What about the horse industry?
We received the following comment from a client:
As an eighteen year old who has been a working student for many years I have one piece of advice. I wish somebody had told me this before I worked for all the trainers I have worked for. Recently I flew to Washington state (from Maine where I live) for a summer job only to be confronted by near slave-labor conditions and a cruel trainer. My advice is this: CONTACTS! Decide who you will work for through recommendations of people you know and respect. There will always be a chance that a position will be exactly what you thought it would be but the chances that it will not be are just as great. The people you know are your best resources. Appreciate them, treat them well and take their advice!
Even though slavery was abolished in 1865, there are employers in the horse industry who don’t seem to think the thirteenth amendment to the constitution applies to them. These folks think that all they have to do is call a job Working Student, or Apprentice and this makes it OK for them to pay little or nothing in compensation. Most every job involves some on-the-job training. That does not make it legal to title the job Apprentice or Working Student and pay less than minimum wage. Beware of any position called Working Student or Apprentice. Be sure you are offered an agreement which spells out the skills you will be learning, the qualifications of the person who will be teaching you, and the program of study you will be following. If you are offered a vague open ended job which offers you the opportunity to learn things by just being on the job with knowledgeable people, and you will not be paid at least minimum wage, be sure you understand that this type of position violates federal labor law. If you accept a position like this, be prepared for the possibility that the employer may take advantage of you in other ways too.
Developing and using contacts is an excellent way to avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. The more contacts you have and the more you know about various horse industry employers, the greater your chances of finding a good opportunity.
