Slave Labour! What era are people living in???

Daisychain

Daisychain

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A young friend of mine has been for a job interview today, on a showjumping yard.

Lovely yard and set up. Basically the job is a fairly responsible position, with high standards. No riding, just full responsibility of preparing horses and going to shows for several days at a time when necessary. Dealing with clients and making them feel welcome when coming to visit there horses.

So what do you get in return you may ask....

£100 a week. With an occassional day of, but they cant say when...

7.30 till 5.00 unless going to shows which could be any hours.

A tiny caravan which has to be shared between 2 people. You do get meals.

You can keep your own horse there at a cost of £40 a week which just includes straw.

No training or riding.

I just couldn't get my head around how someone could offer well below the minimum wage for someone to be there on their beck and call, and you cant even keep your horses FOC!!!

Would anybody really work for this????
 
What a tiny old caravan, and food for one person that would be all of £30. Oh and a 7 day week!!!

Yeah a bargain. Would you work for that then?
 
If it is part of the job to live in the employer can only take about £20 a week off for rent. Also living in can be a nightmare as you are at there beck and call 24/7 (trust me i'm a live in groom) This is a very bad deal. I hope your friend is not taking this job. If my ponies keep is not inclu then i don't even go for an intervew i'm afraid.
 
In theory yes, but i suppose they get round it with the accomodation and food thing....

But a 7 day week, thats all of 14.28 a day!!!!

I would be ashamed to even offer someone that.

It is on a Showjumping yard.
 
So they want 9.5 hours work a day (minimum!), let's say 6 days a week (no guarranteed day off!), that's 57 hours per week (that seems a bit of a killer to me regardless of the wage!). At minimum wage this should be 330 pounds a week (I am assuming 5.80 minimum wage if she is over 22). Her work benefits are accommodation and meals which seem to be costed at 230 pounds per week...according to the HMRC the accommodation offset is 31.57 per week, so they want to charge her 198.43 pounds per week for meals?!

40 quid for DIY livery is pretty steep as well!

Yep, sounds pretty medieval to me! It's astonishing there are two other people working there already!
 
Thats interesting about the £20 a week for living in. And as you say for that you would expect to keep your horse there FOC.

No she is still looking lol!
 
No there is no one working there at the moment, he is looking for 2 people.

Apparently he gave them the sack for putting rugs on the door the wrong way round...
 
I'm glad she is still looking.
This is why there is so few good grooms out there now. It's sh** pay for sh** working conditions. Some top riders where complaining a while ago they could not get good grooms anymore. Can't they see this is why :confused:. I gave up working on big yards now i work on small private yards you tend to get a better deal. It's still not going to make me rich but i am doing the job i love.
 
sunnyone said:
No there is no one working there at the moment, he is looking for 2 people.

Apparently he gave them the sack for putting rugs on the door the wrong way round...
Click to expand...

Sorry but this made me laugh i have worked for a few of these over the years. Your friend is better off without this job.
 
sunnyone said:
No there is no one working there at the moment, he is looking for 2 people.

Apparently he gave them the sack for putting rugs on the door the wrong way round...
Click to expand...


The fact there is no-one there at the moment is an indicator of how good he is to work with :( How many professional SJer's can do that without help, not many. My horse used to be on livery with an SJer and he was a bugger to work for ( the girls used to spill the goss ).

The only way you'd do it is if its someone you're star struck on and wanna learn as much as possible from watching this person.

I'd tell your friend to keep looking.
 
Hmm sounds about right tbh if she was getting training, but without sounds a bit off - I worked on a yard (I was there as YM and got paid a decent amount) where the apprentices were paid £50 per week, with 4 days off per month - that included stabling for one horse, but did not include shavings/feed/supplements. They were meant to get training, but this normally consisted of riding horses in the arena when trainer was in there, and trainer shouting a few helpful tips - this trainer has ridden at the olympics.
 
way too low.

when i worked at last event yard i was paid £150/week including accomodation (not a caravan!) had horse on livery included (including shoes) and tuition 3 or 4 times a week with loads of riding, travelling abroad etc.

before that when i was a working pupil i was on £80/week with lovely accomodation, good boss and at least one lesson a day, own horse included etc.
 
