Brianna Parkins: i lavori creativi non pagati o poco pagati sono sovvenzionati da genitori ricchi

I for one am shocked 🙄. It not just creative jobs though all the big 4 accounting firms don’t pay a cost of living wage for staff for first few years , you’ll find most are getting some support from parents or living with family members (which effectively gives them a rent subsidy). Most actually qualify for HAP which is beyond a joke but don’t actually know this. Employers are effectively getting discount salaries as they don’t have to pay salaries that should be paid and this giving them a better bottom line , and landlords are getting top up payments inflating the cost of rent for everyone. Ultimately it parents ,siblings and taxpayers footing the bill for business that aren’t running effectively

She’s right and people should be grumpier about it than they are. The telly you watch, films you go to see, radio you listen to, and books you read – everything that sets the social conversation – shouldn’t be overwhelmingly defined by people who can afford to do it essentially as a hobby and come from similarly narrow and largely homogenous backgrounds that are removed from big chunks of the audience.

It’s an issue with lots of professions – Law is another – and I don’t think anyone can defend it.

This has been true for a long time and not just in Ireland, it is not just arts that it happens in, lots of industries have poorly paid ‘entry’ levels, where a parents financial security gives the next generation a boast. Law and medicine come to mind, do they take the poorly paid intern offer with a chance to make connections or take the safe job offer. People from poorer backgrounds do not have the opportunity to fail, the wealthier you are the better safety net there is. Taking a risk is not the same for people from a wealthy background.

>Unpaid or poorly paid entry-level creative jobs are subsidised by wealthy parents

In other late breaking news, water found to be wet!

This happens across all industries. Legal profession in Ireland is very hard to progress in unless you’ve financial support from parents or a spouse. I know several barristers via my work and all got significant financial help until their early 30s and had links without which they couldn’t have gotten as far as they did.

I did a business degree and again many people got rent etc paid for after graduation to enable them to work for accounting and consulting firms.

The security that comes with family money behind you can’t be overstated. And I say that as someone who wasn’t under any pressure to move out and who was able to live at home and save money until my mid 20s. I see how that gave me a huge advantage compared to others my age who had to move out and pay rent much earlier.

Omg. Yes. This. Absolutely!!

Is that worse than for low or unpaid menial jobs, but don’t have any support.. The women or some men who don’t leave home, but stay around to look after elderly parents … The mother with a special needs kid who would love to get out and improve her job prospects. The young apprentice living in ballynowhwre who has no transport or someone ro buy car or insurance to get a start. The teenager who can’t do any sport or music as they live far away from town.

We live in a society of unequal opportunity, but even applying to a creative or professional career assumes sometime away living independent and being an adult where you can evaluate career opportunities, cost , time , likely return etc.