A Facebook post by a Chula student went viral last weekend and sparked a conversation surrounding the state of internships in Thailand. The sports science student was told to complete his internship next year, following a dispute with a higher-up while interning at a hotel. Apparently, he refused to do what he was told and got snappy in his reply via Line to the general manager. He argued that the uni could have done more for him as he had secured another company to continue his internship there instead.
Netizens were quick to judge him for being too soft for the real world or having unrealistic expectations about the real working environment. In his defence, he said he had been asked to do what's beyond his job description. He thought he would get to organise activities for guests (which I don't think there are many due to the pandemic) but instead was asked to set up parasols next to the swimming pool, clean the floor and serve food. He also claimed he had worked up to 10 hours per day.
This got me thinking about my own experience as an intern and offering externships for Thai university students. I would like to add my two satangs without blaming anyone involved.
