Hi Rebecca,

Before anything, I want to say that I’ve honestly enjoyed my time working for you at The Offline Society. I learned many new things regarding not just the technical side of things, but the business side of things too. Unfortunately, after heavy reading of the laws surrounding unpaid internships, and much discussion with experienced developers, I have concluded that the terms of my “employment” was illegal, and that the compensation you gave me for my work was not enough.

The terms of my employment fail parts 1 - 4 of this six part test for unpaid internships. The internship was not "similar to training which would be given in an educational environment”; while the experience was partly for the benefit of myself, my work was more for the benefit of the company; my role definitely displaced that of a regular employee and I did not "work under close supervision of existing staff”; and you, my employer, definitely derived an "immediate advantage from the activities” of I, the intern.

Regarding compensation, you did mention you would try to compensate me in other ways, and while I’m thankful for the money you gave me for the metro, the people you introduced me to, and the Chipotle bowls you ordered for me, I and the other developers I talked to agree that it wasn’t enough for all the time and effort I spent.

I won’t demand any monetary compensation, however, as I would like to leave on good terms with you, and you most likely won’t be able to follow through. Just to give an estimate, at federal minimum wage, you would owe me a little over $3,000. At an average of 20 hours a week (some weeks I worked a lot more than that, others I worked a lot less), for 5 months, with each month being 4.5 weeks for consistency, compensation totals out to exactly $3262.50.

Consider this email as my exit notice, however. I will cease my work on The Offline Society platform, delete all my accounts related to The Offline Society, and remove all local copies of the app on my machine starting now.

Thank you for this opportunity as I have truly learned a lot. I wish you luck on The Offline Society, and your future endeavors. Whilst I won’t demand any monetary compensation, I do ask you to follow through on your agreement to write me my college recommendation, and to also be there as a reference for future opportunities I may pursue.

Best,
Eric