Should I quit my job today?

I've been here for 6 months, still not being paid (only travel covered). There's a strong possibilty of money coming a month or so. But the whole situation has made me feel like complete shit and I don't really do any work anymore or make much effort.

Im a designer at a new magazine, the only designer, i need and want to learn more about editorial design but in this possition i won't.

I really like the people and get on very well with them.

Im going to talk to my boss about working only 3 days a week so i can look for a part time job or a new design job.

As I don't have a contract I can quit whenever I want.

YAY or NAY!?

THANKS GUYS!

  Quote

As I don't have a contract I can quit whenever I want.

Where are you from ? North Korea ?

So you're an intern. Is the magazine gaining traction ?? Will it be able to stand on it's feet financially. If yes and they are going to pay you. Well stick around.

But always be on the lookout for something better, it's the way of things.

Need clear about the pay situation. You aren't expecting to get paid? Might there be a paid role later? Or do they owe you 6 months pay? If you are voluntary and doing it for the experience you shouldn't have to ask about doing less hours, just tell them the score. Nobody can work for free forever. Even if it's not ideal experience if you can keep doing it while you look for paid work that looks golden on your CV and you can pretend you have gained loads of experience.

If they dont pay you leave and take your working computer with you until they pay you. I was in this position. You will never see your money. Just take the computer and leave

You might as well stay until you have a paid job lined up. Yes, definitely voice your concerns to your "boss". If you're not contracted you can do whatever hours you want and work elsewhere if you need to. You're just helping eachother to build portfolios.

Stick around, but don't ever let yourself get into financial trouble. Working for free is unfortunately the only way into media, but it's invaluable in building contacts and proving to prospective employers that you have both the skills and the drive.

My cousin has been slumming it writing for sports websites, unpaid and often poor, whilst I've been getting paid to write Editorial shlock in an industry and company I have no interest in. We'll see which one of us gets our first big step into our careers, but both methods are reasonable. He is poor and underappreciated, but moving directly into his field. I have a wage, but the worry of settling and pigeon holding myself.

tl;dr? Stick with it.

If indeed you'll never see the money you should take more than the computer

I'm firmly in the "take the computer" camp. I think you should take the fucking computer.

PS, is your boss a really earnest little guy with glasses and a wee beard?

they will be totally angry and tell you that you stole it. Say they get it back when they pay you.

Looks like you got your answer funkaholic. Take the computer as ransom.

w/the fucking CS5 ...

But that being said, do you guys know what an internship is these days. There be no pay, but as has been stated, you make contacts in a pretty closed industry that has a lot of competition from other jobseekers.

I was watching a bbC doco on this the other day. Apparently even newspapers are 'outsourcing' to free labour on an ever increasing basis these days. It's quite cruel, but there you are.

It's the way of things.

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:21 PM, delet... said:

w/the fucking CS5 ...

 

But that being said, do you guys know what an internship is these days. There be no pay, but as has been stated, you make contacts in a pretty closed industry that has a lot of competition from other jobseekers.

 

I was watching a bbC doco on this the other day. Apparently even newspapers are 'outsourcing' to free labour on an ever increasing basis these days. It's quite cruel, but there you are.

 

It's the way of things.

yeah but there is a big difference if you have a paid contract and they do not pay you or if you do some unpaid internship

  On 5/6/2011 at 12:58 PM, Babar said:

  Quote

As I don't have a contract I can quit whenever I want.

 

Where are you from ? North Korea ?

Haha, no london

  On 5/6/2011 at 12:58 PM, delet... said:

So you're an intern. Is the magazine gaining traction ?? Will it be able to stand on it's feet financially. If yes and they are going to pay you. Well stick around.

 

But always be on the lookout for something better, it's the way of things.

Its starting too and they're in talks of signing off a big deal but that would be finalised in june. but this has happened so many times now, january there wilbe money, may there will be money etc

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:00 PM, Coalbucket PI said:

Need clear about the pay situation. You aren't expecting to get paid? Might there be a paid role later? Or do they owe you 6 months pay? If you are voluntary and doing it for the experience you shouldn't have to ask about doing less hours, just tell them the score. Nobody can work for free forever. Even if it's not ideal experience if you can keep doing it while you look for paid work that looks golden on your CV and you can pretend you have gained loads of experience.

they want to pay me and are trying to keep me happy as i have been voicing my concern about the company, they try to get me free stuff and shit which is cool but its not a wage.

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:05 PM, o00o said:

If they dont pay you leave and take your working computer with you until they pay you. I was in this position. You will never see your money. Just take the computer and leave

I've been tempted to do this many times! how did that go down for you?

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:10 PM, Gary C said:

You might as well stay until you have a paid job lined up. Yes, definitely voice your concerns to your "boss". If you're not contracted you can do whatever hours you want and work elsewhere if you need to. You're just helping eachother to build portfolios.

