“Desperate to hold on to a country that…”: the reaction of netizens after an Indian student offered to work without salary in order to stay in the UK

An Indian woman living in the UK made a unique appeal to recruiters, offering to work for free for a month. She stated that they could fire her immediately if she did not live up to their expectations.

The reason for her desperate request is that she only has three months to find a job, otherwise she will have to return to India. Her post gained attention on social media, with many users criticizing her situation. According to her LinkedIn post, the Leicester student moved to the UK for higher education in 2022 and applied for a design engineer position but was unsuccessful despite sending out 300 applications.

In a LinkedIn post, she wrote: “Hire me for free for one month. If I don’t complete the task, fire me on the spot, no questions asked. My graduate visa expires in 3 months, repost this article to help me stay in the UK,” she pleaded on LinkedIn.

She added: “In the job market there is a feeling that I, my degree or my abilities have no value. I applied to over 300 jobs and received some helpful feedback.”

As well as offering to work for free, the Indian student also promised to work overtime and skip holidays to stay in the UK. She stated, “I will work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to prove my worth.”

Her post attracted attention on social media sites like Reddit and LinkedIn, where many users criticized her for setting a bad example.

Sharing his opinion, a Reddit user wrote: “12 such candidates in 12 months and the company is golden. Zero wages and free labor. These people don’t realize the harm these types of posts cause.”

“Desperate to hold on to a country that wants to kick you out,” another user commented.

“I am looking for a vacancy as a design engineer and a similar position. Ah, the irony,” read a third comment.

Some people showed sympathy for her situation, suggesting that her desperation to find a job in the UK could be linked to her student loans. One user commented: “I can’t imagine what she’s going through. She has 30 days to find a job, otherwise she will have to return to India with a huge loan to pay off.”