Reading Intern Job Called 'Unfair' And 'Out Of Reach'

[Folami David]

Reading have been criticised for seeking to appoint a full-time postgraduate performance analyst who will not be paid or receive expenses.
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The successful candidate will have to work unsociable hours but will be able to attend games. Gus Baker from Intern Aware, which campaigns for paid internships, said the position was "unfair" and added: "This damages the image of the club."
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In a statement, the Royals said the role represented a great opportunity.
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"It's not just unfair on the person who takes the role but it excludes those who cannot afford to work for free"
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Reading are owned by Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich who bought the club for £25m from Sir John Madejski.
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The team won promotion to the Premier League last season, with sports economist Rob Wilson estimating that the club could earn around £90m from the achievement.
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And Baker says young people who cannot afford to work for free are being "written off" by clubs such as the Royals.
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"Reading are a Premier League club who have millions of pounds and they want someone to work unpaid for free for a year," Baker, who is a co director at Intern Aware, told BBC South Today.
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"That is not just unfair on the person who takes the role but it excludes those who cannot afford to work for Reading for free.
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"It is quite an expensive area to live in and to work for a year, doing real work, is out of the financial reach for the vast majority of Reading fans and almost everyone else.
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"So we think it is unfair and they should be paying at least the national minimum wage."
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Reading said in a statement: "Many young people, however well qualified, find it very hard to obtain their first job because they do not have experience.