To withdraw my job applications when employers want me to do an unpaid trial shift?

I think it depends on the shift. An hour as part of an interview process yes, a full 4-6 hour shift no.

I used to run kids dance classes and used to ask potential teachers to prepare a trial class. But it was only ever a shortened half hour class (normal teaching day was 3-6 hours) followed immediately by an interview where the class was discussed.

I understand your frustration but I think a lot of unpaid work goes into obtaining a lot of jobs. My husband works in Events and frequently has to prepare a presentation on an event he would plan for the venue he is interviewing for as part of his application and send it in. They effectively get days of his time and ideas and research and expertise for free. We don't check back but I'd be surprised if they don't ever use their interviews for ideas!

Happened to my son, too. At a Subway branch. He did his trial shift (to test what? -- whether he could butter bread?) and just heard nothing more from them.

If he was good enough to offer a trial shift to, then he should have been given the job unless he made some significant errors. He didn't. All went well. He went on to get other similar jobs easily and do them well.

It just seemed like a free labour scam. I don't ever buy anything at Subway anymore, on principle.

Trial shifts - fine.

Unpaid - fuck right off.

Imo if unpaid trial shifts are legal (not that I think they should be), there should be a strict cap I.e no more than 1-2 hours long and no more than once to make it as hard as possible for employers to use it to exploit people for free labour.

Theoretically given nearly all contracts have a probation period in them endless trials are unnecessary, and I’d be particularly wary of hospitality employers insisting on them during the summer or at Christmas as I’d almost certainly think they are just looking to get someone to do someones holiday cover for free or get an extra pair of hands during a busy period without having to pay.

Shameless theft.

Yes, that was the point. The speaker suggested more emphasis should be given to demonstrating ability to do the job, than to an interview where you talk about doing the job- as would happen for a musician.

Running a hospitality business we regularly get potential new staff in to do a trial shift, shadowing an existing member of staff in that role, to try & see if they're suitable and/or got the potential to fit our team & the job requirements.

It might be 2-3 hours for a waiting/bar job or longer for a chef role, but regardless of the outcome of the shift in is ALWAYS paid.
I think it's really unfair to ask someone to do it for free.

I was going to say I think one trial shift is fine but having read the tactics of having nevereending young people on trial for free with nobody getting a job at the end of it, I've changed my mind. That needs to be stopped. Probationary days/weeks/months depending on the complexity of the job can easily be used - but labour should always be paid for.

I think interview lessons for teachers are a ridiculous comparison though. That's a part of the recruitment process for employers and a part of the interview prep for employees. Nobody's being exploited there, nobody's giving anybody free time by working for free and it's essential to know how someone teaches before you know if you want them to have the job. And that's coming from someone who interviews very well but inexplicably goes to pieces when someone's observing my teaching. It's my responsibility to do that well. Most professional job interviews have some form of presentation, assessment or task involved, surely. An interview alone won't tell you much.

I had this years ago at a large supermarket beginning with T. I was 21 and needed a part-time job while doing my masters. It was 20 hours a week and I had retail experience. Interview was evidently fine because they offered me a trail shift on clothing. Didn’t get the job. Feedback was that my trial shift was unacceptable. I’d been tasked with putting clothes in size order on rails. Which I knew I’d done correctly because the woman supervising me told me so! Ended working at another store where I was treated like utter shit so maybe I should have run a mile.

I think teaching interviews are different though. That said, I went for a head of year job once and there was no lesson but an assembly presentation and task. One of the candidates was internal and said the task was based on an absolute disaster of a day they’d tried to plan and clearly wanted someone to do the work for them. Didn’t get that either (although they did say I’d done the best planning and thank you very much). Should have gone home when I realised there were two internal candidates but hey ho.

Lots of jobs do have trial shifts to see if the potential staff like the job as much as the employer likes them.

