A working interview (or work trial) is a recruitment task where a candidate does real job duties so an employer can assess on-the-job skills rather than interview answers; in the UK it must usually be paid unless brief. Instead of asking someone to describe how they would do the job, you watch them do a representative piece of it: serve a customer, log a set of records, build the sample report. It is the same idea as a trial shift, an assessment task or a job tryout.
Do you have to pay for it?
Usually, yes. There is no separate legal definition of a work trial, and no general exemption from the National Minimum Wage for recruitment trials, so whether pay is due is judged case by case. A short, genuine assessment of a few hours, supervised and run mainly to test the person, can lawfully be unpaid. But a trial that does productive work of real value to you, or that runs beyond a few hours, across a full shift or over several days in a real work setting, will almost certainly attract at least the minimum wage. The longer it runs, the more likely it creates a contract and the more clearly the minimum wage applies. The plain rule for 2026: if in doubt, pay it.
Why it helps autistic and disabled candidates
A standard interview tests how well someone performs in an interview, which leans on quick social judgement and reading ambiguous questions. The 2024 Buckland Review of Autism Employment found that application and interview processes are rarely adapted for autistic people, and recommended shifting recruitment towards aptitude- and skills-based assessment so candidates can show what they can actually do. A working interview is one of the clearest ways to do that. It can also count as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010, where a disabled applicant would otherwise be put at a disadvantage by a conventional interview.
One short trial does not suit everyone. Bear in mind that:
- some autistic people need longer to settle into a new setting, so a single brief trial can understate their ability;
- you should tell the candidate clearly in advance what the task is, how long it lasts and how it is judged;
- supervise the trial and assess it, rather than leaving the person to quietly cover a real workload.
For more on adapting the rest of the process, see the adjustments to make for an autistic employee.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.