I worked for an olympic dressage rider a while ago (1997-1999) I got £100 a week but lived in a nice flat that I shared with the other groom. We had to buy our own food but once or twice a week we were given dinner, normally a lovely roast and a bottle of wine!
I had the use of Bar's car after work and at weekends. We worked a 5 1/2 day week and had sunday afternoons and mondays off.
I rode 3 - 4 horses a day, 2 of them GP horses, 1 PSG and the other medium level, Bar would teach me on them every time I rode.
One summer I worked on my own and Bar paid me double wages. She would have also let me have my own horse there gratis and given me training and taken me to competitions had I had my own horse at the time!
 
sunnyone said:
In theory yes, but i suppose they get round it with the accomodation and food thing....

But a 7 day week, thats all of 14.28 a day!!!!

I would be ashamed to even offer someone that.

It is on a Showjumping yard.
Click to expand...



You can bet your life it is cash in hand, no stamp and no insurance either. Oh yes, and not showing on his books either.
 
Gosh. I give my yard girl £60 per week, she only works mon-fri for 1.5 hrs per day. Shocking pay. I would be insulted.
 
you should name and shame the employer so everyone can steer well clear, and hopefully someone will report them for illegal employment!

Im a live in yard manager, that job description makes my job sound like luxury!
 
The sad thing is, is that this SJer will probably find 2 young girls, straight out of school, who will be willing to do it (albeit not for very long!). I was like this when I left school. The job I got was working pupil position on a local event yard (30 horses, 2 full time grooms). 8am-5pm 5 days a week, with an hour lunch break. 1 riding lesson everyday, and also a theory session daily. I was also to go to events with my boss and groom for her, with the possibility I may be able to eventually get a ride. £40 per week wage, Sounds good! BUT in reality 1 of the grooms was sacked the day after I arrived and wasn't replaced. I worked 7am until 7pm with no lunch break, didn't get a single lesson riding or theory, never even groomed at an event for my boss, I was lucky if I got 1 day off a week. I asked my boss why she never took me to groom, she said she didnt trust the other girl (fully paid) to do the yard properly, so she knew if she left me it would be done. After watching me riding one day one of the owners offered me the chance to compete her horse, my boss wouldn't allow me to compete the horse, and never let me ride the horse again. I also had 2 horses of my own which I kept at home as I couldn't afford the livery at my bosses, so fitting them in was a nightmare as i had to leave home at 6.30 am, not to return until 7.30pm. I made myself stick it for a year (i'm bloody minded that way!), then a horse stood on my foot, broke it, and my boss said if I needed more than 2 days off I would have to leave! So I left! Funnily enough I never actually got paid either....................................
 
sunnyone said:
No there is no one working there at the moment, he is looking for 2 people.

Apparently he gave them the sack for putting rugs on the door the wrong way round...
Click to expand...

As an aside, I didn't realise there was a right and wrong way to put rugs on a door. Horse, yes, but door?
 
9tails said:
As an aside, I didn't realise there was a right and wrong way to put rugs on a door. Horse, yes, but door?
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Oh yes there is a right way to put a rug on a door. When i worked for an event rider she told us we had to fold the rugs a certan way and hang them on the door a certan way round. Or we got shouted at. I don't think anyone was ever sacked for doing it wrong though.
 
Tell me about it lol!

She currently works part time in a greenhouse from 9 till 1 on £5.90 an hour monday to friday....

Sad thing is she is so so keen, parents have never been interested or supported her in anyway whatsoever.

She helps me ride my horses, but would love a real opportunity. She is a nice rider, with really good hands and good natural ability.
 
sunnyone said:
Tell me about it lol!

She currently works part time in a greenhouse from 9 till 1 on £5.90 an hour monday to friday....

Sad thing is she is so so keen, parents have never been interested or supported her in anyway whatsoever.

She helps me ride my horses, but would love a real opportunity. She is a nice rider, with really good hands and good natural ability.
Click to expand...

So how much do you pay her - so that she knows what a realistic wage is for working with horses?
 
She helps me ride, competes my horses because she loves them, she knocked on my door when she was 15yrs old and asked if i needed a hand.

I don't pay her, she does it because she wants too!!

What actually are you getting at? Hmmmm
 
Oooooooooooooooo - wicked thought.........you could name and shame !!! And then print off this thread for his perusal in a hot bath while no-one looks after said horses. What a complete pillock (can I say that here ?). sm x
 
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