Holiday booked before getting job - Help needed ASAP

keanooo

boogerballs wrote: »

Not trying to be smart Keanooo but it is only me or was this one of the most random quotes I have ever seen on Boards??

I was just expressing empathy with the OP. Having been hoodwinked myself I felt the experience was worth sharing. I thought there were a lot of parallels between the way she was treated and the way I was.

thesimpsons

keanooo wrote: »

OP, my sympathies. I was in the exact same situation a few months ago. I had been working for a construction company in Dublin on a job in the city centre. I am big reggae fan and make it rule to go to Reggae Fever on Saturday night and Dancehall Styles every Sunday night. I was with the company long enough that I could make my working schedule fit in around that.

I took redundancy last September and went for an interview for a job in the Middle East in December. The interview went well and it all seemed good. The HR guy asked me at the end of it if I had any questions. I mentioned about my love of reggae/dancehall and how - while, of course I understood I can't still attend every week - I still wanted to stay in touch with the reggae scene in Dublin on a regular basis. He gave me a bit of a quizzical look, but I inferred from his silence that he was acquiescing to my request should I be offered the job.

Fast-forward to today. I am out here in Riyadh for 3 months and have yet to be afforded even 1 flight home! It's not as if I'm asking for 3 days off. I brought it up with the HR guy and he's all "I don't recall any serious discussion on the matter...". My advice (and it's too late now) is to get everything in writing in advance of signing anything. I should have copped it when there were no "Reggae break weekends" clause in my contract.

Now I have to decide between my job and music. I know which one I'll be choosing.

don't see a parallel with your story and the OPs in the least. where was it ever mentioned or agreed at interview or contract stage that company would give you time off or flights home ? You mentioned you'd like to keep in touch with the scene, there was no request for time off or flights home. I'd say the quizzical look was more of a "how does he expect to keep going to reggas wkends if he is out here in Riyadh " . I was wondering the exact same thing myself when I was reading your post. never take silence as agreement.

boogerballs

keanooo wrote: »

I was just expressing empathy with the OP. Having been hoodwinked myself I felt the experience was worth sharing. I thought there were a lot of parallels between the way she was treated and the way I was.

Yeah I understand that side of the quote and I do agree there are some similarities however I'm struggling to work out if/how you asked for regular breaks to fly home to keep touch with the local reggae scene. As I said it just had me a bit flummoxed.

Maddylicious

Hey Nicole,

Just wondering how you got on in the end? Did u take the job or go on holidays and are you happy with the decision you made?

LegacyUser

This new company sounds a mess. If a newly appointed employee says they have holidays booked and paid for, a good manager will immediately think how to cover those days, not how to stop the employee going on holiday.

I would turn them down no question.

You can't live your life as a slave to the wage. Enjoy Venice with your boyfriend, life is short and Venice is beautiful.