I need some advice

Lemonlou

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So i'm not sure if this is the write place to post. But i am in dire need of some advice.

I worked for this company on a volunteer basis for a few years, with some paid work for the bigger projects. I worked hard even for the free work, sometimes working until 2am and always being there when they needed me. But it all paid off and it helped me get into the industry I wanted to get into.
But now I've landed my dream job and work full time. I haven't heard from them in a while (Over 6 months), so I assume they know that i've kind of moved on.


Last month I had a notification from a job recruitment company, and it was the company I had done volunteer work for. They were offering a paid full-time position for the volunteer work I had done for over 2 years. I wasn't upset. I've moved onto a better place, and it was nice to see they was taking that department more seriously. However a few weeks ago I got a phone call from the company (who I volunteered for), and it was the old bosses little sidekick on the phone. I do not trust this man at all. There's something really off about him and he is quite rude too.

He asked me if I was free, one of the days. I said yes because it hadn't quite clicked why he was calling me. Anyway, I've somehow now ended up being responsible for doing this piece of work (plus 4 hour travel). I can't explain it very well. But the way he worded this, I ended up not being able to get out of it.

I don't mind doing work for this company because sometimes they really do offer really good opportunities for your portfolio.

But please excuse my ego, I feel like with the fact that i've moved up in the industry now and the fact they are advertising my old volunteer job as a paid opportunity, I feel like they are taking advantage of me. I feel used.

I can't do this work knowing that they would be paying someone else to do it. After everything I have done for them.



Maybe I’m being unreasonable. But doing this feels really wrong and my anxiety has been through the roof because of it.

I just want to get out of it, but I don’t know what reason I could give.



They don’t know that I know about the job offering either.



what would you guys do or say?
 
Call them back. Say something personal has come up, and you will have to cancel.

It's not a lie, something personal has come up, your anxiety, and you need to take some time away for yourself.

Then lose their number and carry on with your life.

It's been 6 months, they could have offered you the job, but they didn't.
If you don't watch it, they will have you training the new guy. Unless that's what this one is about?
 
Tell them you can’t do it, get on with your life. You don’t need their permission to do either.
 
Just say you don't want to do it now. You are volunteering and can stop volunteering whenever you want and don't have to give any explanation.
 
As others have said, don't worry about it. Just notify them that you are unavailable to do the work. If they get arsey, you are not contracted to do it, they are not paying for your time, and from what you have said you have already done a lot for them already, so your conscious can be clear by saying no, so do not fret and enjoy your new job.
 
However a few weeks ago I got a phone call from the company (who I volunteered for), and it was the old bosses little sidekick on the phone. I do not trust this man at all. There's something really off about him and he is quite rude too.
Only deal with the old boss, you don't have to go through the sidekick. Explain you felt pressured/duped into agreeing to something that in hindsight you can't fulfil.
 
Honestly , write down what you want to say so You don’t get caught off guard, stick to your guns. Send an email if you don’t want to call. All the best!
 
Good luck.

As others have said, just make an apology of some sorts and move on.

You could just say you are in a paid job and no longer have the time due to work commitments, which I’m sure is probably true.
 
You seem like a genuinely nice person, and they appear to be taking advantage of your good nature. Unless I'm missing something, you have no obligation to this other company.
 
Ask how much they are going to pay you.
You will either get some extra money or they won’t contact you again.
 
Family emergency has cropped up and you can't make it. No need to give any more detail than that. Good advice above, to write down what you want to say. If you have a fe notes in front of you it's much harder to stray from what you want. If they get too pushy just end the call, other people's problems are not your issue.
 
Your actual problem doesn't seem to be around going there but that you resent your voluntary job being advertised as a paid position.

But think would you have been able to get your current job without the experience you gained ?
 
But think would you have been able to get your current job without the experience you gained ?
I cant see what that's got to do with it?

At the time when the OP did the voluntary work both parties benefited, the OP got experience and the company got some free labour.

It was mutually beneficial, now the company wants free Labour but the OP gains nothing. No longer Mutually beneficial.
 
But think would you have been able to get your current job without the experience you gained ?
You sound like the boss from Hell. The OP gained that experience by working for FREE. It's not like they turned up with a bag of fairy experience dust, sprinkled it all over them, out of the goodness of their hearts. Does the OP owe them a certain percentage from all future salaries as well?
 
You sound like the boss from Hell. The OP gained that experience by working for FREE. It's not like they turned up with a bag of fairy experience dust, sprinkled it all over them, out of the goodness of their hearts. Does the OP owe them a certain percentage from all future salaries as well?
Where did I say that OP owed them anything ?

And OP is the one who mentioned they feel used that they turned a voluntary position into a paid one which could be one of the reasons they don't want to return even if it does give new opportunities. I was pointing out that OP shouldn't feel used about the situation, doing voluntary or low paid work to gain experience is common in many industries.
 
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don't turn up and just don't do the work, surprise them
 

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