Fee For An Internship At The U.N: $22,000 And Counting

Dan Fastenberg
Updated
charitybuzz website auctions internships
charitybuzz website auctions internships

Given the high unemployment rate, many new grads might be forced to accept an internship, even an unpaid one. But would you shell over thousands of bucks for a chance to, say, spend a couple weeks interning for no pay at the United Nations? If you think that sounds absurd, you haven't heard of Charitybuzz, a site which hosts online auctions for a range of experiences and products and sends the proceeds to charity.

Right now that six-week internship at the United Nations has several bids on the site, the highest is $22,000. (Proceeds will go to the RFK Young Leaders.) But there are 14 days left to bid, so don't despair if you want that chance to work on human rights.

Other internship auctions, some of them set to close today, have attracted considerably less interest:

  • The only internship at a Fortune 500 company which is offered on the site has attracted eight bids, the highest at just $1,025. It's an internship in the auditing division of the financial services firm Fiserv.

  • A summer internship at the Milwaukee Art Museum has just one bid of $500 -- even though it includes a year's membership to the museum.

  • A monthlong internship with a Los Angeles-based fashion designer has only attracted two bids, the highest at $225 -- well below its $1,000 value, as set by Charitybuzz.


Interestingly, internships in the ailing magazine industry also have garnered relatively little interest. A two-week internship at Star magazine has three bids, with the top one at $1,350 -- despite being valued at $5,000. A two-week internship at LA Confidential has two bids, the highest at just $150.

In speaking to AOL Jobs, Charitybuzz CEO Coppy Holzman said the values for each internship are determined by how "like-minded [internships have] fared in the past." He referred to the program as "a win-win situation that allows iconic programs to raise support for charities." He pointed out that Charitybuzz internship programs are "crafted in addition to existing [internship] programs," and urged anyone who can't afford a Charitybuzz internship to pursue a standard one.

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