Why a dog applied for a job
February 7th, 2010
Our spaniel puppy applied for an editorial assistant ’job’ today. No, he can’t spell, but neither can the person wanting a ‘good investigative writer’ to work ‘on an expenses paid only bases [sic] for at least two months’.
These guys might be bad, but at least they’re prepared to pay something. More and more companies are advertising graduate jobs disguised as unpaid ‘internships’. Take this company, which wants three interns to survive for up to six months on a salary of – you’ve guessed it – nothing. While pretending to be a Tillandsia, the interns will Search Engine Optimise webpages and build site traffic. In other words, an entry-level digital marketing job.
It’s not just interns who are expected to subsist on their creative juices. This company expects a fashion editor for zip. So why not go the whole hog? Make writers PAY to be published. Essential Briefing is asking professional journalists, photographers and video producers to do just that. For just $50 per month, you can ‘write what you want, the way you think it should be done’. Ok, you’re making an investment in the hope of future profits, but who hasn’t heard that one before.
None of this is news. We all know you should pay the writer. It’s not all travel and theatre reviews. I’ve written about surgical gloves and pill packaging. That’s work. It’s important and it saves lives. But you don’t wake up one morning and think ‘I must self-express in an arty-farty way - I feel inspired to write compelling copy about colostomy bags’.
But what can an ordinary writer do? I have a plan – P.A.W.S (Partnership of Animal Writers). If a job advert is too cheep to take seriously, have your pet apply for the role. If half the applications are from hamsters, birds, dogs and cats - companies may get the point… eventually.
Categories: Short walks
[...] is Toq’s job application (see this post for an explanation of why a spaniel puppy applied for a editorial [...]
About to blog on this myself but the whole “at least they’re prepared to pay something” argument so does not wash with me.
Perhaps because I have recently spent quite a lot of my time writing about Minimum Wage legislation. It’s not there to be ignored.
Agreed. But this advert wasn’t noteworthy because it breached minimum wage. Lots of intern adverts (sadly) breach minimum wage.
This one was diabolical because the ‘editor’ can’t spell. Most internships claim to be educational, but working under someone who can’t tell his ‘basis’ from his ‘bases’ makes a farce of that.
An intern couldn’t hope to learn anything or get decent clips.
[...] like Toqey, my spaniel pup, lost out on the editorial internship he applied for on Sunday. It seems he was narrowly pipped to the post by a dead [...]
[...] known outside North America. Characteristics Appearance Weighing 25 to 45 pounds (11 to 20 kg)Why a dog applied for a job | Follow that microbe!Our spaniel puppy applied for an editorial assistant 'job' today. No, he can't spell, but neither [...]