Why do they want the job?

[Deleted User] · 21/12/10 - 10:36

I know this has been asked before but after watching the final I still can't understand why any of the candidates (especially the finalists) want the final job.

Why would either Chris or Stella want to swap a career at Nomura or JP Morgan to work in Brentford (no offense) as a manager for a second tier IT firm (Viglen)?

I often think that the person who comes second or third is the real winner as they could at least get on tv etc if they want to without having to slog it out at a potentially boring job for a year.

100k/year is not a fortune (especially compared to Stella and Chris's former employers where a bonus alone could be many times this figure never mind the salary), and they seem to be making the mistake of short term gain for long term pain.

Obviously having access to Alan Suger (who I have a lot of respect for) makes the Viglen job more desireable than it would be otherwise but the losing candidates seem to be able to contact him for advice also and its not like the apprentice would be sitting in Sugar's office 24/7.

It interests me because I work in management consulting (which some of the past contestants claim to), and although I earn a bit less than 100k at the moment there is no way in a million years I would leave a firm like mine to take a slightly higher salary at an IT company. No way.

This could mean that the contestants titles on the show are just grossly exageratted though. I'm not sure. A 'successful investment banker' (as Liz, Chris and Stella have been described) wouldn't make the move to be a manager at an IT firm IMO but someone earning 30k with no bonus in some role at an investment bank may jump at the chance to triple their salary (although they may end up worse in the long run).

Neither Chris nor Stella (or most of the others) strike me as the type of people that if the show didn't exist would be desperate to be product managers in an IT firm.

Thoughts?

Jepson · 21/12/10 - 10:51

I would think there are several reasons:

1) The people working for investment banks are definitely not the traders or anyone else in line for the large bonuses.

2) Even for someone earning £60k the jump to £100k for a year would be quite worthwhile.

3) However misguided, all the contestants believe they can win or at least get to the interviews and this will give them useful exposure. Real top level businesspeople will not be as judgmental of any but the worst candidates as people on this forum.

4) The actual contest will be very useful in that they will learn things that they might never otherwise - or that they would take far longer to learn.

5) They will get access to advice and mentoring from AS. (I assume this happens - strangely we don't hear anything one way or another.)

6) They believe that if they are selected for the final 16 it will be a useful addition to their CV's given the level of competition involved.

7) It actually looks like a lot of fun.

MoJo-Girl · 21/12/10 - 11:01

Mucho dollar

Inkblot · 21/12/10 - 11:16

They will acquire new skills which would be transferable when they left Viglen. One thing that consistently comes out of what they insist on calling "the process" is that Sugar believes that candidates should display a variety of skills: not just sales, but negotiation (which Stella didn't have), person-management (which she did), cost-management (ditto) and so on. If the winner can build on her or his existing skills whilst at Viglen he or she could become a more attractive prospect to future employers. In theory, at least.

jjackson42 · 21/12/10 - 12:22

Viglens office is near Watford, and Stella and family have already moved up there, apparently.

Remember - she has already been working there for a year.

Lordsugar's main office is in Brentwood in Essex, not Brentford.

JJ - a font of useless info.

floopy123 · 21/12/10 - 12:27

There's also vanity and ego. Appearing on a top rated BBC reality show gives you attention you may never get working at your current job. "Hey, look everyone, I'm amazing and I'm on tv!"

The downside is the viewing public get to see all your faults. If you're fired from the show due to being useless (Alex comes to mind!) it may not look good for future employment!

[Deleted User] · 21/12/10 - 14:30

Like I said in the original post though - I can see why you'd want to be on the series (for many of the reasons mentioned on this thread: fun, tv exposure, ego, 'celebrity', new challenges, access to mentoring and feedback from Lord Sugar). I just don't see why you'd actually want to win and get the job.

It's not like the US Apprentice where if you win the job you may end up working in Trump Tower on the design of a new NY skyscraper etc. Working as a project manager for an IT company near Watford is a different story completely.

I can see why someone like Joanna would want to win, and would benefit hugely from getting the job. But I can't see how Chris would benefit from moving from JP Morgan to Viglen (even if his salary doubled in the short term).

I don't think its just people like Alex that harm their future prospects. I think they all do, as future employers know that they gave up working for an exceptional firm etc to take part on a reality tv series with people who can hardly be considered britain's brightest business minds.

BKM · 21/12/10 - 15:43

bigmatt1234 wrote: »

Like I said in the original post though - I can see why you'd want to be on the series (for many of the reasons mentioned on this thread: fun, tv exposure, ego, 'celebrity', new challenges, access to mentoring and feedback from Lord Sugar). I just don't see why you'd actually want to win and get the job.

I agree! It would seem that it is often the "Kate Walsh" type candidates - in the final few but NOT the winner - of the Apprentice who do far FAR better out of it than the "winners"!

In the early series it was not uncommon for the newspapers to report that the winner had left LS's (or SirAlan as he was then!) employ well before his/her 12 months were up!

Shrike · 21/12/10 - 15:50

BKM wrote: »

..In the early series it was not uncommon for the newspapers to report that the winner had left LS's (or SirAlan as he was then!) employ well before his/her 12 months were up!

I think only Michelle Dewbury left before a year was up? That year the job was pretty piss-poor - something about recycling computers that never got off the ground.

BKM · 21/12/10 - 15:58

Shrike wrote: »

I think only Michelle Dewbury left before a year was up? That year the job was pretty piss-poor - something about recycling computers that never got off the ground.

