Vietnam's obsession with the "American Dream" might have reached a new high, now that high school kids want to make burgers and fries to improve their college application.
IvyPrep, a Vietnamese cram school dedicated to prepping students who want to study abroad, recently sparked controversy by recruiting high schoolers between the ages of 14 and 18 to work at McDonald’s this summer, reports Tuoi Tre.
According to the original announcement on IvyPrep's Facebook page, participants in the McDonald’s Apprenticeship will work from five to eight hours a day at a McDonald's restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.
In return, the announcement said, students will gain valuable work experience in an international environment and improve soft skills by learning how to work with other co-workers and deal with customers. A certificate of completion will also be awarded at the end of the program, which can be added to a college application, IvyPrep wrote.
The announcement quickly became the talk of the town among the Vietnamese Facebook community. While some parents have been eager to sign their child up for the apprenticeship, many netizens were concerned that students as young as 14 may be trading their labor for a free meal and no wage.
Facebook user Duc Truong Huyen, for instance, called out the program for its unpaid nature and vague commitment to ensuring child labor safety. He also argued that IvyPrep and McDonald’s may be violating Vietnam's labor law, as only those aged 15 and above are allowed to perform the sort of tasks required inside the kitchen of a fast-food restaurant.
IvyPrep has since rescinded the statement and posted a clarifying statement in Vietnamese about the program earlier this week.
Specifically, the company emphasizes that the apprenticeship is intended to be a "learning experience" and not "a form of labor." Students must be 15 years old or older to enroll in the program, not between 14 and 18, as the previous post contained an error. Moreover, the shifts will cover five hours a day and not more than 25 hours a week.
To address comments that chastised the company for taking advantage of free labor, IvyPrep added that the participants will also receive an “encouragement award” equivalent to a probationary wage.
[Photo via Bao Dau Tu]
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