Is there a polite way to tell my internship advisoe to pay me?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have been working 6 years – I got an average of $1500 per year in random pay. He told me he is happy with my work and gave me a new assignment. Is there any polite way to tell him I am not happy with being unpaid?

2

You can tell him that you’re not happy being unpaid. Seriously. That’s what you do.

If that doesn’t work, you can always fall back on the law, which probably indicates that you should not have been an intern for six years.

3

…How have you been paying your living expenses for six years?

I think ‘polite’ is the wrong way to look at it. You need to be direct. “Hey boss, I appreciate working here, but I really need to get paid to keep working here. I did some research and I think a fair wage/salary would be $X*. Can you make that happen?”.

Of course, if you aren’t willing to walk if he says “That’s not happening”, then you’re going to keep getting paid nothing. So I’d suggest making sure you have a resignation letter in your back pocket if he balks.

Also, I would talk to an employment lawyer about your “internship”. I strongly suspect it does not meet the criteria for being an unpaid internship if you’ve been doing it for six years. You might well be owed tens of thousands in back pay.
*where X is about 10% more than you think you should get, so you have some wiggle room.

4

I depend on my parents. They insist on me staying in that internship.

Is it a joke? My title is Research Assistant.

5

Many research assistants get paid… especially after more than a few weeks/months.

What kind of RA position is this? Undergrad? Grad school? A volunteer position?

6

I have a PhD.

I can not waste my life any more. Is there a polite way to ask my advisor for money?

7

Based on your previous posts, I have a feeling that your advisor is tossing random projects and pay to you out of pity/misguided obligation. What you need to do is find an actual real job; try asking your advisor to help you with that, rather than to pay you. If he thinks you’re worth hiring, he’ll tell you. If he doesn’t, he’ll point you elsewhere, which will be a win-win for everyone.

8

Sadly his pity is not helping me but helping keep me in a miserable situation.

9

No, YOU are keeping you in a miserable situation. He’s giving you $1500/year in Cheetos money for minimal effort on your part (again, based on your own past threads on the topic). Either man up and find a job, tell him to hire you or let you go altogether, or keep the status quo.

10

You are keeping yourself in a miserable situation, no one else.

11

This doesn’t even sound legal…

12

Why?

13

Thanks – I will talk to a lawyer. But maybe I can ask my advisor for some money now? Is there a polite way?

As for others. #Imagine if those who have nothing encouraging for me stayed off my threads.

14

Posts 2 and 3 suggest ways you can do it.

Helping you see your own responsibility in your situation in addition to determining your supervisor’s obligations is a way to help you.

A few questions:

*How many hours/week are you currently working?

*What do you think is a fair salary?

*If you’re not working full time, do you want to be?

*Where else have you looked for work, since you’re not happy in this position?

15

Thanks. I work about 8 hours a week. If I was paid I would work more.

I would be happy with $15/hour – given my PhD that seems more then fair.

16

Problem is that you are working the equivalent of one day a week. It may not be worth much more to your supervisor when someone is contributing such a small amount to the projects at hand.

Are you willing and able to work 15-20 hours/week? You may be more valuable to the company if you work more.

17

Of course! But not for free!

18

Who said for free?

I said that you might be more likely to get paid if you’re willing to work more hours. You’d be contributing more to the project so deserve more in salary.

19

I would be happy to work much more to pay, but I am tired of working for free. How should I bring it up to my adviser?

PS. If I worked more for free it would be counterproductive.

20

You are not following. Two people (posts 2 and 3) suggested ways to ask.

I’m suggesting that when you ask you can also say you’d be willing to work more hours per week and contribute more if he was able to pay you $15/hr.

I am not suggesting you offer to work more for free.