Well this post will be more or less a rant. I do not like to rand, because negativity has never brought anything good in my life, but I do -have- to take it out and leave it somewhere, so I can move on and be optimistic again.
This is a rant about my ex job.... :) and about how exploiting are most of the student's jobs in our country.
I know people don't really say what's going on with their jobs and their financial situation, but I think it's time to be honest.
(via google)
What is a Student's Job?
Students can look for temporary job through a very well-developed network of student employment agencies. Temporary work of students and pupils doesn't require contracts or has other implications regular employment would have. Payment is per hour, per project or per effect in sales, but the company doesn't need to pay social or other fees for this type of employment.
P.S. This is a VERY long post.
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Click on the read more HERE.
I have been job-less for about two months. Since then I've been staying home, so I wouldn't have so many expenses.
About my ex-job. What to say.. I worked for that company for more than three years and was working my ass off, and they weren't satisfied, because the business wasn't as profitable as they wanted it to be (expectations are never a good thing). I was doing all sort of shit for them, from making flayers (of course that wasn't paid), handling them to possible customers, and other stuff that was more or less a promotion. I was a SA, and I absolutely love working with people. I did all the extra paper work for them (that BTW, no one thought me how to - so at one point they got all bitchy because it wasn't done as they thought it should be), ordering new stuff, sending other to the other branches of the companies and so on. I also helped with their website sale (since people mostly called for that), and I was glad I could help.
But the thing is, the pressure got to really high levels. I was doing my best, and since the company that worked on the same spot before had a really bad reputation it took a while that customers started coming.
Oh, of course I did some mistakes. Nothing big, nothing really terrible. But I still loved my job, I was happy to have an income and that was it.
But then it started.
Okay first let me tell you why I worked for them in LJ in the first place. I was working for a very nice company (call centre) and that was it. But then my ex boss (I quit my job when I left my previous home) called me that he will open a branch of his company in our capital city and that he heard I moved there. I was thrilled - I really liked working for his company.
Well after two months of absolutely nothing from his side, I got a job (it was get a job or die trying). One month later he called me for a met up, so we could work through some details.
We could hardly agree on the pay (student's jobs here are paid by hour). I had a much higher hour rate when I was in Koper, and that is why I could hardly agree. But when we agreed I'd work much more (so I could actually survive!) I was in for it.
We agreed I'd work 40 hours minimum/week. And since the schedule was from 9am to 7pm, that mean I would work many days for 10 hours/day.
I didn't mind, since I had nothing else to do in this big city.
I had a great co-worker that didn't mind working 14 hours/week (another student, yes) and all went well.
Until she quit, since college was more important to her (I see why) and she didn't really need the money (at that time the boss was already pushing us to sell as many things as possible - we were selling cell phones and cell phones contracts).
They got me another co-worker. I was working every single day, about 10h/day. Except when the bosses wife was teaching the new co-worker how to work.
Sadly the girl left one week later, saying she didn't know she'd work for 14 hours a week only. But she did mention another friend of hers that was thrilled to work max 14h/week. Sadly the girl almost lost her mind on the first day at work alone. She quit.
That was back in November, and I was working every single day for 10h and on Saturdays for 4 hours more. I was losing my mind, since there weren't many customers and I was mostly bored (oh how terrible is that to say, but it's true!).
Somewhere there I learned I was pregnant. I still didn't know if I could keep my baby (it's sad, but it's true), I couldn't be happy about the pregnancy since I was terrified I'd die hungry somewhere.
Luckily we got another co-worker to help me. But right before they assumed him, the boss's wife told me I'd only work 25 hours/week. I was horrified, but didn't have the guts to say anything since she was a real mean bitch when it wasn't her way.
Well I was pissed, I mean.. how can I survive with 400€/month?! This is a joke, right? Well it wasn't.
That was when I lost all my motivation. I decided I will quit this shit job (the pressure was still going on strong). I mean after all, there are many student's jobs around, right?
