A job listing posted by a jewellery store at Raffles Hotel's shopping arcade has garnered much backlash recently.

Job advertisement for product photographer/social media marketer

On March 31, Elliott & Carmen, a jewellery brand at Raffles Arcade, put up an advertisement for the position of product photographer/social media marketer.

Here it is:

According to their job listing, the brand is looking to hire someone who "knows how to take high-quality images of jewellery, and to manage (their) social media accounts."

The brand also added that they would prefer this person to have one year of photography and social media marketing experience.

The job is listed as part-time, temporary or it can be an internship.

Job posting garners vitriol from netizens

Since April 1, a screenshot of this job listing has been circulating around on Facebook.

And the reason for all the hoo-ha?

Elliott & Carmen had listed a suggested remuneration of S$5 per hour for someone who meets their requirements to work two-hours per day, seven days a week.

Those who had seen the job advertisement were infuriated by the relatively low pay, considering that the job demands considerable skill and experience:

And some scoffed at the fact that a "high-end jewellery brand" was being such a low-baller to potential hires:

Some took their anger to Elliott & Carmen's Facebook page and left bad reviews, bringing the brand's overall score to 2.4 out of 5 as of the time of writing.

Much confusion

After receiving a barrage of negative reviews on their Facebook page, Elliott & Carmen clarified that the job listed is a student internship that pays a total monthly allowance of S$880 in a comment:

However, some were sceptical about the reply as they picked up the discrepancies between the brand's initial job description and what they wrote in the comment:

Apologised for “badly worded” job advertisement

At around 1pm on April 2, Elliott & Carmen officially apologised for their "badly worded ad" and "lack of clarity" in the job advertisement:

In response to Mothership, Elliott & Carmen's owner, Leon Chu, also admitted that the job posting was a mistake.

Chu said that the job advertisement was done by his 15-year-old son who was "just trying to help his dad amid the Covid-19 disaster".

The job advertisement was posted without Chu knowing and the details were inaccurate.

He clarified that the store is looking for a part-time tertiary student intern who can help to take some product shots and do social media posting as "business has been bad and they are desperate".

"There are no ill intentions or intent to make use of cheap labour," Chu told Mothership.

Chu said that the intern can work from home and he does not expect professional photography.

Chu also mentioned that he is willing to hire the intern "full time after graduation at market rate" and is currently reviewing some candidates' portfolios now.

Top image via Elliott & Carmen and Teo Guan Hoe on Facebook

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