How are unpaid trials different from work experience or volunteering?
You’ve probably heard stories of people doing work experience or volunteering and then getting a job because of it. That’s fantastic and it probably happens a lot. You’ve probably also heard about people who worked for nothing in a cafe hoping to get a job – and instead they got nothing – except sore feet!
There are more differences to these stories than the happy / unhappy ending. Structured work experience and volunteering are legal and good. Unpaid trial work is illegal and rarely leads to a job – which is a rip off.
What’s the difference?
Work experience is generally alright if it is organised by your school, TAFE or university. It will usually run for a set period and it will relate to your studies or career interests. From the beginning you will know that you aren’t getting paid (although you may get a small daily rate) and that the work experience will be a learning experience.
Voluntary positions will be with a not-for-profit or community organisation such as a sporting club, opportunity shop or charity. Helping to coach football or netball, serving in the local op shop or washing cars for charity are examples of voluntary work. The purpose of volunteering is to help the community.
A job means getting paid for your efforts. Unless you are self employed, a job means getting paid the award wage.
Watch out for fake work experience or unpaid trial work
Some tricky employers like to get cheap or free labour by pretending that their job is work experience or volunteering or that an unpaid trial will lead to a job. This is a trick to get job seekers to work for nothing – it’s unfair and illegal.
If you are looking for a job, make sure you ask about the wages and employment conditions before you start. Simply ask, how much will I be paid?
Work experience is OK but make sure it’s linked to your studies (it will usually go for a set period of time, such as one week or a day per week for five weeks).
Volunteering is good too. But make sure it’s for a community organisation and not a substitute for a paid employee. Volunteer jobs are usually only a few hours each week or for a short period (such as a volunteer guide at a big sporting event).
RELATED WORKSITE LINKS
FACT SHEET: UNPAID TRIALS