Australian business offering $100,000 salary for internship

An Aussie company has posted a job ad offering a six figure salary and hybrid work to applicants straight out of high school.

An Australian business is dealing with thousands of applicants after advertising a paid internship with a hefty annual salary of $100,000.

The six-figure entry-level role at My Amazon Empire, a Brisbane-based e-commerce business, requires zero work experience and only a formal year 12 or equivalent education.

To put the $100,000 salary into perspective, according to Finder the average Aussie Gen Zer is only earning $50,023. Yep, this internship is offering double what most young people get paid and you don’t even need a degree.

The role is based in Brisbane and is described as a “golden opportunity”, with the company looking for someone with a dedication to learning and a willingness to collaborate.

It is a hybrid role and the successful applicant can expect a flexible week that will involve working both in the office and at home.

The role will include:

• Learning how to analyse products.

• Liaising with clients via email and phone calls.

• Working with programs such as Excel, Word, Gmail, and several external software that assist in the daily management of the booming business.

The company is offering an intern a $100,000 salary. Picture: Supplied

They are looking for a superstar intern. Picture: Supplied

The local business is an e-commerce platform that specialises in scaling Amazon stores by implementing proven systems.

The job is advertised on the Get Ahead app, which is like Tinder for employment; you swipe until you find something you like.

So far, over 5000 eager Aussies have applied and it is a mix of school leavers and stay-at-home parents.

Founder Emma Cunningham, 27, came up with the internship because she is invested in providing roles for young people that are also lucrative.

“I believe in providing young talent with the chance to learn and excel, regardless of their background,” she said.

Ms Cunningham explained that the idea was spurred on by the cost of living crisis and her desire for her staff to feel financially satisfied.

“I wanted to create a good opportunity for young people because of the cost of living crisis,” she told news.com.au.

Founder Emma Cunningham believes in investing in young talent. Picture: supplied

She wants her employees to feel valued. Picture: Supplied

Ms Cunningham explained that she wanted to provide a solid financial “incentive” for Gen Zers.

The young business owner said that she understood anyone working for her company would see first-hand the amount the business is bringing in and she doesn’t want anyone working for her feeling like they aren’t benefiting from it.

“I don’t want them to be demotivated. I want them to feel valued,” she said.

Ms Cunningham said that, realistically, she could get away with paying someone $45,000 for the $100,000 role, but she doesn’t think that is smart business in these financial times.

She explained she’d rather invest in her business and staff because otherwise they’ll leave for a better “opportunity” after she has already invested labour into training them.

She believes people need to keep up with the times. Picture: supplied

$100,000 isn’t as much as it used to be. Picture: supplied

Instead she’d rather pay generous wages and make her employees feel “valued” rather than resentful and therefore always looking elsewhere.

While Ms Cunningham acknowledged that $100,000 was a high salary for someone’s first job, she said that it wasn’t such a crazy salary in 2023.

“When I graduated high school, if I got offered 100k, I’d be laughing for the rest of my life, but that isn’t the reality now, and people need to move with times,” she advised.

Instead, Ms Cunningham believes that as a business owner, she needs to adapt to retain employees and gain young talent.

“If you don’t now offer more, then they aren’t going to stay,” she said.

In fact, Ms Cunningham claimed that if the paid intern impresses her, she’d be happy to negotiate an even higher salary after their first year.

“I reward hard work,” she said.

Originally published as Australian business offering $100,000 salary for internship