Swingers club ‘inundated’ with job applications

A swingers club in Limerick city has been "inundated" with job applications, with dozens of "over-qualified" professionals seeking part-time work.

The club, called I-kandi and pitched as “the home of Irish erotica,” is advertising for a shift operator in the premises for 20 hours a week, and has received more than 100 applications, with more continuing to come in on a daily basis.

The club is located in the Eastway Business Park on the outskirts of the city.

The job advert has appeared on the Department of Social Protection website, and prompted one local resident to contact the department to call for it to be taken down, as he believed it should not be on a Government website due to the “sordid” nature of the business.

However, the advert has remained on their site for a number of weeks and the owners of the business insist that what goes on behind their doors is just “harmless fun”, contrary to some perceptions.

One of the company directors said he found the number and calibre of candidates applying for the role “astonishing”.

“Honestly, we have been inundated with applications from very highly qualified people looking for work, from engineers to law graduates,” said director Eamon Ryan.

“It’s a very sad state of affairs to think that so many highly skilled people are looking for part-time work.”

He said the five-year-old club, which operates seven nights a week as a gay club and attracts customers from across the country and beyond, is “just like any other night venue” in some senses, “just more ‘European’ in nature”.

“Our customer base is more national and international rather than local,” said Mr Ryan. “We attract an eclectic mix, of mainly foreigners, into the fetish, and swingers’ club scene. People get to dress a lot more risqué at our venue than at a regular club, but it’s all just harmless fun.

“Our clients tend to find the standard drinking and rugby scene somewhat boring.

“We offer a refreshing alternative for mainly homesick foreigners, and a growing number of Irish people that have had their eyes opened up on holiday abroad.

“We also cater for the LGBT community as well. We know our clients very well, we get huge repeat custom.”

The part-time position covers mainly weekend work, along with some weekday evening work also.

Shifts are typically at the weekend, from 4pm to 12am, or 8pm to 3am.

It is, the advert states, an “ideal position for a person with a mature outlook, with good working conditions, and a pleasant working environment offered to suitable, responsible candidate”.