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sabremeisterWednesday - my signing on day at the JobCentre. They tell me I need to do more than look in the trade paper for my chosen career for jobs - they don't care that all the jobs advertised round here either don't pay me enough to live on (but too much to claim assistance), would be detrimental to my mental and/or physical health, are inaccessible, or require qualifications I don't have.
So, this morning, walking back from Sainsbury's (at just short of noon), a couple of cowboy builders stop in their van and try to recruit me. Due to the above circumstances, I agree. They give me a lift home so I can pick up some stuff, then collect me five minutes later, take me to the other side of town, and we get an on-spec job tearing down someone's fence. They leave me to it while they go and sort another job in the area. Three hours later the fence is down and broken up, and they largely stand around and watch me load the bits into the van. They buzz around the neighbourhood, driving like maniacs, with me perched on the wood in the back. Needless to say, my stomach doesn't like this. I have to shout to get them to drop me off before they head back to their base at Borehamwood where they'll burn the wood. I said they could pick me up for the first job tomorrow, and I'd do the canvassing doorsteps, like what they said I'd be doing, see how I get on. When they let me out, my stomach was knotted, my head was spinning, I couldn't feel my extremities. It took me half an hour to walk the maybe one mile home. I'm still feeling terrible. I ache all over, dehydrated, hungry. The plan was they'd arrange digs for me near their base, and I'd stay over the weekend learning the job. Therefore, they still have my bag (it was under most of the wood in the van). There's nothing valuable/irreplaceable in it, but the bag itself is valuable, and it'll be a pain to replace everything.
So: I really don't want to go with them tomorrow. How do I get my bag back and turn them down in the face of their hard-sell style of persuasion?
Help. Please.
So, this morning, walking back from Sainsbury's (at just short of noon), a couple of cowboy builders stop in their van and try to recruit me. Due to the above circumstances, I agree. They give me a lift home so I can pick up some stuff, then collect me five minutes later, take me to the other side of town, and we get an on-spec job tearing down someone's fence. They leave me to it while they go and sort another job in the area. Three hours later the fence is down and broken up, and they largely stand around and watch me load the bits into the van. They buzz around the neighbourhood, driving like maniacs, with me perched on the wood in the back. Needless to say, my stomach doesn't like this. I have to shout to get them to drop me off before they head back to their base at Borehamwood where they'll burn the wood. I said they could pick me up for the first job tomorrow, and I'd do the canvassing doorsteps, like what they said I'd be doing, see how I get on. When they let me out, my stomach was knotted, my head was spinning, I couldn't feel my extremities. It took me half an hour to walk the maybe one mile home. I'm still feeling terrible. I ache all over, dehydrated, hungry. The plan was they'd arrange digs for me near their base, and I'd stay over the weekend learning the job. Therefore, they still have my bag (it was under most of the wood in the van). There's nothing valuable/irreplaceable in it, but the bag itself is valuable, and it'll be a pain to replace everything.
So: I really don't want to go with them tomorrow. How do I get my bag back and turn them down in the face of their hard-sell style of persuasion?
Help. Please.
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Date: 2008-02-01 06:41 pm (UTC)Tell them you've had a phone-call from your parents/sibling/girlfriend and need to go and visit them. Tell them your (insert relative here) needs a job doing up in (insert area here), and you can't get out of it because it's urgent. Add plenty of apologies and 'sorry for the inconvenience', and don't forget you need your bag back because it's the one you take to OU lectures (or something else that sounds important) and it had some of your notes in.
I basically agree with you - I don't think this sounds like reliable work, and they don't sound like reliable people. You haven't got a contract from them saying how much you'll get paid, etc, and that could lead to all sorts of trouble.
So, generally 'emergency call from relative to do something you can't get out of' followed by 'sorry I'm letting you down', then 'I left my bag in your van - I need it because it's got my (important thing of no monetary value to them) in it.'
That's the best I can think of - I hope it's of some help!
CCA