advice on new job

Former Member

i wondered if i could just have peoples opinions, i'll try and keep it as short as possible but it might be long!

i got a new job on the 25th may which is nearly seven weeks ago now. its just a carer job working with vulnerable people in their own homes ie elderly people/disabled people. its not something iv always wanted to go into or whatever but i really wanted to get out of my current job (supermarket ) and give something new a go and i thought then at least id have some care experience on my CV.

its for a private company and at the interview she said they 'dont guarantee any hours' so even though i'll have a contract with them i wont have any guaranteed hours, she said thats really normal for that kind of job because they dont exactly know who will be needing care. she said though that i would have no problems getting at least 30 hours a week, which is what i wanted, so i thought that would be okay.

i paid to have my CRB check done and that took 3 weeks to come back, i did my training (unpaid, 5 days of stuff including moving and handling training etc) pretty much straight away with 5 other girls that they had taken on at the same time. i got the impression that as soon as my CRB check came back i would be able to start working. but my CRBs been back for 3 weeks now and theres still no sign of even starting shadowing, which is what you do before you start going out by yourself.
er
i rang the lady who did my interview up two weeks ago and said i was just wondering what was going on, whether i should give my notice in at my current job (i have to give two weeks notice) and she said 'whats your days off at your current job?' so i told her and she said 'right, il arrange for you to do some shadowing on those days' so i said well...that means i would be working 7 days a week, 5 at my old and 2 at this one, should i not hand my notice in? and she said 'well, i wouldnt want you to hand your notice in until we've got the hours you see'. i didnt say anything just finished the phonecall.

now two weeks later i still havent heard one little thing off them. im getting really frustrated and a bit worried about what she said, if they havent got the hours then why have they taken 5 more people on? im also in contact with one of the girls who i did the training with on facebook and she started there 4 weeks ago, as soon as the CRB came through! i just feel like im never going to leave and if i do start then they're going to mess me about with hours.

what should i do? does it sound dodgy? should i ring them again today and ask whats going on again? i dont want to sound stroppy to them. my mum said i should start looking for another job BUT when i started this one (well iv not started it, but done the training) they said if i leave within 6 months i have to pay £200 towards the training they gave me. so if i got another job i'd have to pay £200 for osmething i didnt even start! plus £43 i've already paid for the CRB check!

help meeee!

Former Member

Hmm sounds to me like it's more of a freelance contract where they just get you in as and when you're needed - like a bank of people they can call on, maybe?

I would ring again and ask - I don't think you'll sound stroppy, they've offered you a job so clearly you're going to expect to start it! Just say you need to know cos as you said, you need to know when to hand your notice in. If you've done the training and your CRBs back, you should be able to start.

Former Member

Kat_B wrote: »

Hmm sounds to me like it's more of a freelance contract where they just get you in as and when you're needed - like a bank of people they can call on, maybe?

I would ring again and ask - I don't think you'll sound stroppy, they've offered you a job so clearly you're going to expect to start it! Just say you need to know cos as you said, you need to know when to hand your notice in. If you've done the training and your CRBs back, you should be able to start.

:yes:

Hope it works out.

Former Member

just a little update, iv spoke to 3 girls that did the training at the same time as me and they've all started now! but 2 of them said they had to really nag them to get it sorted. also one girl who was promised 'at least 30 hours a week' has been getting 9 hours a week, which if they did that to me i really couldnt live on that. so i dont think i want to start the job now

does anybody know if they can definitely charge me the £200 for training? they havent got my bank details etc so how would they get it off me if i said i didnt want to start anymore, because they've been messing me about? could they take me to court or anything for it?

Former Member

What the fuck is this organisation? Charge you for the training? Most legitimate organisations pay you to be trained, they don't expect you to pay them for the privilege of acquiring the knowledge you need to do the job properly!

Have you signed something agreeing to this?

Former Member

I know this doesn't help with your current job situation but... you mentioned that you wanted to have some care work on your CV. I did some care work as a volunteer with Winged Fellowship Trust now known as Vitalise, they have disabled holiday homes in several locaions throughout the country. I went for a week at a time, doing care work looking after physically disabled people's needs, getting them up in the morning, bathroom and toilet needs, feeding, taking on day trips etc. It was really good experience, lots of my fellow volunteers were persepective medical students who needed this sort of experience for their UCAS forms and now they are qualified doctors. You stay there in dorm style accomodation and get all your meals and get some really good day trips out for free too. So if you are mainly looking for something for your CV it is worth considering.

