Work & School

Internships, apprenticeships, volunteering, and practicums… Oh my!

Last Reviewed:

June, 2025

Reviewed By:

JES Legal Specialist

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BIG IDEA

If you work like an employee, you should get paid like an employee.

Should I be paid for that? Click to find out. Still not sure? Contact the Employment Standards Branch.

Volunteering: Not paid

Volunteering is a great way to contribute to your community and help others while meeting people, building skills and getting experience. There should be a certain amount of flexibility and different levels of responsibility compared to paid employees.

Dig Deeper

As a volunteer, you still have responsibilities. You can learn about volunteering and the law here.

Toolbox

You can find volunteer positions by visiting Go Volunteer

Practicums: Not paid

A practicum is part of formal education that offers hands-on training for students. Often found in educational programs like education, medicine, or engineering. It's not considered "work" under employment law and leads to a certificate or diploma.

Internship: Paid

An internship is practical training provided by an employer to individuals, usually after or during completing a degree. Unlike a practicum, it is not required for actually obtaining a degree or certificate. There are not allowed to be “unpaid internships” in BC. If the tasks meet the definition of "work" in employment law, interns are considered employees, and they have all the rights other employees are entitled to like minimum wage.

Apprenticeship: Paid

An apprentice is being trained while working for an employer and as such is performing work and must be paid wages.