+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Tips and Deals (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) (/showthread.php?tid=154030)
Pages:
1
2
The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - kap - 06-19-2013
Since March of this year I have been volunteering 20 hours per week as a field tech for the IT department of our city hall. I have already had the knowledge, skills and experience at this intermediate level from my previous paying jobs. However, I have been out of touch with it for the past few years, so I figured volunteering would refresh my mind to old stuff and to learn new ones. I also have expressed my interest in becoming an employee after a period of time volunteering. I get along well with all the techs and their feedbacks have been positive. The supervisor said he might consider putting me on a temp basis after 6 months if there would be a need. From what I have seen and been told, their trouble tickets are backlogged. Should I stay after the 6 month is up?
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - space-time - 06-19-2013
a 4 line post is now considered long? what is the attentions span these days? 3 words?
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - $tevie - 06-19-2013
If you are doing the volunteer work primarily to keep your IT skills fresh, then there's no reason to stop unless you are tired of the extra hours of work it involves. If you are doing it in mostly in the hope you will eventually be paid, then yeah, you will have to decide how long you are willing to hang around. I hope this isn't the case but it might be that he is offering the temp position as a carrot to keep you around and has no intention of really hiring you, in which case you may want to bail if nothing changes after six months.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - OWC Jamie - 06-19-2013
space-time wrote:
a 4 line post is now considered long? what is the attentions span these days? 3 words?
If you have a 3 foot wide browser window just scrunch it up to two inches.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - testcase - 06-19-2013
IMHO, 20 hours / week is a significant amount of time to be donating. Two schools of thought.
1: Why buy the cow if you're getting the milk for free?
2: You're dealing with people who you believe are honorable and, when they can, they'll "do the right thing" and put you on the payroll.
Even if immediate supervisors are honorable, are the top people? All levels of government are severely strapped financially now (and for the foreseeable future). My 30+ years of experience as a Civil Servant, lead me to believe that, should funds become available to allow a new hire, said job will go to a "connected" prospect. The fact that you may be wildly more qualified will probably mean very little unless you happened to be extremely well connected. Sadly, I doubt that having performed this work will be likely to qualify you you as such.
All that said, I would be ready to walk away but, do so graciously. After you're absent for a few weeks / months, the powers that be might be forced to face reality, recognize the value of your work and, find a way to put you on the payroll. Have you considered setting yourself up as a "consultant". Strangely enough, they might be willing to pay you as an independent contractor when they would / could not take you on as an employee.
Finally, have to talked with a tax pro about claiming the value of your volunteer work as a legitimate deduction?
Good luck; keep us posted as to how this plays out.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - Speedy - 06-19-2013
In California I bet the entity would need to go through the civil service hiring process when/if they need to fill a position.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - the_poochies - 06-19-2013
You work 20 hours a week for your municipality for FREE?
I'm sure you're a nice person, but you're also a sucker if you've been putting in that much time for no pay, IMHO.
Please come and work for my municipality for nothing but our gratitude.
We have an IT consultant we pay an annual fee for. He is a 1099.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - mattkime - 06-19-2013
I'd stay on (perhaps reduced hours) until i found something else.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - C(-)ris - 06-19-2013
You are working 20 hours a week for free? And everyone else doing the same job is getting paid....um.
Re: The duration of an unpaid volunteer "job" (long) - The UnDoug - 06-20-2013
You know, we are not all the same. We are not all in the same situation.
20 hours a week might be more than you would willingly give as a volunteer, but to someone else, it might be just the right thing.
So try to remember to walk a mile in someone else's shoes....judge not lest ye be judged......don't throw stones if you live in a glass house....and all that stuff.
It's one thing to think critical thoughts of others, and their actions and lifestyles, but it's another thing altogether to express it in a way that is intended to make the individual feel bad.
The internet sucks in that way.