Landlord M has just offered me a job as his assistant. I can balance it with my temping. Apparently, Landlady S, who is out of town for the week, suggested it on the phone.
His real assistant just walked out one day a few weeks ago and he's been running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
When he first started the project last year, he offered me the position, but S said it would be a bad idea: living at work, on call, and she never wants him to shout at me if he's in a bad mood. (Personally, I've been more scared of her before.)
A job, yes. But it might be tricky, don't you think?
13 comments:
Gosh I know what you mean about tricky. But if you're anything like me, the prospect of any kind of decent job is tempting at this point. But it is definitely possible that you'd end up on call 24/7 if work is at home. Any idea why the other assistant walked out?
That worries me a bit, but they don't know. She just didn't turn up one day. (Alien abduction?)
I was about to ask why the previous assistant left, too. Definitely a sticky situation, especially if conflicts of interest arise! It's better to keep relationships, personal or business, simple. On the other hand, you wouldn't have to travel very far. Tough call!
-merserene
Well can you negotiate with him at all? Treat it like a temp job. I understand you wouldn't have a contract per se, but lay down some reasonable boundaries?
Say you work on a week-to-week basis, on the understanding that you are looking for other work and if something will come up you have to give him no more than one week's notice. And that you are on call between 8:30 and whatever seems reasonable in the evening.
Then negotiate a good hourly pay (you're probably familiar with the ranges, but if you want to bounce ideas of the temping queen, drop me a line).
It's good to keep busy AND it's still something to add to your CV. Plus a reference
well done!
Boundaries are the key thing here - insist on a clear separation of work time and me time. Don't be totally inflexible on this, but just point out that just because you are upstairs doesn't mean he should call you. I would say something like "Just imagine that I lived in Bethnal Green - would you call me and ask me to come to your office to do something, or would you do it yourself." There you go, the modern version of the West Lothian question...
Thanks everyone. We get along very well as tenant and landlord and I wouldn't like to endanger that.
I will of course set terms and limits, and keep it part-time until he finds a new assistant. If I were to do general things as a true "helper", rather than specialised tasks - which would become professional and demand more scrutiny - not that I couldn't do it, but I'm talking about remaining light and uncommitted.
Have I made any sense? I am a bit light headed today.
Oh that banana helped my brain.
Let me partially rephrase: I will ask for general timesaving tasks, nothing that would invite professional scrutiny. Not that I couldn't do it, but my landlord should not be the person to test this.
so what will u do?
hello! u feeling better? u've been tagged ... :)
JL - today i will label envelopes. i get the same rate as the tempting agencies.
Steli - oh no! the player has disappeared! It knew you were coming :(
Prerona - getting better, just really tired. Thanks for the tag, i will check it out.
haha the tempting agencies?
Steli - But you did blog. Shame on you! It was a good blog, though.
Make it change - start your thesis!
I might stream this piece elsewhere and then put a player in my sidebar like you did.
Olivia, have replied to ur comment on my blog. read it sometime soon cz i'm gonna delete that post asap. lol
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