Unpaid work and access to science professions

Abstract

Unpaid work in the sciences is advocated as an entry route into scientific careers. We compared the success of UK science graduates who took paid or unpaid work six-months after graduation in obtaining a high salary or working in a STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) field 3.5 years later. Initially taking unpaid work was associated with lower earnings and lower persistence in STEM compared with paid work, but those using personal connections to obtain unpaid positions were as likely to persist in STEM as paid workers. Obtaining a position in STEM six months after graduation was associated with higher rates of persistence in STEM compared with a position outside STEM for both paid and unpaid workers, but the difference is considerably smaller for unpaid workers. Socio-economic inequality in the likelihood of obtaining entry in STEM by taking an unpaid position is a well-founded concern for scientific workforce diversity.

It pays to get paid: Factors influencing wildlife‐related employment success

“…Aspiring wildlife professionals were much more likely to be successful in their field if they took paid positions, with an increase of 2–3 paid jobs doubling their probability of employment success. For wildlife‐related fields, as for others, paid positions appear to be more valuable for career advancement (Taylor 1988, Crain 2016, Fournier et al 2019). Though we could not directly test the pathway of position type amongst our respondents, we found no evidence to suggest that initially taking an unpaid position could lead to a paid position in the future.…”

“…Though we could not directly test the pathway of position type amongst our respondents, we found no evidence to suggest that initially taking an unpaid position could lead to a paid position in the future. In fact, unpaid positions may decrease the earning potential of scientists without paid positions, at least in the short‐term (Fournier et al 2019). The stronger correlation between paid positions vs. unpaid and overall success may be due to the greater diversity and quality of skills obtained in these positions (Taylor 1988, Siebert and Wilson 2013, Crain 2016).…”

For Some, Luck Matters More: the Impact of the Great Recession on the Early Careers of Graduates from Different Socio-Economic Backgrounds

“…Universities might help to reduce socio-economic inequalities by encouraging more students, particularly those from a low-SES background, to take on placement and internship opportunities and offering better career advice not only at the time of graduation but also throughout the course of study. Additionally, adequate financial support could be provided to disadvantaged students to take on these opportunities, as most placements are unpaid and, because of this, only accessible to high-SES individuals (Fournier et al, 2019).…”

Breaking barriers? Ethnicity and socioeconomic background impact on early career progression in the fields of ecology and evolution

“…Experience with fieldwork can be key to career development; however, gaining this experience often requires undertaking voluntary internships, which may only be accessible to those from more privileged backgrounds (Fournier & Bond, 2015). In addition, undertaking unpaid work early on in a career has been shown to be related to lower persistence in academia (Fournier et al, 2019). The importance of socioeconomic background is worrying given increasing inequality and economic instability worldwide.…”