Aberdeen criticised for advertising analyst roles as internships

ABERDEEN have been criticised for advertising a pair of performance and scouting analyst roles as unpaid internships rather than jobs.

The successful candidates will have to “assist with the filming, scouting and feedback on the performance of Academy players”, according to the advert, and will report into the first-team analyst.

They will film a match at the weekend and “carry out appropriate analysis” and “provide feedback to coaches and players” afterwards.

Internships are described by workplace experts ACAS as involving observation and training, rather than carrying out actual jobs, which would require payment of the minimum wage and worker's rights. An intern can also be classed as a worker if they are promised a contract for future work, although there is no mention of that here.

The adverts state that the candidates will be mentored and developed by the first-team analyst and will also receive two Aberdeen season tickets. However, there is also a fairly comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, while previous experience in professional football is stated to be desirable.

Aberdeen have an intern partnership with Robert Gordon University, but these roles are not a part of that and have not been targeted at students. There has been plenty of criticism for the club on Twitter, as you can see from the post above.

An Aberdeen spokesman said the roles had been legated and that the successful applicants would be entitled to staff benefits such as subsidised meals and the season tickets. They also said that the club had been "inundated" with applications.