Flat rate pay is basically a scam for apprentices, change my mind.

3 comments

3 Comments

A friend's kid took an apprentice job with flat pay last year. The shop was always busy, so he worked long hours for that fixed rate. By the end, he was making less than minimum wage if you did the math.

ryanm451d ago

My buddy Jake had a flat rate apprenticeship that paid $400 a week. He was pulling fifty hour weeks because the shop was swamped. That meant he earned eight bucks an hour before taxes, which is a joke. The system is set up so the shop wins every time, getting full time work for part time pay. It's not an apprenticeship, it's just cheap labor with a fancy name. But sure, let's call it "training" while the kid can't afford rent.

william_black1d ago

Yeah, when ryanm45 said the shop wins every time, that's spot on. But here's something no one's saying: this flat rate thing ruins the training part too. If an apprentice is just cheap labor, the shop has no reason to actually teach them properly. They get pushed to do fast work instead of learning the skills right. So even after the apprenticeship, they might not have the know how to earn more. It's a double scam, stealing their pay now and their future earnings later.