“Educated slave labour”: Reading FC comes under fire for advertising full-time, unpaid, analyst job
Reading Football Club has been bombarded with criticism on Twitter after it advertised for an intern to take on a full-time analyst position.
The Premier League club, which spent over £22m on player wages last year, is looking for a Sport Science postgraduate with experience in performance analysis, preferably from a professional/semi-pro club.
The desired candidate for the position, which is advertised as unpaid, must also have their own car and be willing to work unsociable hours covering all of Reading FC's games. Travel expenses are not paid.
Twitter users were quick to criticise the club with one users writing: “Jawdropping. I’ve heard of taking the p**s, but this is ridiculous.”
While another said: “Ugh this is the most appalling internship I have ever seen. @ReadingFC should be ashamed.”
Meanwhile, journalist Michael Calvin said that the ad, which was posted on the Home Office’s UK Sport website, “is exploitation.”
He added: “So many clubs do this. Educated slave labour.”
Ben Lyons, a spokesman from Intern Aware, said they would be reporting Reading, who have not commented on the reports, to HMRC over allegedly breaking the law by not paying for the full-time position.