"It is common practice for unscrupulous employers to hire interns; enthusiastic, usually young developers on low or non-existent salary, on the understanding that the experience they are getting is adequate compensation. The employer exploits the intern by obliging them to work long hours, often at some considerable personal cost. Most people will burn out after a few months of this, and when that happens, they are discarded and replaced by a new wave of intern. While it may be true that you are getting experience that will look good on your resume, as a rule you should not allow yourself to be exploited in this way, at least not for long. You deserve fair payment for the work you do. This may not be much money, given your lack of experience, but if you are creating something useful and profitable for your employer, you deserve to be paid. Any attempts to exploit you like this should be treated with the contempt it deserves (short-term internships may be acceptable). If an employer’s business model relies on using free, skilled labour, it is questionable."