IT was seen as advantageous for those who could afford to, or manage to, work for free for months in the hope of landing a dream job at the end.
But now it is claimed wrongly-run internships could be simply exploiting those people at the start of their careers while also excluding others unable to make ends meet working full time for free.
Read more: Three out of four back intern exploitation law change
Concerns now raised as the political push to limit the amount of unpaid work interns can be asked to do gains only gradual momentum come with six years passed since the embarrassing moment in 2011 when former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, below, had to own up to securing his first internship through his father's influence in a Finnish bank.
He was said to have been forced to admit it was "wrong" that his own career had been boosted by parental connections when he was starting out, getting him time at a bank and his first job in politics.
Read more: Three out of four back intern exploitation law change
The Guardian reported at the time the revelation that the deputy prime minister had been helped by his father's influence cast a shadow over a separate push at that time to end unpaid internships, a move designed to put more accessible internships in desirable professions at the centre of a drive to give poorer children better opportunities
Then campaigners Intern Aware threw the spotlight on the then First Minister Alex Salmond in 2014. He came under criticism after seeking to recruit an unpaid intern for his constituency office.
Mr Salmond, below, had sought a student to work for free on constituency casework at his Inverurie office near Aberdeen.
However the voluntary post, advertised through a university careers service, was condemned by political opponents and campaigners.
In an embarrassing move for Mr Salmond, Intern Aware reported the advert to the taxman, requesting an inquiry into whether the role should pay the minimum wage.
Intern Aware, which campaigns against "exploitative, exclusive and unfair" unpaid internships, called for the probe by the minimum wage unit of HM Revenue and Customs.
Read more: Three out of four back intern exploitation law change
There are also "trials" of workers in jobs outwith the high-end prize at the end of an unspecified professional internship.
The SNP’s Stewart McDonald, who represents Glasgow South, wants an end to unpaid work at all levels and, earlier explaining his reasons on social media, he cited the cases of two Glasgow cafés who were allegedly asking potential staff to undertake 40 hours of unpaid work before they could be considered for employment.
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