Former Member

jamelia wrote: »

What the fuck is this organisation? Charge you for the training? Most legitimate organisations pay you to be trained, they don't expect you to pay them for the privilege of acquiring the knowledge you need to do the job properly!

Have you signed something agreeing to this?

I do know places where if you've been trained you're expected to stay working for them for a certain amount of time and if you don't they say you have to pay the money back.

But in this case, they haven't been offering you the work so it's a totally different thing!

I think if I were you I would tell them you don't want to start (if you're sure) and see what they say. Chances are they'll be fine and not mention anything about paying it back. And if they do, just tell them that you want to start work with x amount of hours.

It's them that are messing you around, not the other way around.

Former Member

jamelia wrote: »

What the fuck is this organisation? Charge you for the training? Most legitimate organisations pay you to be trained, they don't expect you to pay them for the privilege of acquiring the knowledge you need to do the job properly!

Have you signed something agreeing to this?

im going to get my handbook etc out tomorrow and go through it with my boyfriend to see if i've actually signed something to say that i'll pay the fee if i leave, i have a feeling that i have though, by accepting the job

kat_B yeah thats the deal, if i leave before i've worked there six months apparently im liable to pay towards the training i received. i didnt get paid for the hours i was training either. ohh its all such a big mess. i want to start the job as im desparate to get out of my current one, but i dont want to leave if they're going to mess me about or only give me a few hours a week.hmm.

Olly_B

FireyFirenze wrote: »

kat_B yeah thats the deal, if i leave before i've worked there six months apparently im liable to pay towards the training i received. i didnt get paid for the hours i was training either. ohh its all such a big mess. i want to start the job as im desparate to get out of my current one, but i dont want to leave if they're going to mess me about or only give me a few hours a week.hmm.

Hi FireyFirenze,

Sounds like you could do with getting some expert advice, as contract law is quite complicated. However, it boils down to being fair to each party. If you agreed to the unpaid training and a CRB disclosure on the basis that you would be getting regular work, then you could argue that the company has been unfair to you if they are unable to provide that, but still attempt to recover the costs of the training.

An employment contract is like any other, and an employer can recover any costs incurred if you broke that contract. However, the hassle of it is often not worth it, and particularly when, if it went to court, a judge may think they acted unfairly in offering you employment but then not giving you any work.

The best thing to do is contact someone like Citizens Advice bureau, Community Legal Advice or ACAS who can go help you go through your case on a one-to-one basis.

Did you get any formal accreditation with your training? Is it a certificate that you can take to another employer?

Finally, it is worth pointing out that unless you are on a recognised Government training scheme (such as an Apprentice scheme), then the company is breaking the law if it failed to pay you the national minimum wage whilst you undertook your training.


Olly

Former Member

thank you olly thats really helpful. especially the bit about the training, i didnt get paid for my training which was 5 full days. i had to take time off my current job to undertake it too. they said we would get paid for the training hours we did after being there for 6 months. they said we would get certificates in moving and handling, first aid, food hygiene, etc as the training wasnt done by the company, it was done by outside people, but i think the certificates would have just gone into our files so i dont think i would have a copy.

i dug out all the stuff i've been given and all i found was

'should you fail to complete this training for any reason or leave the employ of *** within 12 months of completion of this training, *** reserve the right to either deduct the costs of this training from your final salary or if necessary recoup some of all of the said training costs as a debt which will become due and owing by you on the termination of your employment'

but it wasnt in anything i'd signed, it was just in a letter. i dont know whether to ring them and say what the heck is going on (maybe not quite like that!) or just leave it for as long as possible so i can say sort of like 'well you kept me dangling for 2 months without offering me any hours'.

i also found out they placed another advertisement on the job centre website two days ago, for the exact same position as me, why are they recruiting new people when they said they dont really have the hours for me?! ahhh.

Former Member

This company sound awful! There are lot's of nursing agencies that are more reputable and a lot more organised than this especially for care in the community type jobs. The only ones I can think of at the minute are Thornbury's and Ambition 24/7 but these are an banking agency, amazing pay though, up to £40/50 an hour depending on the job! You could do this along side your normal job for experience and until you find a more reputable company

Also try through your local council for care in the community jobs!

Former Member

If I were you I would ring them once more and ask to know once and for all what's going on. It's terrible you don't know and they must realise that - you need to know if they are going to give you the hours or not. Although I guess even if they say they will, it'll be hard for you to know if they mean it.

Personally I'd find it too hard to just leave it. If you ring and they're still vague, I'd tell them I don't want the job. I highly doubt they will try and make you pay for the training - as has been said, they've hardly kept to their side of the bargain.