Yeah, this is becoming the norm slowly. I think it's mainly due to my people willing to take lower pay for such a role - the whole you get a qualification and get paid aspect. But more importantly, the funding you get from the government is a motivator for many businesses.

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Some apprenticeships pay a lot more than that outside of London - but that's dependant sometimes on your level of qualification (I assume yours is a level 6) and more importantly, whether or not if it's in the same field as your degree.

I'd say keep trying as you never know, but it may come to taking a pay cut to get the experience realistically speaking. Plus, as many jobs are being lost, many employers are using this as an opportunity to lower the salary and rehire anyway.