I thought there were more - but I could be wrong! It must be a big come down in any event - a standard job with little access to LS - certainly for those in it for the media exposure (which, to her credit, Stella kep insisting she was not!)

[Deleted User] · 21/12/10 - 16:10

I'd say its when the winner actually gets into the job and realises their position and remoteness from LS that they start to wonder what they have got themselves into.

I can imagine the other employees at Viglen must rib (or bully) them about the show. I'd say most see it as a chance to get recognised and either the show or the job as a platform to build on. In some cases (Liz and Chris) employers will spot a talent and headhunt them although not often. I reckon Liz must have got some decent offers to go in as Sales Rep or just as a dedicated pitcher. She might not have shown massive insight but you would want her out there representing you. If Stella hadn't won she would have been flooded with work.

The big fear is that you end up like Melissa, shown up for who you are and quoted as saying you did all the work under your previous employer.

[Deleted User] · 21/12/10 - 16:50

If offered I'd probably take an interesting job at Viglen with access to 'movers and shakers' and a good salary - the series would build your confidence and even if the contact with LS was not regular, knowing that a business mogul was keeping an eye on you and might help in some way must be encouraging. Unless you were poor, you'd expect to be able to use it as a springboard - making contacts with the right people to get opportunities. it would not be a blank cheque, but success is often about timing - and being in the right place at the right time is more likely after getting the job.

thenetworkbabe · 21/12/10 - 22:02

BKM wrote: »

I agree! It would seem that it is often the "Kate Walsh" type candidates - in the final few but NOT the winner - of the Apprentice who do far FAR better out of it than the "winners"!

In the early series it was not uncommon for the newspapers to report that the winner had left LS's (or SirAlan as he was then!) employ well before his/her 12 months were up!

Its not only Kate - who is a natural presenter and interviewer and smarter than most with her questions - or Saira who made the leap into TV . If you look at what a lot of the memorable apprentice candidates are doing now they are no longer working for someone else. They are selling on the internet, developing and selling the bodyrocker in Phil's case, offering consultancy services, training, giving speeches, running workshops.... I imagine the name recognition may help in the early stages with this.

kochspostulates · 21/12/10 - 22:17

Its like the X factor where some contestants have successful careers in Tescos. I mean why would they want to leave that to become a singer with a million pound record contract?

Galaxy266 · 21/12/10 - 22:25

jjackson42 wrote: »

Viglens office is near Watford, and Stella and family have already moved up there, apparently.

Remember - she has already been working there for a year.

Lordsugar's main office is in Brentwood in Essex, not Brentford.

JJ - a font of useless info.

Not any more, I don't believe. This was the Amstrad headquarters which Sugar sold a couple of years ago.

When the fired apprentice candidates left the process they climbed into a black cab after walking out of the Amstrad building in Brentwood. Since he no longer owns this office the failed candidates are now filmed leaving the Viglen headquarters instead.

[Deleted User] · 22/12/10 - 10:50

kochspostulates wrote: »

Its like the X factor where some contestants have successful careers in Tescos. I mean why would they want to leave that to become a singer with a million pound record contract?

You cant really compare, imo, moving from tesco to selling millions of records to leaving investment banking at jp morgan to become a project manager for viglen.

Selling records and singing is their passion, whereas without the apprentice tv series none of the contestants would have a life ambition of being an IT project manager in watford.

Shappy · 22/12/10 - 11:12

Chris only worked at the investment bank (JP Morgan?) for 9 months so his salary wouldn't have been close to £100k.

I do think they all do it for the exposure though, and not the money or the "prestige" of working for Viglen.

They want to win because they want to be the winner, and the prestige that brings with it. They are the winner of the Apprentice.

artensoll · 22/12/10 - 14:54

bigmatt1234 wrote: »

Like I said in the original post though - I can see why you'd want to be on the series (for many of the reasons mentioned on this thread: fun, tv exposure, ego, 'celebrity', new challenges, access to mentoring and feedback from Lord Sugar). I just don't see why you'd actually want to win and get the job.

It's not like the US Apprentice where if you win the job you may end up working in Trump Tower on the design of a new NY skyscraper etc. Working as a project manager for an IT company near Watford is a different story completely.

I can see why someone like Joanna would want to win, and would benefit hugely from getting the job. But I can't see how Chris would benefit from moving from JP Morgan to Viglen (even if his salary doubled in the short term).

I don't think its just people like Alex that harm their future prospects. I think they all do, as future employers know that they gave up working for an exceptional firm etc to take part on a reality tv series with people who can hardly be considered britain's brightest business minds.

I don't know how true it is but I've heard rumours that winners of the US show have been disillusioned by the actual role they've been give which has turned out to be more of a PR thing than a real job within the Trump organisation.

artensoll · 22/12/10 - 15:33

artensoll wrote: »

I don't know how true it is but I've heard rumours that winners of the US show have been disillusioned by the actual role they've been give which has turned out to be more of a PR thing than a real job within the Trump organisation.

I knew i'd seen it somewhere...http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_apprentice_2/2005_May_16_jobs_offices

deptfordbaker · 23/12/10 - 21:16

Stuart Baggs is worth three million, according to him, so why does he want to jack it all in, for a 100K job on an Essex trading estate?

[Deleted User] · 23/12/10 - 21:46

ItJustMyOpinion wrote: »

Stuart Baggs is worth three million, according to him, so why does he want to jack it all in, for a 100K job on an Essex trading estate?

Stuart Baggs is a director of a company that turns over 3 million.

It doesn't make him worth 3 million.

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