.
Doing the math, the US$1000 of the monthly stipend only amount to about US$6.25 per hour accounting for a 40h work week. Not that I was ever able to work 40h. If I did the same math for the 55h that I worked last week, I'm only paid about US$4.50 per hour.
But I'm thankful. I know it will look great on my resumé. My friends make fun of me because I'm always so excited about my job. I love the topics that we cover, I feel like I'm making a difference, and nothing could be so fulfilling. I was a huge Model UN nerd growing up, and I dreamed about being where I am right now since I was 15.
I'm an immigrant in the country I am in right now, and whenever my family calls they are so, so proud of me. My family doesn't have a lot of money, but they help me out when they can, saving every bit to help the pride of the family. I don't have the words to tell them what I am going through right now.
I'm tired, and constantly hungry.
And the icing on the cake? I just got a message from another intern I befriended, working in HQ, that this month's payments will be late because the Finance department was on a retreat.
Not only am I paid near nothing, but the organization doesn't have enough respect to pay me on time. Talking to other interns, you hear stories of people who only got paid their poverty wages on the 25th, 29th of the month.
It's FRUSTRATING. A UNITED NATIONS agency, an organization that sets out to help people all around the world, has no respect to the people who do most of the work. And you know what? I promise you my bosses, supervisors, and non-intern coworkers will be paid on time. It's not like I have any need for it, right? It's not like I have bills to pay, rent, hydro, groceries. Why would I need to feed myself, exist as a person at all.
I feel drained, cheated, tired. I just got home from work, it's 9pm.
Again, I'm very, very grateful. The opportunity is incredible. I was able to meet people I never thought I could. I was able to participate in projects I had only ever read about in books, and actually improve them. I am able to go forward with a gold star on my resumé, an experience that stands out, differentiates me. I love my job, I really, really do. And I'm good at it. I talk with pride about my experience because that's how I feel like I am expected to talk about it. Because I am scared of the backlash of sounding ungrateful, of being blacklisted in my industry, of not being taken seriously because there are so many other stories of intern strikes and complaints that didn't lead anywhere.
But I just don't know how I'll be able to afford my rent this month.
Best to all, hope someone hears me.
(Throwaway account, sorry)