Having to do pre-employment training just to get an interview

HappyHammy

Is this normal? I can understand having to do pre-employment training before actually starting the job, but just to get an interview?

I applied for a cleaning/housekeeping job and within a few hours someone from the agency who advertised it got in touch with me. She explained that before I could have an interview I would need to complete a week's worth of pre-employment training and then the employer would be interviewing people on the last day.

I was told to come along to an awareness session today where everything would be explained. There were about 15 other people there and we were all told that starting from Monday we would do a week's worth of pre-employment training and then have an interview for the job on Friday,

She kept emphasizing the fact that it was a good opportunity as we were guaranteed a job interview at the end of it but obviously she couldn't guarantee we would get the job.

I have never heard of anything like this before? And I mean, really, it's a cleaning job.

Has anyone ever heard of this before?

xHannahx

It's a weeks free labour. A weeks training isn't needed to push a Hoover and a duster surely?

marleyboy

Sounds like a good way to rake in staff for a week and profit from it. Did they say whether this training was cleaning a house\office, I would expect a day training for a cleaning job, but a week just for an interview?

HappyHammy

You see, that's what I thought.

The thing is, she didn't actually explain what would happen during the week's training and I'm kicking myself now for not asking. But surely we can't just be spending the whole week cleaning? But I'm not sure what else we could be doing either.

I think I might phone tomorrow and ask.

HappyHammy

marleyboy wrote: »

Sounds like a good way to rake in staff for a week and profit from it. Did they say whether this training was cleaning a house\office, I would expect a day training for a cleaning job, but a week just for an interview?

The training is taking place in a hotel.

Also I'm not sure if this is relevant, but when I applied for the job it was advertised by one agency and that was also backed up with the e-mail that was sent to me before today.

Yet today she said it was actually a different agency that was doing it and the one given in the job advertisement and the e-mails sent was simply "helping them out" and in actual fact had nothing to do with it.

I have Googled both the agencies and they both seem legitimate but that just makes it even more strange.

Also we supposedly get a qualification out of it - City and Guild Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to the Facilities Industry (whatever that is).

marleyboy

we supposedly get a qualification out of it - City and Guild Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to the Facilities Industry

Out of the weeks training? It would seem odd to be offered a cleaning job to gain a city&guilds qualification, as why would anyone working as a cleaner need a City&Guilds in cleaning, if they are already working as one?

sidefx

They are extracting the urine!

They get people to clean for a week for nothing, then, oh dear 'We are sorry to inform you but you have not been successful'

Really sad sign of the times and many job seekers have no choice to put up with this kind of abuse:(

marleyboy

I'm thinking likewise. I certainly would not work for a company for a week just for the interview. It would be like asking a builder to build a house just to show the boss they can lay bricks.

[Deleted User]

This is absolutely the wrong way round - what type of cleaning? some domestic in people's homes you need to be DBS cleared anyway


If housekeeping in hotels, it takes something like 6 weeks to be fully competent (more getting used to the sheer physicalness of the job)


I had a day's unpaid trial myself for a sales office, I got half way through before deciding it really wasn't the job/correct place at time for me - cleaning does not need a week, I'd definitely insist it was paid - are you under the Jobcentre as you could pull the "no trials unless agreed in advance by them"

HappyHammy

Ah well, I have an actual interview tomorrow. This one is for a different cleaning job I applied for, only these people were obviously kind enough to let me skip the whole pre-employment training and week's free labour and get straight to the interview instead .

marleyboy

Good luck OP, whatever you go for.