Liam Reese, Head of People at ClickOut Media recently spoke to HR Magazine and shared both his own and the company’s view on unpaid internships, which are a growing trend in the marketing industry.
He believes that internships are one of the most valuable recruitment sources for any marketing agency, and that investing in training for interns is the ‘right thing’ and can be a ‘long-term investment in your own success’. However, Reese stated that he believes that there should be safety nets to protect interns and that it should be illegal to offer internships that are unpaid.He said:
I think unpaid internships should be illegal. I’m certainly not the first person to propose this and hopefully, I won’t be the last. Most existing employment law around payment for internships in the UK is the result of debates in Parliament proposing to ban unpaid labour.
Liam Reese, Head of People
Reese added that it’s important that talent mapping includes ‘lower-level positions that have the room to grow into key members of the team’.
ClickOut Media have had six apprentices since May 2024 – of which two have completed their apprenticeships and joined the company full-time, with the others completing their courses before joining.
Many at ClickOut Media started out as apprentices, interns or worked part-time or freelance. Some of which are now running departments.
Reese reiterated that ‘fair rates of pay’ is the ‘right thing to do’ and can serve as a strategy to raise employee satisfaction and decrease turnover and that diversity and paid internships go hand-in-hand.
Statistically, young people who can work for free are often those with generational wealth and the ability to be supported financially. While people of colour, LGBTQ+ young people and young parents will be affected by policies including unpaid labour.
Reese concluded: “Ultimately, I believe that apprentices are the future of employment and that investing in their training and wellbeing is a long-term investment in your own success.
“At the end of the day, many companies expect young people to work for free, because that’s ‘what they did when they were young’.
“But just because something has ‘always been that way’ doesn’t mean it’s right – we used to think work houses and child labour were morally acceptable, and now we know better. And once we know better, we can do better.”
This article was featured in HR Magazine.
Canada is leading the world when it comes to remote work opportunities and also ranks third overall on ClickOut Media’s Remote World Index 2025.
Overall, Canada leads globally in remote job availability at 2,637 remote job opportunities per 100,000 people.
That eclipses what second-ranked United States (2,435 per 100,000) and third-place Ireland (819 per 100,000) have to offer.
ClickOut Media’s Remote World Index 2025 measures aspects affecting work and life, such as internet speed, cost of living and work-life balance.
Canada ranks third in the index behind leaders Norway and Denmark. The United States and Sweden round out the top five.
ClickOut Media head analyst Neil Roarty said: “This index reflects the changing priorities of modern workers who value flexibility, affordability, and quality of life.”
Also, North America boasts high salaries and top-tier internet speeds, with Canada and the US both making the top-five in this area.
Regional Highlights Of Global Ranking
This article featured in Human Resources Director Magazine.
ClickOut Media has continued its charity pledges with a donation of £5,000 to a boxing gym in Liverpool.
Tony Bellew retired from boxing in 2018 and is a prominent figure in the sports media world. The former WBC cruiserweight champion trains alongside a host of other Liverpudlian professional fighters at the Rotunda Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) in the city.
Speaking to ClickOut Media, Bellew said: “It’s an amazing gym, without these four walls and without Jimmy Albertina (legendary Liverpool boxing coach) coming into my life when he did I would have never achieved what I have.
It’s a cliche but boxing 100 per cent saved my life. I don’t know what else I would have been doing. I was doing anything to make ends meet because I had this dream of one day becoming a world champion boxer.
Bellew told ClickOut Media
Since his retirement, Bellew has worked closely with ClickOut Media as a boxing analyst and pundit and the donation will help Rotunda ABC fund more champions.
Bellew told ClickOut Media that all amateur boxing coaches are unpaid and do the role at the ‘kindness of their own heart’ to help develop young people and start the career of future national champions.
He added: “The Rotunda ABC turns out national champions every single year. We really do so. And the coaches, as I said before they’re not paid. So the least we can do is try and help them with their expenses. You know, traveling isn’t cheap.
“Whether it’s driving a bus, getting on trains, these guys are going to different shows every day of the week. So, I’m grateful to the guys and ClickOut Media, I can’t thank them enough – it goes a long way.”
Owen Fulda, head of Press Content at ClickOut Media said: “Rotunda Amateur Boxing Club is synonymous with boxing champions and we are delighted to play a small part in funding more.
“The donation is the first of a series we plan to make and he (Bellew) suggested the Rotunda as it is a place that is dear to him. It’s helped keep kids off the street and has trained numerous former champions including Bellew himself.
“As an agency we have worked with numerous boxers who represent brands we work with. We listened to them about causes that are important and they have all said that grassroots sport is the most important, especially given the current climate and rise in cost of living.”
