A few days ago I was having dinner with my wife and kids.
At the table next to us, two young interns were speaking quietly but with intensity. They were trying to get their company to honour the stipend that had been promised to them. The company was refusing.
I kept thinking about that conversation long after we left the restaurant.
Interns are not free labour. They are people who trusted a company enough to show up, to learn, and to give their time. Some internships work out beautifully. Some do not. That outcome does not change the fact that the intern still spent real hours, real days, real weeks with you.
If a company makes a commitment to an intern, that commitment should be kept. No excuses about being early stage. No “it did not work out so we are not paying.” The time was still given.
This has been a simple, non-negotiable rule at Skcript since the day we started. It has been thirteen years. We pay every intern and every employee, even if they worked just one day. We have reimbursed candidates who travelled for interviews, whether they joined us or not.
Because they are people.
Just because something is not working out for the company does not mean the person on the other side does not deserve to be paid for the time they gave.
Pay your interns.