We often struggle with this. Our job is in an industry that many people have no idea what it’s like to work in. We show them around at interview in depth. Then we offer a paid 3 day trial. So many people want to be paid cash in hand for it which we won’t do so they don’t want the job. They don’t want to risk not liking the job and then their benefits money being messed up. To be fair the answer is that if they’re worried about that then they probably weren’t looking for a long term job anyway.

There is also quite the admin burden for small businesses. To add someone as a new starter, Health and safety, pension postponement letter, bank details, right to work documents, social media background checks. We go through all of their which is a huge amount of time only for half our new starters to disappear. For small family businesses although they should be doing I can see there’s another side to the story.

Surely performing artists do auditions?

Oh this is giving me flashbacks. I would add that at the end of the interviews the post is then quite often offered to an internal candidate. To the PP’s saying it’s just like giving a Power Point presentation it’s really not.@PrincessAnne5Eva detailed why in her post. Just to add I don’t agree with interviewees for other jobs having to do presentations either.

Nope. I would never agree to that.

You completely right to tell the CFs to get lost and keep their job.

I wouldn't expect an employer that does this to be someone that is good to work for in other ways either.

I did various part-time waitressing jobs when was a student and then backpacking, 2o years ago. Only did an unpaid trial once, was a bit desperate so did the trial, worse place I ever worked, awful management, too many staff so not enough shifts, wouldn't even let us have a bowl of soup after our 3 hour lunchtime shift.

Their attitude to staff was shit, I should have know from the fact they'd getba free shift out of us. I lasted 3 weeks, left for something better.

I'm shocked this stunt is still being pulled by employers, definately needs to barred, along with unpaid internships.

How long a "shift" are we talking here?
For my son who did his trial in the chicken place it was a 4 hour shift covering lunchtime/ late afternoon in a busy shopping centre.

There’s a company near me that has been doing their own version of this. I won’t go into the exact role but their interview process requires pitching ideas for an area of their business. They’ve been “interviewing” (stealing people’s ideas for free) for this role for years and still haven’t filled the role.

A few years ago my DS applied for a paid weekend job as a groom for a well known eventer. He worked 3 weekends, both days for 6 hrs a day, hard physical work, and he's a very dedicated person.

He was only just turned 16 and I know that she turned up on time as I dropped him off.
When after 3 weeks DS tentatively asked about payment, he was told that he was too young to be in sole charge of the yard (despite having already been left alone for several hours) and so should look on it as experience. Unpaid of course.

I'm so annoyed that this woman got away with treating him so badly that I'm going to out her. It was Hannah Biggs from Dorset.

I'm now a menopausal old crone so am up for a fight if she wants it.

I think this is fine, 30 mins - 1hr but an entire shift is a piss take. Especially
for something like working in a shop or pub where the work is simply to be polite and helpful rather than any specific skill like playing the violin.

I would take an unpaid shift in a shop like Gap, but only if they guarantee at the end of it that I would be able to fold t shirts, jumpers and jeans. 🙂

But in principle I agree with others it is abusive and exploitative to make people work for nothing, and as others have said it isn’t across the board, Want to be my cleaner? OK you have six hours to clean my house. Starting NOW!

or to check if a pilot can land a plane to our satisfaction (also doesn't happen)

On a point of fact, pilots have a difficult simulator session to pass as part of the recruitment process, so actually we do check they can land a plane to the putative employers satisfaction.

One of our local takeaways did this, they got teenagers in for two trial weekend shifts with no pay then never got back to them. Eventually they were rumbled - they’d had several weekends of free staffing and got really arsey when confronted by a bunch of parents. The locals boycotted it and soon after it closed down. Served them right!

This happened to my son with a big national chicken chain! Did an unpaid trial shift and never heard back, but he did come home wearing the t-shirt that he forgot to take off - so I guess he got paid a shitty black t-shirt 🤣
So it's not just small local places that do it, at least one big multinational chain too 🐓 I won't go there ever since.

And I agree with you OP. It's a disgrace!

I agree. I have never done a "free" trial shift. Pay me or fuck off