Romeich Major Under Fire After Announcing Job Fair With $1,000 Entry Fee For Interviews
Romeich Major is facing the wrath of many Jamaicans after he posted a job fair advertisement for several positions within his companies and declared that he would be charging an entry fee of JMD $1000 for persons to be interviewed.
Major, who is the principal of Romeich Entertainment and Major Marketing, manages Dancehall artists Shenseea and Ding Dong, and dancer Dancing Rebel.
The advertisement for the job fair, which is sponsored by Grace Foods and Campari, along with the promise that music would be played, also noted that along with the entry fee, food and refreshments would be on sale.
“The Time is now ‼️you asked and we listened‼️ @romeichentertainment presents his‼️‼️MAJOR JOB FAIR‼️‼️ October 20, 2023, 11am-6pm. Romeich Entertainment HQ at 1 1/2 Campbells Boulevard… Entry fee $1000. Food and refreshments on sale‼️ Music by our ROMEICHENT DJS ‼️🎶. Come show us what you have to offer and impress the team‼️” the advertisement, which was shared on Instagram, noted.
“Interviews will be done by the big boss himself Romeich, alongside @shaquelspan and jadethajem,” it added.
The advertisement lists a string of available positions, namely, editor, videographers, set designers, photographers, graphic artist, producers, marketing executives, and execution planners.
On the event side, it noted that there were positions for bottle service reps, a makeup artist, promo girls, animators, a sound engineer, a musician, a choreographer, décor executives and dancers.
The advertisement also called for truck and trailer drivers, a dressmaker and hairdressers.
While some followers were in agreement with Romeich’s idea, it was the controversial $1000 entry fee and the selling of food, which seemed to incense many persons, who lashed out at and even mocked Major.
“Lol 🤣🤣😂 this much be a party lol 🤣🤣 first in my life I ever see a entry fee and food on sale at a job fair. Lol. If people looking for a job that means they already broke,” mobag02 jeered.
Another commenter, praisinggrace did not mince words as she took aim at Romeich.
“How can u offering jobs and asking for 1000 when half of who goes will not be chosen? If he was offering a learning program I could say ‘well done’ Major, but offer a job and asking to pay is crazy. This remind me of the scammers agency that use too take my five bills for jobs when u go sign up and months after u still nuh get through. Bwoy, a big brand name like him should never. You are not that broke,” she declared.
Another commenter, garryh.g, made a mockery of the poster, pointing out that it was littered with bad grammar.
“Poster ya full a grammatical errors me G, hire 1 English teacher too,” he wrote.
Hours later, Romeich, having gotten wind of the slew of criticisms in response to his advertisement, returned to Instagram to give his detractors a piece of his mind, in a very terse response.
“I am doing something that has never been done in Jamaica, sorting jobs for peeps and you all talking shit because there is an entry fee of 1K to get interview for a job that will pay you thousands of dollars. This is why our culture don’t get better. You all find it hard to invest and make yourself better smh!! Jamaica people wake up. Also if you don’t agree with how I do my thing, don’t join my team. Simple as that!” he stated in the post.
He then added: “Simple and straight, I aint begging no one to join my team 💯. Even make it worse if you coming around me with negativity you can’t join team always learn this!!! People fraid of new rules and regulations they don’t like different that’s why they follow well sorry I am a leader so I gonna be different!! For all peeps want work once you for for the job see you Friday!!!!”
However, Romeich’s counteraction only served to rattle many of his followers, some of whom, like aosewell, questioned the lawfulness of the collection of entry fees.
“We need to strike a balance, it’s unusual in Jamaican context to pay for an interview which doesn’t guarantee you success. This is a new precedent which will bother on the legality of such a move. It’s natural for persons to have concerns,” she noted.
“Can u imagine 1000 people come u know how much money that ? Him have job for 1000 ? U know how much a go home back with nothing in them bag only them taxi money? And him get all that money? I really hope mo body no go,” browning262 added.
Others flatly rejected Romeich’s stance.
“No one ‘pays’ to get employment or get in the ‘door.’” Mstrotter14 stated, while bully.beef added: “It’s indirectly begging…to the uneducated, he sounds like a genius.”
Others questioned the integrity of the job fair, stating that nowhere in the world do employers charge prospective employees for conducting interviews.
“Investing in yourself is one thing. Using the probability of opportunity like a carrot dangling on a string to draw people who truly want a chance is just unacceptable. Invest? Which job asks you to pay for an interview? Foolishness that. People use their last to prepare buy proper attire and transportation for interview and this foolery you think make sense? You say you not begging no one to join your team but you taking money from them tho? Joke ting this. No ratings,” princyr said.
“Wait him a charge people for interviews???? Talk bout con artist! No where in the world I’ve ever heard of this,” anjugaz said, while another commenter added: “No matter how you wanna put it nobody should be paying for no job interview, never seen this yet , they are gonna make you make more money too so why should they pay??”
The post made its way to X (formerly Twitter) where scores of users had a mouthful to say. Some argued that Major erred in referring to the entry fee as an “investment,” considering that a job is not guaranteed.
“Ibex and sagility and I’m sure other companies do this probably every week for free, weh him a talk bout “never been done in Jamaica” then unu nuh see say the man take poor people fi eediat? Man a try make back the money him spend a Europe 😭😭” @_Moyy__ said.
“This is grossly unethical and making ppl think they are anti evolving is prototypical Jamaican behavior to avoid responsibility in an attempt to persist with being unethical,” @Subbo20 added.
However, there were some who sided with Romeich.
“Mi sure dem spend more that a KFC n they don’t wanna invest in a demselves? Dem no ready fi the world yet,” one man said, while another added: “They will pay 1k to go party but not to get a job.”
“I don’t really understand why people are killing him tbh. I’d have to see the framework. is he pocketing the entry fees Or is it going back to the event in some form ? It’s a great initiative and if the applicant selection rate is high then nobody will be mad about paying $1000,” @TheN0xID reasoned.
Nevertheless, others said that the move by Romeich Entertainment was predatory and self-serving.
“Stop tek advantage of ppl ! If smaddy bruk and a look work, why tf would you charge?” one man said, while ownherlane noted: “This is actually seeing an opportunity to market off the vulnerabl. Why should one pay to be interviewed and why so much person okay with it and think it’s a kind act? If you have job opening you must normally pay your recruiters, know how much ppl you want and skills you looking for”.
“No offense, anyone with a level mind would double think. You might think $1000 is cheap but for some, it could just be their last dollar they’re spending with “hopes” that they will be employed by your company. If they don’t get the job, that money stays in your hand and they got nothing out of their time & effort. I would never EVER spend a dime to go on a interview,” cliptreetall said.
Numerous job fairs are held on a constant basis in Jamaica, particularly by hotels and companies within the Business Process Outsourcing sector, but without charge or entry fees.
Under the Employment Agencies Act, any individual or entity intending to engage in the recruitment of workers in Jamaica, for placement in jobs, locally or overseas, is required to obtain a licence from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which is renewable annually.