Our newest recruits talk Living Wage Week
We are marking this year’s Living Wage Week by talking to our newest recruits and finding out what the Living Wage really means to them.
We pay all of our interns above the Living Wage, allowing young, talented professionals to financially support themselves in the early stages of their career.
As part of our internship programme, each intern is set probation objectives and their learning and development opportunities are identified. They are also offered the chance to join the PRCA or CIPR after probation, which we fully fund.
We are proud that our award-winning internship programme has attracted several graduates embarking on a career in communications. Hear from some of them below.
Emel Adak, Events Assistant Intern
Emel, who holds a degree in event management from the University of Gloucestershire, joined Freshwater on 25 October.
She said: “After graduating from university and landing my first job with Freshwater, starting on the Living Wage made me feel valued as an employee within the company and excited for the road ahead.
“During such turbulent times, it’s given me comfort knowing that I can support myself and focus on learning and growing within the role.
“I’m proud to say that I work for a company that is recognised as a Living Wage employer, and it inspires me to be the best I can, knowing that they are invested and believe in me.”
Daniel Campbell, Marketing Assistant Intern
Cardiff University graduate, Daniel, joined Freshwater on 8 November. He said: “After graduating from university in the height of the pandemic, it is fair to say that I, along with thousands of other graduates, were entering one of the most uncertain job markets of the past decade.
“Luckily, Freshwater has given me a great opportunity to work and live with the safety net of the Living Wage. The Living Wage provides security at the most of uncertain of times.
“Although the process of doing my interview and induction remotely has been strange, the welcome I received from the team at Freshwater has made my first few days at the company so rewarding. It has given me confidence that I will be able to develop my skills and gain experience to kick my career off to the perfect start over the next 12 months of my internship.”
Natalie Earley, Account Assistant Intern
Natalie, a University of South Wales graduate, also joined Freshwater last week. She said: “In the short time I have been at Freshwater, I already feel like a valued member of the team. After applying for countless jobs upon graduating from university, being given an opportunity where I feel recognised for my contribution by being paid the Living Wage makes all the difference and allows me to feel supported in my role.
“The Living Wage, in my opinion, demonstrates that employers value and respect their employees. It provides equal opportunity, allowing people to achieve things they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, due to financial constraints. Internships can be low paying, and some are even unpaid, which is why I am delighted to have such a great start to my career.”
LIVING WAGE WEEK 2021
The Living Wage rates for 2021/22 were announced Monday 15 November at an online launch event, attended by our HR director, Sarah Whittle, with the UK rate now set at £9.90 per hour, and the London Living Wage at £11.05 per hour.
Sarah Whittle said: “At Freshwater, we have been fully committed to paying our employees a ‘real’ Living Wage for a long time. By applying the Living Wage, we know we are doing the right thing by showing how valuable our people are to us.
“Teamwork, loyalty and dedication from all our employees has been crucial over the last two years, and we recognise the real difference the Living Wage can make for each individual. We believe our dedication to fair pay motivates existing talent and positions us as an employer of choice, having attracted multiple new employees in internship roles over many years. Most recently, we have appointed five new intern roles in the last three months.”
We continue to be a Living Wage Employer and were among the founding signatories of the PRCA’s campaign to end the practice of unpaid internships.
Our support of the Living Wage movement also includes working with colleagues across different sectors to improve poverty in Wales.
To learn more about careers at Freshwater, visit our careers page.