Eventing apprenticeship

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billyslad

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What are people's thoughts on the apprenticeship scheme it seems a little like cheap labour at £2.73 an hour when the going rate around here is £8-10 for yard work
 
The legal minimum wage for an apprentice is currently £3.30 an hour, increasing on 1st April to £3.40 I believe.
 
billyslad said:
What are people's thoughts on the apprenticeship scheme it seems a little like cheap labour at £2.73 an hour when the going rate around here is £8-10 for yard work
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Depends on what decent experience and training you get out of it.
Some employers will see it as cheap labour. Others will be fair.
But you will need to change your perception - apprentiships are training - you will be paid to learn. I suppose you could go to college, pay out a hell of a lot of money, and not necessarily be any better off at the end of it . ....
 
You should receive plenty of training, which should be overseen by a training provider who will ensure that you cover all the syllabus. If it's a level two or three it can count towards BHS exams. Older apprentices receive minimum wage.
Yards need to have employers liability, a first aider, supervision, and be risk assessed. If these criteria are not being met it's not likely to be worth doing. If they are it's a good way of getting trained and useful without ending up with a huge student loan to pay back.
 
ihatework said:
Depends on what decent experience and training you get out of it.
Some employers will see it as cheap labour. Others will be fair.
But you will need to change your perception - apprentiships are training - you will be paid to learn. I suppose you could go to college, pay out a hell of a lot of money, and not necessarily be any better off at the end of it . ....
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I will back that up.

It is training that is not costing you and some pocket money thrown in. From experience if we take on apprentices they cost us well in excess of the minimum wage in all the cost to the business. To be totally honest if yards want cheap labour they are better off paying the minimum wage to somebody without the restrictions. Can I ask why are you not doing the yard work at £8-10 /hr.


I am afraid OP if you dont like the pay you could always do a college based equine course and become totally unemployable :-) as theres a very limited demand for top class yard mangers fresh out of college.
 
Of course it depends on which yard and their attitude my reason for asking was that I know one apprentice that is on their second year and has become disillusioned as they are now doing the same work alongside other employees but not being paid the same
On top of which the yard owner charges them full livery on their horse as it gets done during work hours
There is a mixture of diy to full livery on yard and the apprentice is not allowed to go diy despite being prepared to do the horse in their time
In my opinion it seems the yard owner is taking advantage of the scheme and I just wondered if anyone else had a different experience
 
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