Column by Sylvia Miga

“Do you realize that you are going to be working for free?” was one of the first questions I was asked before I accepted my internship. Working for free at an internship was something I had considered normal, especially since in the U.S., unpaid internships are considered common. However, in Poland, working for free was unheard of.

Every semester at UK before studying abroad, all my free time had gone to working full time. It was something that I enjoyed and hated at the same time. I enjoy making my own money and paying for my own things, but hate missing out on events and having free time. At times I even wish my life would be easier so I wouldn’t have to work but what would I be learning then?

When I first arrived in Poland in February, I looked forward to all the free time I was going to have. School was the main concern for my study-abroad experience, but I was still going to be able to have free weekends. At first, everything seemed perfect. I finally had time to sleep, go to class and spend time with friends. When I looked at everything as a whole, I came to realize that I felt normal and that wasn’t good enough. However, a lot of free time went into experiencing Polish culture, meeting lots of new people and traveling, but the problem was that I had nothing to offer.

I had first considered finding a job, but working in Poland is almost not worth it. Minimum wage is about $2 per hour and when you are used to getting paid $10 an hour, it just seems like a waste of time. I also didn’t see anything beneficial about working at a bar or a clothing store for such a small amount of pay, so I decided to spend my free time interning. I never thought that I would receive an internship working for the city of Krakow. I ended up receiving an internship at Urzad Miasta Krakow, which is their city hall building, and I was directed to the public relations office for the mayor of Krakow.

I was surprised at how easy it was for me to get such a good opportunity. Internships like this in the States require good connections. Maybe it was because I had offered to work for free. Even the woman who worked as public relations liaison to the mayor told me that a lot of students these days don’t want to work, especially for free. I can understand that working for free rarely occurs for college students in the U.S. because college is expensive and the cost of living is high, but many students in Poland have the opportunity to attend college for free and internships usually lead to jobs or at least better opportunities.

I was supposed to intern two days a week, but since June 15, I have been interning five days a week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nobody understands how I can work for free and most of my family keeps telling me it is a waste of time, but honestly it has been the best experience of my life.

I have met so many important people including the Mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski, attended events such as Norman Davies’ birthday celebration and signings of new agreements like the new edition of the Schindler factory. The most important part of my internship has been how much my Polish has improved. Interning where college-level Polish is used has been the greatest lesson for me.

There hasn’t been a day that I felt like my internship hasn’t been worth it. I treat it as a full-time job, just as one that doesn’t pay, but it has taught me so many things that I am learning for free.