The Internship Economy and Social Inequalities | A. Frenette

The article analyzes the concept of the internship economy based on Alexandre Frenette's book, presenting it as a systemic apparatus for reproducing social inequalities. The author argues that internships in creative sectors often serve as a tool for class selection, rewarding those with high financial and social capital, while for others they become a form of free labor under the guise of education. The text describes the 'grey area' between learning and employment and the mechanism of so-called osmosis pedagogy, where talent must survive economic barriers and rituals of subordination. Referencing the legal 'primary beneficiary test,' the article exposes the power asymmetry and the strategic use of intern status to shift training costs onto the individual, leading to further precaritization of young workers.