HM Revenue & Customs aims to crackdown on the fashion industry
HM Revenue & Customs is planning to enforce new rules on the fashion companies that are not paying interns.
In recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of UK employers offering unpaid internships, especially within the fashion industry, including major fashion retailers with billionaire owners. Some of these companies are advertising for interns to work unpaid for up to a year.
Because of the current economic crisis, many people are willing to work unpaid if they believe it will be a job that gives them valuable experience in an industry they want to progress in, but there is a problem with this. The problem is that these people are being exploited. Unpaid internships should never last longer than a month, never mind working unpaid for a year. In many cases interns don’t even have their travel expenses covered.
Revenue & Customs will soon begin targeting a range of firms, including small design houses and the very big retailers who are cheating the system.
If you are an unpaid intern and would like to talk to a careers advisor about your next step in the job market, contact Career Analysts.
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