About 2 years ago i was working as a trainee apprentice for a medical recruitment agency.
At first i thought it was a great way to get a qualification and a great way to gain more
work experience even though the pay was only £100 per week.
I started the company in June filled with promises about pay rise after 3 months and possibility
of a secure job after my 11 months contact as a apprentice. At first i thought i hit the jackpot and
i was willing to work extra hard to keep my position safe. However, it was a new department that
just started and my job was to clean the database and basically start everything from scratch and
build a new department of recruiting A&E staff. A lot of work for a apprentice who’s suppose to be
‘training’ and not an qualified employee of the company. When ever i tried to discuss about my
training role and the pay (come on £100 per week to build a new department is a living joke that’s
about £2 per hour) they would brush me off and tell me to keep my head down and work. I had
enough, i left.
The reason for writhing this blog is to warn young people that now all companies are legit with the
apprentice scheme. Some just use the ‘apprentice scheme’ so that the apprentice can do all their
hard work for nothing and by law they can even pay them less then £5.93 minimum wage.
Apprentice scheme is to teach young people how the business runs and help them to achieve an
NVQ and hopefully if the candidate is good enough they can maybe work full-time employment.
NOT making them do all the hard work for such little money and maybe by then end of the contact
the company can tell them that they don’t need them anymore.
So all that hard work for little money for nothing. I took a risk this the company and i hope i don’t
get fooled twice with heart fulling promises and only verbal contacts. And i also hope young people
who are deciding to do apprenticeships to understand that if it not all in written contact and your
not happy then its not worth the hassle and the stress of it
.
CutThroatLines 