Internships have long been an opportunity for inexperienced workers to try out different industries and build valuable contacts. For companies, it is a way to attract future talent. But increasingly interns are being asked to sign noncompete, nondisclosure and forced arbitration agreements, restrictions once reserved for higher-ranking employees [Editor’s note: the link may be paywalled]. From a report: Advocates say legal covenants for interns help safeguard trade secrets such as customer lists in an era when it is easy to download information and share it, for instance on social media or with a competitor. But critics argue the agreements hamper young people’s job opportunities and mobility even before they get a foot on the career ladder. […] Ms. Dunne’s [anecdote in the story] noncompete agreement stated that she couldn’t work for a competitor in software or banking within 15 miles of Wilmington for a year after leaving TekMountain. Ms. Dunne said she was given the agreement on her first day. “I had no idea what I signed, they didn’t explain it to me.”
After leaving TekMountain, she did a separate three-month internship with nCino, a financial technology company in Wilmington. In a May 7 letter, TekMountain’s parent, CastleBranch, laid out her obligations under the noncompete agreement, described the confidentiality of its proprietary information as “very serious,” and asked for details about her relationship with nCino. Ms. Dunne said she didn’t respond. The noncompete “eliminated a good portion of the companies in town in the industry I wanted to be in,” said Ms. Dunne, who is relocating to the Washington, D.C., area for a new job. “I have to leave all of my friends behind and start over.”
of this story at Slashdot.
Source:: Slashdot