ClickOut Media is committed to sports charitable work having donated in 2024 to Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation, Haven House Hospice and Matchroom Sports Official charity The Matchroom Charitable Foundation.
ClickOut Media is focused on hiring skilled journalists – and here’s why.
In a concerning time where jobs in the media industry are becoming more uncertain, ClickOut Media’s goal is to bring the best writers through the door, allowing them to hone and improve their skills.
And while the company’s policy is to provide an opportunity for everyone, bringing in journalists with a wide-ranging skill set provides plenty of scope when it comes to career progression.
Neil Roarty, head analyst at ClickOut Media, said:
Hiring from the competition is standard, but focusing on transferrable skills and desirable traits is something that many corporations are seriously lacking. A good writer can write about multiple topics adeptly, and we’ve really found ex-journalists to be a superb fit for our team.
Neil Roarty, Head Analyst
This strategy has seen ClickOut Media fill a number of key positions, with former sports reporter Owen Fulda, previously at Express Newspapers, taking on a Head of PR Content role with the company.
“Owen joined as journalist and now heads up our PR content team – this shows we have opportunities for slight retraining to add to an already impressive skill set,” Roarty added.
Several journalists from national publications like The Sun, The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph have also made the jump to ClickOut Media to become an integral part of the content team.
Top quality writing is essential at ClickOut Media and there are opportunities to grow and improve as journalists.
ClickOut Media also provides roles for the next generation of writers. The recent hiring of five NCTJ-trained journalists from the University of Derby has given those starting out in media the opportunity to learn and develop new skills.
Roarty said: “What we are finding at ClickOut though is that by proactively opening doors for trained journalists to learn and hone new skills, both they and the company thrives.”
If you are interested in joining the ClickOut Media team, contact Head of News Lee Astley for potential opportunities.
Social media star John Fisher – known as Big John – donated £6,000 to the Haven House Hospice after starring in the ClickOut Media-backed event the Target Sports Stars Fishing Championship last summer.
Big John – alongside his son, Johnny – took to the lake to compete against other celebrities like world darts champion Luke Littler and Arsenal icon David Seaman in a bid to catch the most fish over the course of an afternoon.
The ITV4 show is a big supporter of several charities, including the Haven House Children’s Hospice and the Willow Foundation, which cares for seriously ill babies and children who are living with incurable conditions.
Big John generously donated the large sum to Gunners great Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation and Haven House Hospice alongside ClickOut Media and the Bosh Bets team.
The donation came from his ‘Bosh Bets’ winnings. These are betting tips which Big John shares with his followers online and included a stack of winners at Euro 2024.
Lee Astley, Head of News at ClickOut Media, said: “It was a fantastic day and the second of these that I’ve been lucky enough to attend.
Full marks to Big John for the huge donation and to all the sporting stars that find time in their busy schedules to support this event that raises so much for charity.
Lee Astley, Head of News at ClickOut Media
“We are honoured to be a part of it too here at ClickOut Media and are already looking forward to the 2025 renewal, where we all hope to raise even more for the supported charities.”
You can find out more about Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation here, plus how to donate to the charity.
ClickOut Media made a sizable donation to Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation after becoming one of the principle backers of ITV4’s Target Sports Fishing Championship for a second year running.
The JBD-led Target Sports Fishing Championship saw a host of sporting stars go head-to-head in a bid to catch the most fish, with the celebrities split into teams of four while being led by a fishing pro to guide them
The likes of world darts champion Luke Littler, Arsenal icon David Seaman and former boxer Tony Bellew all turned out for the July 2024 event, which raises significant funds for charities like Wilson’s Willow Foundation.
Gunners great Bob and his wife Meg set up the Willow Foundation in 1999 after they sadly lost their daughter Anna to cancer.
The Willow Foundation has since been raising money to provide memorable moments for families and ‘special days’ for those going through a similar story and battles that they did.
Wilson gave a humbling speech at the event and provided an update on the Willow Foundation, before accepting ClickOut Media’s donation cheque for his charity.
Neil Roarty, head analyst at ClickOut Media, said: “The Target Sports Fishing Championship is a brilliant event with some of the biggest stars from the sporting world coming for a day by the lake.
Better yet, it’s all done for many fantastic causes. We are honoured to play a role in the event and donate to Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation and the Haven House Children’s Hospice.
Neil Roarty, head analyst at ClickOut Media
Target Sports Stars Fishing Championship will continue to support the Willow Foundation in 2025, where they hope to raise even more money for this worthwhile cause. Over £27,000 was raised for all the chosen charities in 2024.
You can find out more about Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation here, plus how to donate to the charity.
