“School of precariousness”: the production of consent to precarious work in administration internships

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to understand the production of consent to precarious working conditions in administration students' internship experiences. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 13 students of an undergraduate program in Business Administration in a private university were interviewed. The students' perceptions about the dynamics of the internship and their engagement in this experience were explored through thematic analysis. Findings – Internships became more than spaces to learn about the world of work. They are also the locus of professional socialization toward precarious work. The detachment of internships from their educational scope is mediated by neonormative control mechanisms that subjectively mobilize the interns, producing the institutionalization and appreciation of the precarious experience, resignified as something that leads to autonomy, learning and a job position. Practical implications – The article can help students, universities and companies to assess the role of internships in training future professionals. Social implications – The research problematizes the internship as a form of professional socialization toward precarious work and its detachment from the original educational purpose. The article critically contributes to the debate about the current professional socialization process of young students. Originality/value – The article highlights the subjective dimension that supports students' consent to dysfunctional internships, discussing both the experience of work precariousness and exploitation, and the terms of the students' engagement in such dynamics, bridging consent to neonormative controls.

Keywords

• Labor process theory
• Neonormative control
• Internship
• Work precariousness