DevonDiver
N/A
If you have paid a customary fee for the DM instruction and are expected to do various tasks, politely ask for the phone number for the Wage and Hour Division of the Dept of Labor.
If you paid a customary fee for the DM instruction, without confirming what tasks you will be expected to do and whether you agree with them... please don't ask for the phone number for MENSA.
There's a thousand examples of where someone might be expected to do a task, but not receive financial compensation for it... or for it to be classed as employment. Everything from Girl Scouts selling cookies to your significant other cooking your dinner.
People generally understand the concept of an 'internship'.
Those that don't... can only blame themselves for entering into one without understanding what it is...
Definition:Internships provide real world experience to those looking to explore or gain the relevant knowledge and skills required to enter into a particular career field. Internships are relatively short term in nature with the primary focus on getting some on the job training and taking what’s learned in the classroom and applying it to the real world. Interns generally have a supervisor who assigns specific tasks and evaluates the interns overall work. Internships are a method for people interested in trying out a new career. People do internships to gain relevant experience in a particular career field as well as to get exposure to determine if they have a genuine interest in the field. Internships are an excellent way to begin building those all important connections that are invaluable in developing and maintaining a strong professional network for the future.
Playing devil's advocate here - but if DM employment in that area/region does includes dive shop menial labor; then an internship is justified in exposing the candidate to those tasks, in order to give them an ability to assess and decide their interest in later pursuing employment in that role/career.
In that respect...based on regional 'norms'... if a salaried DM would do it, then a DM candidate should do it too. If, however, such tasks would otherwise be designated to staff other than DMs (cleaners etc), then it is not appropriate for the DM candidate to be exposed to that task.
In addition, there is a big difference between 'being exposed to' a task and 'being expected to fulfill a task'. Trying something out, for a limited basis, in the spirit of learning is acceptable. Being responsible for fulfilling an otherwise permanent function, in lieu of salaried staff, is not.
The long-and-short of it.... if a DM candidate felt disgruntled about being asked to clean a toilet... and such tasks were nominally expected of a salaried DM... then that candidate learnt a valuable lesson from their internship in respect of their understanding of the role and awareness of their motivation to be employed as such.