Working for free may sound counter-productive, but a new study has confirmed what many already suspected - that the practice across Australia is widespread.
Professor Andrew Stewart is one of the researchers of the report.
He says unpaid work placements are particularly common among young people.
"A lot of people are doing unpaid work to try and get a chance at getting a job in what is a very tight labour market. So young people in particular - those under 30. More than half of those have done at least one internship or placement in the last five years and many of them have done more than that". Professor Stewart says.
Professor Stewart says while unpaid internships can offer a chance for students to observe and learn in a practical setting, some employers may be exploiting them.
The survey found most participants felt positive about their unpaid work, and believed it would lead to better work opportunities.
Clara Jordan-Baird is the Policy Director from Interns Australia.
She says there are many benefits of internships, such as learning new skills and potentially making contacts in competitive industries.
"However the problem is when organisations takes work which would usually be paid, such as doing admin, or other actuivites like that, market it as an internship and them lure unsuspecting people into doing it. So the risks are that young people who are vulnerable, who have no idea of the value of their work are lured into a workplace with the potential of someday getting a job, and fnid themselves picking up drycleaning, getting coffees, and doing work they're not actually learning anything from. " Ms Jordan-Baird says.
Ms Jordan-Baird says her organisation wants a national inquiry into unpaid internships, which she says could potentially lead to paid employees being paid less.
And she says it may also reinforce inequality, because those from rural areas or lower socio-economic backgrounds are less able to access internships.
