Microsoft Interns Still Feel the Love

theodp writes "Despite layoffs and a blip in earnings, the Chicago Trib reports that Microsoft's summer interns still enjoy the VIP treatment. Although there were 20% fewer of them this year than last, still 85% of the interns are offered full-time jobs. In addition to being paid $4,600-$6,000 a month, a housing stipend, and relocation costs for the summer, the 600 or so Microsoft apprentices enjoyed other perks — such as a police escort to speed their way to a private museum party where they screened the most recent Harry Potter movie and were given a free Xbox 360. 'You feel like royalty to be escorted by police,' said Joriz De Guzman, an intern working toward his MBA at Wharton. BTW, before he got mixed up with those MBA-types, De Guzman earned some fame as the Doogie Howser of computer science."

Comments

$6k?

[gillbates]

My summer internship at a local Chicago firm paid at least that. And that was 8 years ago!

Granted, I realize the economy is bad. But you'd almost be better off working at Taco Bell. Let's do the math, shall we: 6,000 divided by 12 weeks is $500/week. 500 / 40 hours a week = $12.50 per hour. And if you're the poor sucker who only got 4,500? Well, that puts you in the $9.38/hr range.

Oh, but you get a free Xbox!

After the dotcom bubble burst, I had a humbling experience my senior year, when a friend of mine - who wasn't exactly a stellar student - *rejected* an offer from IBM because it was "only 62k". He took a job somewhere else, I think, for about 67k. I wonder what MS interns will think when they realize that almost everyone else pays more than Microsoft.

Re:Escort

[Ex-MislTech]

Under Fascism legal becomes a grey area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism