1. Find out if you should get paid for training

In most cases, if you're being trained on the job, your employer has to pay you. This applies even if the employer calls it an “internship”.

You must be paid if the training is in a skill that's used by other employees in the workplace. For example, you should be paid if:

• you're being shown how to take orders as part of your training at a restaurant
• you're being trained to use the filing system in the office
• you're taking part in workplace safety training
• you're being trained to use machines that are in the workplace

Check to see if the work you're doing is covered by the Employment Standards Act. If it is, you may have the right to be paid for your training.

When you don’t have to be paid

There are times when an employer does not have to pay you while you're doing training.

Training you don’t need for your job

If you want to do training but you don't need it for the job you're doing, your employer does not have to pay you.

For example, you might want to do training that could help you get a promotion or move to a different position.

Student placements

If you're working as part of the coursework of your college or university program, your employer does not have to pay you.

And if you're doing a “work experience placement” and getting a high school credit for it, the employer does not have to pay you. For example, this applies to co-op students.