Teen dad with face tattoo reveals he has turned down 45 job offers
The teenage father with 'DEVAST8' tattooed across his face whose desperate plea for a job went viral last week has turned down 45 opportunities for work, he has revealed.
Mark Cropp, 19, took to social media as a last resort on Wednesday, sharing his employment struggles due to the tattoo on his face he received after a home brew drinking session in a Christchurch prison.
He has since been inundated with offers.
Cropp said he "stopped counting when he reached 45".
"I am just waiting for the right one to come about," he told the Daily Mail Australia.
The New Zealand man clarified the reasoning behind his decision to reject a handful of the offers was because some requried him to have his own car.
"Until I get my first paycheck and get a car I won't be able to get myself around," he said.
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Cropp claims he will get the 'DEVAST8' tattoo removed but "it's a hard decision".
"This tattoo means something to me and my brother did it for me so it is hard," he said.
"I know it is the best thing for my future and I want to be a person my family can look to for support."
He was jailed for two years for armed robbery and shared a cell with his brother, who eventually convinced him to get the ink.
Cropp said the tattoo, designed to make him look "tough", was only meant to be a small piece along the jawline.
"I went to jail with four tattoos and came out with a full body suit," he said.
"A week before I got out I taped a picture of my face to the inside of an envelope so my partner could see it - she was devastated - but now she likes it and can't see me without it."
In his Facebook post, he claimed he had been "laughed out of job interviews after covering half his face with the tattoo, which is his nickname".
"There was a long time there where I would devastate everything I touched," the 19-year-old said.
"I would end up devastating everyone I met or got close to.
"They would be disappointed with something I had done or said - I was always hearing "that's devastating"," he said.
"But I have learnt from my mistake."
The young dad said he doesn't think it's right to be judged by your looks.
"I still don't think people should be judged by the tattoos on their face - but I know it will keep happening unless I do something about it," he said.
The teen has been out of jail for two weeks.
