Can Maine Employers Legally Hire Unpaid Interns?

Employers in Maine are receiving calls from students hoping to line up internships for 2010. Many students may, obviously, be glad to participate in an internship training program without pay (and even work their heads off) because of the job experience they can gain, as well as due to the possibility of being asked to stay on as full-time, paid employees after the training program is over.

But what are some key factors that employees should be considering when hiring unpaid interns? Does it matter if the intern will be working 40 hours per week or less? Is it even legal to hire unpaid interns? All are important questions to a....