Do you pay a Transition Year student for Work Experience?

KPMG2009 · 15-09-2009 04:41PM #1

Hi, Am new to the forum so pls help. I have a small business and agreed back in May 2009 to have a transition year student do 1 day a week work experience with me. She is actually my cousins daughter so felt i couldnt say no. She is a lovely girl and i think she will get on grand. The only thing is... Do i have to pay her? I have already let 1 member of staff go as the work wasnt there to sustain her and i have to possibly cut the hours of the other as things get tighter. I dont want to be unfair to anyone and wanted to know if any one out there could help.

Really appreciate it

KPMG2009

Eoin · 15-09-2009 04:47PM

It was a bonus if you got money when I did it, but that's a while ago now. Could you give her €50 for the week?

Kevin! · 15-09-2009 04:51PM

eoin wrote: »

It was a bonus if you got money when I did it, but that's a while ago now. Could you give her €50 for the week?

She's only doing one day a week, and I dont think the program lasts any longer than 2 weeks.

Eoin · 15-09-2009 04:53PM

Kevin! wrote: »

She's only doing one day a week, and I dont think the program lasts any longer than 2 weeks.

Oops - sorry, didn't read the post properly.

So by two weeks, do you mean two days at one day a week or ten days over a while?

leeroybrown · 15-09-2009 04:56PM

The students are generally expected to do two weeks (10 days) of work experience.

As far as I know it varies greatly. Some places will pay, others will give a gift/gratuity of some kind and the rest will be unpaid. I've got no idea how it breaks down. Personally, I'd be reluctant to pay unless the person was doing something that was actually of value. Some schools may also have rules regarding whether students are allowed accept any payment or not.

PCPhoto · 15-09-2009 04:56PM

as she is a cousins daughter I would suggest that you throw her a couple of quid for her days work (even if its €25/€50) .... she will be excited and you'll not get any dirty looks from the cousin.

Or as Leeroy suggested ... maybe a token pressie at the end of her time there.

Miaireland · 15-09-2009 07:13PM

When I did my work experience I got a top from one place and a voucher from the other. The voucher was for €50 and I did 10 days in the place from 9-5. I was thrilled with both.

Sephiroth_dude · 15-09-2009 07:47PM

Dont pay her if you cant afford it,maybe give her a little something when its over if you can afford it.

Pigwidgeon · 15-09-2009 11:23PM

i never got paid for any of the 3 weeks of work experience i did in transition year, that was in 2006/2007.

dory · 16-09-2009 06:25AM

I worked in a outdoor shop and they let me take whatever I wanted (within reason) when it was over. I was well happy!

Ricky91t · 16-09-2009 06:32AM

Never got payed anything for the 5 days i did..and i actually did a few things for them that they really needed!

MysticalRain · 16-09-2009 09:22AM

I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I expected someone to work for nothing, no matter how lowly or inconsequential they were. Then again, I'm not a businessman.

KPMG2009 · 16-09-2009 10:20AM

Hi Guys, thanks for the feedback. She is doing 1 day a week from now til christmas so it will probably be two weeks in total.

I think i may go with the gift option or wait and pay her in one go around xmas time.

Any more ideas/feedback greatly appreciated.

KPMG2009

Eoin · 16-09-2009 12:59PM

MysticalRain wrote: »

I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I expected someone to work for nothing, no matter how lowly or inconsequential they were. Then again, I'm not a businessman.

It depends - a lot of times, the person taking in a transition year student might spend a lot of time showing them how things work - maybe more than they would with a new employee, without getting the returns of a trained in employee down the road.

It's not about slave labour, it's giving a young person some exposure to the working world - and as I said before, this is often at a cost (in time) to the employer.

KPMG2009 wrote:

I think i may go with the gift option or wait and pay her in one go around xmas time.

Voucher at Christmas, and that's generous enough IMO.

kittenkiller · 16-09-2009 01:11PM

Get in touch with her school and ask about the guidelines.
They'll probably say that you don't.

If you wanted to be nice, I'd give her a small enough gift voucher at Christmas.
I wouldn't do anything extravagant if you're laying people off though.
It's not fair on anyone.

useful_contacts · 16-09-2009 04:57PM

when i was in TY i worked in two diff places for the 2 weeks. 1st place i was sitting at a computer typing, going on errands, making coffee. At the end of the week i was given a box of roses:p

second place. They had me scrubbing the place top to bottom, scrubbing floors, windows, washing dishes and even had me paint a gate out the front and all i got a goodbye card:mad:

so it does vary. I wasnt expecting anything but the fact is i had to do manual labour in the second place and thats not what had been agreed with my school

strongbluebell · 16-09-2009 05:01PM

My daughter did a week in a school and got a nice card at the end and a book token, she was delighted with that, she didn't expect to be paid.

coletrickle. · 16-09-2009 05:07PM

strongbluebell wrote: »

My daughter did a week in a school and got a nice card at the end and a book token, she was delighted with that, she didn't expect to be paid.

i did for 4 weeks with one place before , got 150 the first two weeks and 120 for the second two weeks . of course times are different now , but if you start paying on a weekly basis, i bet youd get a lot more work done out of them .

villager · 16-09-2009 05:11PM

as far as i know it is up to the individual employers if they pay or not. some do some don't. some of my nieces and nephews have gone through this over last few years and it has varied from nothing to vouchers to box of chocalates to hard cash. in the current climate i think a small reward such as a voucher is perfectly acceptable.

The Big Red Button · 16-09-2009 05:23PM

When I did my work experience I did two weeks in a primary school first and got a card and box of chocolates off the teacher. Then I did two weeks in an office and got a cheque for €100. Actually it was probably £100 ... God I'm old

Looking back that was pretty damn generous, but then again it was the office of a construction supplies company at the height of the Celtic Tiger.

Most people in my class got something, e.g. a voucher or small gift, however no one expected it and there was certainly no one giving out if they didn't get anything. I'd say wait til Christmas, and if you're impressed with her work and attitude then it would be nice to give her some little thing.

cruizer101 · 16-09-2009 05:34PM

It's completely up to you and is in no way expected in my experience, a small token would be nice, even a box of chocs.

But, what is much more appreciated is a good work experience, obviously there is a limit to how much time you can give to them, but from when I did it years ago I was much happier with the one I did where I was actually paid attention and shown stuff but not paid cash then when I was left at a desk all day and got paid 100 quid for the week.

Jurrrr · 16-09-2009 05:41PM

A token of appriciation is not uncommon, such as vouchers, small cash amount. TY students do not/ should not expect payment as it is you that is already oing them a favor...especially the way things are now with jobs.

GAAman · 16-09-2009 05:42PM

I did work experience in trinity's comp science dept twice (once for transition year and once for a fetac course i did) and both times they didnt give me anything, as i recall i did two full weeks each time

Paying for lunches and stuff really had me outta pocket but i enjoyed the work so it was ok

Gavin "shels" · 16-09-2009 05:48PM

I done TY 3 years ago, 3 weeks of work experience done, with 3 separate companies. One week I got €100 and was brought out for lunch, one week I got a CD and another week I got sweet feck all. So it depends on what she's actually doing, the week I got €100 I done quite alot of work, the week I got a CD I just helped out my cousin who was pregant at the time and the week I done nothing I actually didn't do much at all.

GrumPy · 16-09-2009 05:50PM

I got paid about €50 one time when in ty, but got offered a proper job for a while afterwards, got paid proper money then

Got €100 store credit another time which was nice.

A few quid/friendly gesture would be fine.

Do you pay a Transition Year student for Work Experience?

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