Do you get paid for being a trainee?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

Yes, you get paid for being a trainee. As a trainee, you are considered an employee in training so you can get paid. However, that is contingent on the circumstances surrounding what you'll do within the workplace and whether there was a prior compensation agreement.

For example, most university graduate instructors will have contracts that explicitly express compensation for attending training.

From the U.S. Department of Labor on Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), what would make you not get paid is if all of the following criteria apply to you.

The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to what would be given in vocational school
The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students
The trainees or students do not displace regular employees but work under close supervision
The employer that provides the training receives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students and, on occasions, the employer may even impede his operations
The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job after the training period
The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not allowed to pay wages for the time spent in training