Following Guido’s story yesterday, a Department for Education (DfE) spin-doctor calls to explain they will most certainly be paying new recruits accurately and on time. Their explanation as to how they came to advertise a job which would, for administrative convenience, be unpaid for 10 weeks was that “it was an idea which should not have gone ahead”. Obviously.

The wording on the job ad in question has changed. The DfE is moving to a new HR system with processes, they now say, in place to make sure any new starters will actually be paid accurately when they begin their new contracts. Which they didn’t seem so keen on doing before Guido highlighted the job advert…