AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR an internship as a ‘Sandwich Artist’ at a Subway store in Galway City has appeared on the JobBridge website.
For the placement, which runs for six months, it is stated that the intern will gain, “practical experience in customer service, food preparation, and working as part of a team.”
Over its lifetime the scheme has proved controversial and garnered criticism for exploitation of the scheme by those taking on interns.
Last month the scheme was under fire for recruiting interns into essential educational positions. This stemmed from advertisements for 56 Special Needs Assistant positions on the JobBridge website.
There was also criticism over positions advertised for school caretakers and cleaners.
Speaking about the position advertised, Galway Sinn Feín Councillor, Cathal O’Conchúir, said:
It is sick really. Six months and €50 extra a week for making sandwiches. The artist part of the sandwich making is trying to make it a bit more salubrious than it actually is. I’ve never heard that before.
If it was a permanent employment it would be okay. But it is not. For somebody working on those conditions they are taking the proverbial. If someone was making sandwiches themselves they would do better. God love the poor fella or poor girl who gets it.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, spokesperson for the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) Bríd O’Brien, said:
We feel as an organisation that an internship scheme is needed but that monitoring around it is also needed. They need to be positions that will lead to a job, whether that is with who you have done the internship with, or if it opens the door for you somewhere else.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie a spokesperson for Subway said, ”Subway is operated as a franchise business and each franchisee makes the decision regarding their human resources and recruitment approach.”
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