Have I missed something?

"The Collaborative International Dictionary
of English v.0.48"
Volunteer Vol`un*teer", v. t. imp. & p. p.
Volunteered; p.
   pr. & vb. n. Volunteering.
   To offer or bestow voluntarily, or without
   solicitation or compulsion; as, to volunteer
   one's services.
   1913 Webster

The term volunteer implies that there is no money involved -- from either the volunteer or the entity to which one volunteers...right? So, how is it I keep seeing references to volunteering in which the volunteer has to pay a sum of money to volunteer their services? Did someone forget to look up the definition?

Some years ago, I'd also wondered about ads I'd see in the classifieds of news papers in which internships were becoming paid positions. There was a time when an internship meant one had the right to be in intimate contact with a company's policies & procedures with the compensation being the knowledge one could learn, like a mentor-ship program. But now, most intern positions are paid.

So, in one area, the tables have turned. Naturally, the rich are those who reap the greatest reward -- particularly in bringing on volunteers who are willing to put up their own money to work for a company. And I'm sure those selfish bastards who'd come up with this idea feel fully justified in this. Why, it's a sound business practice, isn't it? Suck the very blood from an employee -- or client -- & give them as little as possible. Only, in this case, the company is simply reaping the benefits of some sucker working for them & handing out absolutely no compensation.

This reminds me of working in customer service in which the company gets occasional calls from foreign language speakers. The potential income a company can make from a sale to a foreign customer is, of course, directly related to how much they're willing to pay a bi- or multi-lingual employee for the benefit. But does the compensation ever come close to any idea of benefit the company receives? Of course not.

I have some talent with languages. I'm fluent only in English, but have been able to communicate in a fairly large number of other languages. In more naive times, I used to speak in the native language of customers because it was easier to do this than to repeatedly ask them to clarify what they wanted in English. But was I offered even the differential pay of twenty-five cents per hour often extended to employees able to speak another language? No.

In each company where I'd done this, I would -- at some point -- ask about receiving such pay to be flatly denied. But I wasn't given any option. I was told that I had to continue to speak to foreign customers in their own language, if I was able to communicate in whichever language, without compensation.

I caught on pretty quickly & stopped talking to customers in any language but English.

Is it any wonder I have no respect for the rich when they blatantly treat me with such disdain? Is it any wonder I'm so unwilling to offer any extras when I receive none in return?

I say, let them kiss my ass. I'm done kissing theirs.