There was also another branch of the same company in the same city. Here and there we had to work there too, because other students couldn't (for whatever the reason).
After one month of working every fucking day, for 10 hours I was super happy to get half of a day OFF! YES, I was excited!
And the same day (I worked in the morning, and could've been free in the afternoon) my boss called me if I could work instead of another student that couldn't work (let me say, that even if I liked this girl, she hated her job and found 5000 reasons why she wouldn't work even if her schedule was set, and then others had to jump in for her - there were 2 students in every branch of the company = 4 in LJ).
I was shocked. I said NO. I didn't want to work, because I needed a day off, well a couple of hours off. Let me say, that I had absolutely no social life because of my work.
And at that point he WANTED TO KNOW WHY I couldn't work. That day I should have had a meeting about an advertising on my blog so I told him that. He was a total pain in the ass and told me "you've got another job?!" - You son of a bitch, how dare you?!
Somewhere in the context I told him his wife said I'll work for 25 hours a week from now on.
So he started screaming (it was a phone call), before that he never yelled at me. He went MAD CRAZY, saying stuff like I'm not the boss, that he will say when I WILL WORK, that I CANNOT DECIDE when or how I will work and similar stuff. He actually made me know that I was for them a piece of shit and not even a person. I was shocked. And honestly I hated him in that exact moment. And from there on our work relationship went downhill.
Of course I went to work the same day, to the other location. And many days after that one. I got a wonderful co-worker, for what I was really grateful.
Oh and the working ambient was shit-like. It was cold, and the whole damn winter I was in my winter jacked and I was still freezing cold. That's how my bladder got infected and my kidneys weren't happy either. I didn't have a heather and even if I begged them for one, they said 'yeah, yeah.. next time.. blah blah'. The excuses were always the same, that's why I decided to call the guy that sends out stuff for the company including stuff for the offices. He was kind enough and send me one heater. Sadly the boss brought it and took it the same day saying it's too big.
My last month of work was in January. It was still freezing outside and the temperatures went to -5 degrees Celsius so even a couple of sweaters and a winter jacket didn't help at all.
Before I quit (I think it was 2 weeks before) I told my boss I'm pregnant. He was happy, or at least he seemed so.
We should have moved to another spot like three months earlier and the date kept being pushed further apart, so I lost my hopes. I was stressed, disliked my job and wanted to quit.
So one day, I decided - I'll quit! You know as a student you can quit any time. There is no contract or anything that would set the date.
I called my boss and told me that from Monday on I wouldn't come to work any more (it was Wednesday).
He was a bit bitchy, saying that I could tell him before (I decided one day before!). That's why I said that I could've told him one day before. He didn't ask why I am quitting (since he KNEW!) and that was it.
Or so I thought.
I worked my shift till the end, the next day I was off and was supposed to work the full Friday (10h) and Saturday (4h).
I had a bunch of food with me to nom on (because food it quite expensive), and it was only 1,5 hours I was working when my bosses wife showed up telling me I could leave, that they won't bother me any more. Wtf?
I was shocked once more, I mean.. really? But at the same time I was happy to leave forever.
I got many work experiences with this company during the years, and I don't regret working for them. But I do wish they would pay more their students (because 3,5€/h in LJ is way underpaid - tho I got 4€ which is still 1€ less than I got in KP).
Since then I am jobless. For some reason I can't find a job (tho I am helping my dear with some work, but I don't get paid). And even more now that my tummy is visible. Yes, it's obvious that I am pregnant.
And even if employers shouldn't care about it (when it comes to student's jobs) since they have no extra taxes because of it - well they do.
My financial (and the financial situation of my dear) situation is currently really shitty and I have no idea how we're going to prepare everything for the baby since I can't get a job and I still need to pay for one exam. :/
If it goes on like this, I will have to move back home pretty soon.
Okay, this is it. Enough ranting and depressing stories.
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