I worked for 2 summers without pay. It worked out well for me. I was offered a full time job right after the second. I got to do what I loved, and meet some awesome people. But I guess it's different when you're a highschool student with no student loans. You got lucky then. Interneship isn't a bad thing, if it's purpose is to train newcomers, but the company shouldn't take advantage of them - e.i. make money of interns free work. The situation at the beformentioned studio was a bit different.. Many people who worked there for 5+ years were laid off and replaced by unpaid interns. The interns were working under 8 months long contract (that's an entire show) on an actual production that the company was being paid for by the networks. As to the scope of the inter-ship.. they posted ads for: storyboard interns, layout interns, modeller intern, rigger interns, animator interns, lighting interns, texturing interns.. basically the entire crew, while the now ex-employees were waiting for call-back.