You pay peanuts...you get...one of us?

[frimmers3]

It's Labour's fault for trying to get half of all school leavers into further education. Who the hell needs thousands of sports scientists churned out of the system every every year? Not sustainable to support every single student going through higher education and little wonder that tuition fees became an inevitability.

I say again - this position might not offer an immediate wage but it offers something which, in the long run, will boost earning potential.

well said. universities should be the domain of good chaps,not oiks.

[Wycombe Royal]

A lot of professions require you to undertake unpaid work in order you make your first steps on the career path. My sister had to do unpaid work in order to get in to her career as a vet and the same is true with many other careers involving animals.

I fell the club are being wrongly criticised over this for something which is very common.

[Maguire]

It's Labour's fault for trying to get half of all school leavers into further education. Who the hell needs thousands of sports scientists churned out of the system every every year? Not sustainable to support every single student going through higher education and little wonder that tuition fees became an inevitability.

I say again - this position might not offer an immediate wage but it offers something which, in the long run, will boost earning potential.

well said. universities should be the domain of good chaps,not oiks.

That's not what I said.

It is proper and correct that people like you don't go though.

[Dai Brainbocs]

By restricting the field of candidates to those who can afford to do the job for free - and that's what it is is, "internship" is a euphemism - they might well not get the best person anyway.

[PieEater]

It's worse than having to do the job for free, you are expected to run your own car as well. So some parent has provide free room, food, car, petrol, and insurance.

Not quite the community club we all thought, and IMHO a very short-sighted decision that will tarnish the clubs image.

[Far Canal]

For those of you contributing to this thread that don't appear to understand the meaning of exploitation, here is the Oxford dictionary definition:

exploitation

noun

1 [mass noun] the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.

2the action of making use of and benefiting from resources:
the fact of making use of a situation to gain unfair advantage for oneself.

Reading and Wigan FCs are quite clearly treating people unfairly in order to benefit from their work and making use of a situation to gain unfair advantage.

It is totally inadequate to state the obvious "no-one is forced to apply." Students and graduates looking for work of this type will have little choice as the unpaid internship becomes the norm. They may feel compelled to apply for such posts as the alternative is to lose sight of their chosen career and waste their years of study. Others may be unable to apply for the obvious econmic reasons. Is it really too much to expect that a club like RFC pays the minimum wage?

[Wycombe Royal]

But the point is why single out RFC for this? It is common across many professions with many companies doing the same thing.

People are talking on here like we are the only ones doing it when the simple fact is we aren't.

I honestly can't believe that this made the national media. It is a nothing story. No one has been exploited.

[PieEater]

As I said before, just because it's commonplace doesn't make it right.

Just because they can screw people doesn't mean they should.

It's exploitation and the club should be above that.

[Fox Talbot]

As I said before, just because it's commonplace doesn't make it right.

Just because they can screw people doesn't mean they should.

It's exploitation and the club should be above that.

and it's one position not hundreds ... and we're a club awash with TV money ... and we're paying various 'stars' tens of thousands for doing nothing ... to just brutally say 'no expenses' really does fly in the face of all that nicey smiley Queensley visity hospitally bollocks.

PAY THE MADEJSKI ONE!

[Maguire]

Just because they're not paying them doesn't mean they're not receiving any benefit.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Just because they're not paying them doesn't mean they're not receiving any benefit.

They are receiving benefit - the benefit of training and work experience which will stand them in good stead in their career.

The pity is that this sort of opportunity is only available to people who can afford to do it without being paid - i.e. just the affluent, rather than everyone.

[Silver Fox]

LOLz @ all of this, I assume the Independent and Guardian have stopped employing interns now then?

[Maguire]

Just because they're not paying them doesn't mean they're not receiving any benefit.

They are receiving benefit - the benefit of training and work experience which will stand them in good stead in their career

Yes, exactly my point.

The pity is that this sort of opportunity is only available to people who can afford to do it without being paid - i.e. just the affluent, rather than everyone.

Not really - I did four years of university without being paid and my family have no money.

[creative_username_1]

Just because they're not paying them doesn't mean they're not receiving any benefit.

They are receiving benefit - the benefit of training and work experience which will stand them in good stead in their career.

The pity is that this sort of opportunity is only available to people who can afford to do it without being paid - i.e. just the affluent, rather than everyone.

They could take out a loan. If they don't think it's worth the risk then it probably isn't for them...