Stick around, but don't ever let yourself get into financial trouble. Working for free is unfortunately the only way into media, but it's invaluable in building contacts and proving to prospective employers that you have both the skills and the drive.

 

My cousin has been slumming it writing for sports websites, unpaid and often poor, whilst I've been getting paid to write Editorial shlock in an industry and company I have no interest in. We'll see which one of us gets our first big step into our careers, but both methods are reasonable. He is poor and underappreciated, but moving directly into his field. I have a wage, but the worry of settling and pigeon holding myself.

 

tl;dr? Stick with it.

yeah im gonna have another chat with the "boss" in a bit. hope you get your big break soon!

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:21 PM, delet... said:

w/the fucking CS5 ...

 

But that being said, do you guys know what an internship is these days. There be no pay, but as has been stated, you make contacts in a pretty closed industry that has a lot of competition from other jobseekers.

 

I was watching a bbC doco on this the other day. Apparently even newspapers are 'outsourcing' to free labour on an ever increasing basis these days. It's quite cruel, but there you are.

 

It's the way of things.

don't know if i consider it a internship, a internship to me means working with another designer and learnig and improving as a designer which i really need but im not getting that.

it has cs3 and is a powerbook g4! ITS SO SLOW!

Anyway, the boss (a medium hight fat man) has arrived from a meeting so im gonna talk to him again and maybe get all earl the creator on him and won't stop till the cops arrive.

thanks for all the advice so far guys! :D

fuck it off mate. if they ain't paying you after 6 months they never will.

edit: its a very frustrating situation because it seems like money could be a reality soon but at the same time i don't care and just want to go so i stop feeling like a idiot but i think if i did leave and they started making money in a month i would kick myself very hard but with that thinking i could keep on going from month to month with "next month there will be money" i think i've just got to make some sort of dicision weather its right or wrong.

it sounds like an internship to me. interns have turned into free labor for employers. they are not about learning anymore. at least not at the last two design studios I've worked at.

I was doing some paid internship as part of my bachelor back then. the company went bankrupt during that time and only paid some of the employees and tried to keep the rest working for free as long as possible. After 2 month of no payment I took the computer home. They went totally nuts as I told them they get it back when they pay me. they never paid me so I just kept it.

by the way you can see on the computer they give you how much they value your work.

wtf dude, so it's a job or an internship? If it's a job, you get paid. If you don't get paid, you don't work. Fuck these people and grow some balls.

  On 5/6/2011 at 2:03 PM, Philip Glass said:

wtf dude, so it's a job or an internship? If it's a job, you get paid. If you don't get paid, you don't work. Fuck these people and grow some balls.

this

You should ask you're boss to pay you.

Yeah take the damn computer. If you don't want to burn all bridges then leave a typewriter and pleasant note in its place.

Stay there but don't work too hard if you don't need to - take it easy but stick around. At least until you have another job lined up. Like you say, you would feel dumb if you left them they start raking in the moolah, but if you have another job when/if that happens it wouldn't matter.

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:51 PM, funkaholic said:

edit: its a very frustrating situation because it seems like money could be a reality soon but at the same time i don't care and just want to go so i stop feeling like a idiot but i think if i did leave and they started making money in a month i would kick myself very hard but with that thinking i could keep on going from month to month with "next month there will be money" i think i've just got to make some sort of dicision weather its right or wrong.

 

 

they keep telling you there will be money soon to keep you working. they always do. 6 month is waaay to long. just take the computer and leave.

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:42 PM, funkaholic said:

  On 5/6/2011 at 12:58 PM, Babar said:

  Quote

As I don't have a contract I can quit whenever I want.

 

Where are you from ? North Korea ?

 

Haha, no london

yeah, sorry for the harsh question but that seems insane to me (i mean not being able to quit whenever you want). Here, there are a few specific jobs you can't quit (army, health, probably police as well), but besides that you can tell your employer to fuck off whenever you want.

A friend of mine had been more or less in the same situation : he had been working in a "horse camp" as a "horseman" for two years, and as he's pretty handsome, he was very successful with MILFs who frequented the camp. Meanwhile he had also started dating a 35-40 years old man (he was 19 i think), so at one point his (female) employer started calling him a gigolo then eventually fired him. He sued her and in spite of the fact he hadn't a contract with her (he was working for free as an apprentice), she got condemned for illegal work and had to give him 50k €.

THis is a bit extreme, and I don't think you'd need to do this. As you said earlier, you'd better speak to you boss, but in case it doesn't work out well, there are laws to deal with these situations. And IMO, stealing a computer 1) doesn't represent a 6 months wage 2) is calling for trouble.

  On 5/6/2011 at 1:51 PM, funkaholic said:

if i did leave and they started making money in a month

so the place isn't even making any fucking money?? jesus man, get the hell out of there - they will NEVER pay you. believe me. get a real job with a salary that is agreed before you start.