Can a graduate student on a university stipend work a remote internship concurrently?

Question

Due to the current public health situation, my graduate studies and research work have moved entirely online. I was offered a remote full-time internship for summer. Both being online, I am able to work on tasks from both the internship and my research in my own time. There is also significant overlap in my graduate research and the internship. That is, research I do in one benefits the other as well.

My advisor wants me to get an internship over the summer. They expect I will focus on the internship, and work on a reduced basis on my graduate work as well. This I want. The expectation is that I will stop getting the stipend while I am on an internship. This I do not want.

I want to work both jobs. One, for the financial incentive. And two, to continue working on my graduate research and degree, and be paid for the work I do.

What are the legal, ethical, and practical implications of having another job while being on a research stipend? It it generally disallowed or discouraged? How do I negotiate such an arrangement with my advisor?

Visa issues are not a concern.

Answer 1

What are the legal, ethical, and practical implications of having another job while being on a research stipend?

Legally, this depends entirely on your university's policies and your contract.

Ethically, there will be a wide variety of opinions:

• One line of thought will say that a research stipend is not a "normal" paycheck in exchange for your work, but rather an investment in your future by the donors or taxpayers. This investment is designed to cover your financial needs while you focus all your professional energies on launching your career. Such a view would be incompatible any paid work while receiving a research stipend.
• Another line of thought will say that your research stipend is very much a normal paycheck, and whatever you do in your off hours is your own business. This view would allow students to do whatever they want on their own time.
• But in your case, you say there is "significant overlap in my graduate research and the internship." This complicates the issue further, since even in the second point of view, you are not really doing the internship "on your own time." In this sense, your proposal could be considered equivalent to asking your advisor "could I work twice as much as your average student and get paid twice as much?" to which the answer is of course no.

Practically, of course it is difficult to sustain a very intense schedule, particularly for "creative" jobs. The fact that your internship and regular work are so similar exacerbates this, since you are using the same muscles for both efforts.

It it generally disallowed or discouraged?

I would say, generally discouraged and often disallowed. Though there are some exceptions, particularly in technological fields where students might be allowed or encouraged to do internships or even start their own companies on the side.

How do I negotiate such an arrangement with my advisor?

This will depend entirely on your university's policies, your performance, and the advisor's personality.