UAL Arts Temps commits to the real Living Wage

UAL Arts Temps has become accredited as a Living Wage Employer, becoming the largest recruitment agency for students and graduates to guarantee a real Living Wage.

For students and graduates, starting a career in the creative industries can be financially challenging. Around half of creatives take unpaid work at some point in their career and 77% of creatives who have undertaken work experience have not been paid for it.

UAL Arts Temps values the work of our temps and believes that all our students and graduates deserve fair pay for their incredible work. Arts Temps offers opportunities at a variety of pay rates, many higher than the real Living Wage, but all of our temps are guaranteed fair pay for every role with Arts Temps.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. A real living wage is a particular issue in London, where nearly a fifth of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage.

In 2019/20 Arts Temps paid over £3.4m in wages to our students and graduates, providing them with a vital source for income during and after their studies, as well as valuable experience to help start their careers. For many of our students and graduates, the work with Arts Temps has been a life-line, particularly during the pandemic. That is why we are especially proud to commit to a real Living Wage.

Sam Taylor, General Manager of UAL Arts Temps Ltd said: “Becoming a real Living Wage employer is crucial to the ethos of Arts Temps. Our goal is to be an ethical employer that values the contributions of our workers, and pays them fairly. This sits alongside our practice of inclusive recruitment that ensures our UAL students and alumni have an equal chance of gaining employment and valuable experience.”

Laura Gardiner, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that UAL Arts Temps has joined the movement of over 7,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like UAL Arts Temps, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."