Several MailOnline trainees drop from course as penalty fee deadline passes

The first recruits on the Daily Mail’s trainee scheme that faced a penalty for dropping out too early have just passed the point that the fee would no longer apply – and several have already decided to leave, Private Eye reports.

Last year MailOnline was struggling with many trainees dropping out before completing their courses, so they instigated a £1,500 charge for those who did not complete the course, to be deducted from their pay packet.

However, now the minimum amount of time required to drop out without the penalty applying has past – and Eye reports many have jumped ship.

The article blames a poor work culture for the departures, claiming that staff face “endless night shifts doing nothing but uploading agency copy and writing inane captions for pap[arazzi] pics while being shouted at.”