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Original poster

should people be paid for work trial

28 replies

ghostspirit · 03/06/2015 21:06

hi my daughter went for an interview. she got an email saying they would like her to come in for a trial day. but its unpaid it will be for 9 hours. if it was couple of hours or so that does not seem so bad. but 9 hours and get nothing for it. is that normal?

OP posts:
eyebags63 · 03/06/2015 21:07

I have no idea if it is normal or not but it seems to me work deserves pay. They should pay her something even if it is only a token gesture.

eyebags63 · 03/06/2015 21:08

Probably a good indicator of the kind of employer they will be... but if she wants the job I suppose there is little option.

Original poster
ghostspirit · 03/06/2015 21:11

just found this:

If the shift is only for a couple of hours, the employer is not obliged to pay you. You could ask them to pay any expenses if you are going to be out of pocket but unfortunately you may just have to do the work voluntarily if you really want the job.
Where the employer tells you that you are to work a full shift, or even multiple shifts, they should pay you at least the National Minimum Wage. At this point, this has ceased to be a trial and is entering contract of employment territory.
Don't be afraid to say that you are not willing to work a full shift or multiple shifts unpaid – it may be that the employer is just trying to save some money by not paying you.

it says dont be afraid to say not willing to work full shift. i would be. if i wanted the job i would not want to piss him off

OP posts:
CrazySexyCool123 · 03/06/2015 21:18

What industry is the job in?

Theycallmemellowjello · 03/06/2015 21:18

I think that companies definitely should compensate interns etc BUT as this is just one day if she wants the job she should just go along and make a fist of it.

TheWintersmith · 03/06/2015 21:23

I had this happen to me years ago.

I was desperate so I did 3 hrs trial in a shitty chippy.

I took their shitty uniform home to wash, and when the bastard said he wouldn't pay me I may have accidentally used it to clean an engine. Cunt.

Collaborate · 03/06/2015 21:24

She should do the day, but if she doesn't get the job take them to a tribunal to get paid. (not sure that a tribunal is the right forum, but sounds like it should be).

IloveJudgeJudy · 03/06/2015 21:27

Funnily enough, DS2 just went for a work trial on Saturday and I have just been thinking about this! It was only for two hours and he's definitely got the job; he's just got to attend the induction. I don't know how I'd've felt if they'd wanted him to do a whole day. I don't think I'd've been happy at all, but in this climate it's difficult to know what to do.

Perhaps your DD could point them to that bit of wording you've found above, OP, if she feels confident?

Original poster
ghostspirit · 03/06/2015 21:30

yeah im not even going to mention it to my daughter will just let her do the day.

OP posts:
Theycallmemellowjello · 03/06/2015 21:30

If she points them to the wording above, she's not going to get the job IMO. You've got to pick your battles.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 03/06/2015 21:31

This is so common. I worked for a shitty pair of cunts who bought a cafe but didn't have a clue how to run it and they used to bring in unpaid triallers to cover lunchtime. They were evil.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 03/06/2015 21:32

Tell her to bear in mind that lots of unscrupulous employers use trial shifts to save money with no intention of employing them. 9 hours unpaid is far too long IMO.

Original poster
ghostspirit · 03/06/2015 21:36

thebhrothers thats whats i was thinking. if they do that to 10 people thats 10 days free work for them.

mellow thats why im not going to tell my daughter. she does not know any different and she seems quite excited about it

OP posts:
DollsHouseTeaParty · 03/06/2015 21:38

BHS did this (maybe still do) with new employees, made them work a full shift unpaid as experience.

DollsHouseTeaParty · 03/06/2015 21:41

She should do the day, but if she doesn't get the job take them to a tribunal to get paid. (not sure that a tribunal is the right forum, but sounds like it should be)

An employment tribunal costs money and is not free to access. She might pay out an awful lot more money than is at stake.

PtolemysNeedle · 03/06/2015 22:40

It seems wrong that the shift is going to be nine hours long, it doesn't take nine hours to get an impression of how someone's going to work. I don't think there anything wrong with unpaid trials, for some of that time there's going to be more training than there is working.

marriednotdead · 03/06/2015 22:52

The company I work for does trial shifts of around a half day. If they subsequently get the job, then the trial shift is paid. 9 hours is really pushing it!

Aermingers · 03/06/2015 22:53

Oh God. This scam has gone on since I was a teenager. They get a kid in to do an unpaid donkey work on a busy day then tell them they didn't pass the trial. They'll have another kid in the next Saturday and do the same thing. They normally get a good days work out of them as they are keen to impress to get the job. And even if they don't they haven't paid them so it doesn't matter, but they've got someone to stick stickers or shift boxes or stuff envelopes for a day for free.

A good way of finding out whether this is the case or not is to get a couple of her friends to ring up and also pretend they are looking for jobs. If they set up trials for all of them then they are probably just looking for a days free labour.

That's how we used to check when I was a teenager, and we would invariably here the places that did offer 'trials' willy nilly had also given a lot of other kids 'trials' which nobody had ever passed after they'd worked for a free day.

Aermingers · 03/06/2015 22:55

Hear! Not here!

mileend2bermondsey · 03/06/2015 23:06

I work in an industry where trial shifts are pretty much a pre-requistie for any level of staff. I think a full shift length trial is beneficial to both employee and employer. The employee gets to see what the place is really like and what the job entails rather than just doing 2 or 3 hours of 'highlights'.Trials are usually paid if the applicant is successful. I used to work for another company, not naming names but rhymes with Narvey Hicols, where they would always tell the applicant the trial would be paid whether they were successful or not and did a whole show of taking bank details, but never paid. I don't think anyone ever complained.

TLDR; she should do the trial shift. If she complains about it being unpaid I'm sure there are many others queing up behind her for the job. It's only one day in the big scheme of things.

youareallbonkers · 03/06/2015 23:26

Is she on benefits? I believe the job centre has work trial schemes

Original poster
ghostspirit · 03/06/2015 23:37

no she not on benefits

OP posts:
snowglobemouse · 03/06/2015 23:38

I've never expected to be paid for a trial (but maybe I should have?)

raawwhh · 03/06/2015 23:47

I currently work in recruitment. I would say it depends on the levels she is looking to work at and industry. In hospitality it is usually a prerequisite and for more senior positions a longer trial is definitely required and it really does depend how much she wants the job.

However, anything over 4 hours unpaid I would usually question and as an agent offer to put it through as a paid shift. If the client insists on it being unpaid I will put it to the candidate and its their choice whether they take it or not.

NRomanoff · 04/06/2015 06:24

I never got paid and didn't mind. But then it was never 9 hours long. As an employer I used to do trial shifts of 3 hours, but I would pay travel and provide food (was a restaurant), I would also try and pick a quieter day of possible so you could actually get to know them a bit, if they were successful I would pay them.

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