Unpaid "trial shift" as part of job application process

Illegal as far as I am aware.

I think doing the first shift is fair enough. It kind of borders on an extended interview.

But asking for a second 2 hours is either trying to exploit or management unable to make a decision / delicate it.

I wonder how many they get in for the two hour shifts.

People get hired with a lot less for a lot more important roles.

I would imagine the employer to also be the kind to not give breaks or pay for clean up etc.

If they can afford not to be exploited I would tell them politely that they felt they had given then sufficient time to make a decision and were not able to commit to any additional unpaid work however are open to an offer.

Any attitude back and I would inform them it was illegal.
 
extopia said:
A young relative was asked to work a 2-hour shift for no pay to evaluate her skills following an interview at a Dublin bar/restaurant. She did this, and has now been asked to work a second shift, having "made it through to the next round". Again, no pay offered, although it has been strongly suggested she will probably get the job if the second unpaid shift is a success.

Is this legal?
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I’d be amazed if this wasn’t illegal. It’s most certainly exploitative. You’d know after the two hours if they are capable or not. The bar should be reported. Like many, I’ve worked in various hospitality settings in and outside Ireland and my family were in various hospitality industries.
 
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How prevalent is all this, I wonder? I know there’s full employment out there and employers are struggling to find people, but you’d imagine they wouldn’t try to pull this kind of stunt when there’s a temporary glut of kids out there looking for summer jobs.
 
Towger said:
Not having a PPS number is not a valid excuse not to pay an employee. You would be on a losing battle with the WRC. At one stage years ago Revenue had that rule, but it is long gone.
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We aren't allowed to pay them. They are college students on a placement from their college as part of their studies. We were paying them but we were told not to by Revenue and their college.
 
Purple said:
We aren't allowed to pay them. They are college students on a placement from their college as part of their studies. We were paying them but we were told not to by Revenue and their college.
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I did NIHED 3rd year "Intra" back in the day and got paid. That model is still used by many third level colleges (e.g. NIHED, TUD) and the students placed in jobs get paid.
 
ClubMan said:
I did NIHED 3rd year "Intra" back in the day and got paid. That model is still used by many third level colleges (e.g. NIHED, TUD) and the students placed in jobs get paid.
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I'm not in HR or accounts so I don't know the details but I know that we were told to stop paying them.
 
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