I’m sure we’ve all seen the recent spate of articles about how artists are consistently approached to work for free because “it’s great exposure,” or “it’s not really work if you love it.” This trend is understandably rage-inducing, and artists are working hard to convince the general public that, in fact, their work is deserving of a decent salary. The hours of time and effort put into art are not diminished by the love that goes into them; and artists should not be synonymous with ‘poor’ and ‘struggling,’ despite what excellent musicals about bohemian life have told us.
Well, artists, it turns out we are no longer alone – now regular people who also like things are being asked to do them for free, because those things are “fun.” Even when said things are traditionally called “jobs,” for which people have traditionally being given things called “salaries.”
What has set off this little rant? That would be a bookstore in Scotland, which has cottoned on to a genius scam: instead of hiring someone to sell books, they’re charging them!
That’s right. For just 150 pounds a week, you can pay to run a bookstore, and be given free lodging (but no food). You have to keep it open for 40 hours a week, and there are volunteers to help you on the floor. The Open Book calls this little arrangement a “residency,” and thinks that since they’re barely charging rent, this is a wonderful deal.
But the worst part is that people are buying in (literally).
I came across this originally on Random House of Canada’s Facebook page. They were linking to a CBC article with a tone that implied that this was a lovely little opportunity for book lovers from around the world. There isn’t one negative comment on either story – just a bunch of people saying “ooooh so fun!” and lamenting that they don’t have the time to give their money to someone for the privilege of working for free in a bookstore.
This is hardly the first time that a “working vacation” has made the rounds. But this is a very different set-up, because the Open Door isn’t offering anything for free in exchange for all of that free labour. How does this compare to other working holiday set-ups? Badly. Really, really badly.
As an example, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms offers people the chance to work and stay at organic farms around the world. In exchange for 4-6 hours of work a day, the worker gets FREE accommodation and FREE meals. True, there is a chance you might work 42 hours in a week, but more likely you’ll be working 28, giving you plenty of time to take in the sights while enjoying your complimentary room and board. And if you go on a volunteer working holiday, you get the added bonus of helping those in need.
Book lovers, don’t fall for the trap that artists have been falling for all of our lives – if you’re going to work, you shouldn’t be doing it for free.
Now if they paid you in books… that would be another thing altogether.