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Love Island contestants are paid equivalent to £2.80 an hour

And you thought your student job pay was bad


Pretty much everyone who goes on Love Island becomes a millionaire once leaving the villa, as they're thrown into a whirlwind of club appearances, TV interviews, and clothing deals.

With some Islander's being paid up to £15,000 per Instagram post and some Islander's averaging a net worth of £4.4 mil, Islander's can become some of the biggest ballers over night.

But what about when the Islander's are living in the villa and being filmed 24/7? How much do the Love Island contestants get paid?

Well it actually turns out to be nothing, as Islanders are paid the equivalent of £2.80 an hour.

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Love Islander's only get paid £2.80 an hour

According to the Daily Star, this year's Love Islander's have had a pay rise from last year's £200 a week. The alleged slight pay rise of £50 means that this years Islander's will be getting £250 a week for cracking on.

Islander's are paid to cover any bills or rent whilst they are away coupling up all summer for eight weeks.

After examining the expanses contestants get and the period of time their contract applies to being filmed, MP Jo Stevens worked out that Islanders are being paid the equivalent of £2.80 per hour. During the recent MP's inquiry into Reality TV and Aftercare, Stevens asked the Chief Executive of ITV Dame Carolyn McCall if this payment was "appropriate".

McCall "did not accept" the figure arguing that contestants "willingly" go on Love Island and are "not expecting to be paid for their appearance" as their expenses are paid for.

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Islanders get £250 a week

Stevens challenged that the expenses paid for should not be a form of payment but a standard custom for contestants.

The inquiry then presented McCall with evidence from a French court hearing which ruled reality stars should be treated as salaried employers, meaning they could earn up to €1,400 per day – slightly above the French minimum wage.

The French lawyer who brought the case to court represented 56 contestants from the French equivalent of Love Island, L'Île de la tentation. He argued that making reality stars work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is "slavery".

He added that he had no "moral objection to reality TV and never had the intention to destroy it, but participants have to be treated fairly".

McCall responded to the French ruling by saying she did not think the French legislation would be accurate for Love Island as she believes the benefits of appearing on the show "exceeds" the employee benefits that French reality stars experience under the legislation.

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