Just Whining

Just having a bitch because I'm stressed.
I need to vent this.
Doesn't matter if nobody reads, I just gotta get this out.

I love music.
I breathe it and live it every day.
I don't think anything gives me greater pleasure in life.
When I was given a job in he music industry, I jumped on it.
It was just this store, an hour away from home by train.
I'd be selling sheet music and pianos... sounded wonderful.
I'm studying music at University so this is my career path.
I'd cracked into the music industry after months of searching.

I quit my old job the day before.
I really enjoyed working with the people there.
They were really good to me and it was painful to leave.
But it was a supermarket, and I had to move up the career path.

Today, I woke up at 7am, left at 7:45, and arrived just a little bit before 8:45.
Welcome to hell Eugene, welcome.

-----------------

No Contract of employment was signed.
Therefore, I am not an official employee and don't have several of my rights.

Payslips are given yearly, illegally
The management is required by law to give them weekly. If I complain I get fired, and I can't sue because I'm technically not employed by them.

My work breaks are slashed
By law in the retail industry, a nine hour shift as I had today allows you two 15 minute tea breaks which are paid, and an unpaid one hour lunch break. I was given a half hour lunch break, and I don't know if it was paid or not.

The boss is a slave driver
I put a call through to him and forgot to ask who was calling.
He yelled at me.
The day before I started, he fired a girl, so I'm informed.
His reason?
She wasn't as well qualified as me so he fired her so I could get the job.
How did he do it?
She was walking out of the store, and he says "By the way, you're fired."
We have internet, and I can't use it, even when the store is 100% empty.
I can't go to the toilet outside my breaks.
If I forget to greet someone on their way in, I'm humiliated.

The wage is below the minimum
For a 20 year old the minimum wage in Western Australia is $15.02.
I don't know my pay rate, but I'm guessing it will be under this.
The guy that works with me is 17.
He gets $9, which is below the minimum wage by over $1.

I am uninformed
I was given no official training or induction, and just had to learn from co-workers.
I have a superannuation fund, but I don't know what it is.
I don't have the opportunity to join a Union.

--------------

Feels better now that I got it all out.
Doesn't matter if nobody reads this, but if you've read this far, thank you.
My dreams of the music industry are crashing down and I'm in strife.
Music is my greatest love, and I can't just quit. This job was too hard to get...
And it can get me further in the industry.
At the same time I can't negotiate at all otherwise I'll be dismissed.
And I really don't want to stay.

O NOES! Poor Mr Eugene i soz for u.

Goodluck tho, i hope something works out for you.
IT BETTER

If u dont like the job and stuff i'd suggest find a new job with the same stuff to do, i dont know how hard it is there but here (in holland) its abit easy to get in to jobs. to finish this off i will wish u the best of luck in ur carreer in music bussines, hope it workes out <3

I don't know what to say, that's a pretty lousy situation to be in

Good luck finding some kind of solution, if that's possible

Welcome to real life.

I wouldn't take that crap if I were you. I love music also, but I wouldn't tolerate the bs that you get from that place. There will always be another opportunity if you keep trying. You don't gotta settle for that **** bag. Remember dude, in the music industry you'll get 8 "no"s for every "yes". Things aint gonna be easy, but you gotta keep trying. But that doesn't mean that you have to settle for crap from a place like that. Just keep looking, if you had jobs before I'm sure that work won't be too hard for you to find.

I'd Quit it, i can't understand what it must be like, but from the sounds of it quit. Go back to the supermarket and beg for your job back, you were happy there and this new place sounds some sort of slave industry.

Hey Eugene. I really hope things goes well for you. Life has its ways of throwing curve balls at us but you just have to pull it through and when you do make it through (which i know you will) Your gonna be thankful that you did. I know your dedicated and you will always stay dedicated to your dreams and words. So just put up with it for a while and soon you'll be on your way up. Don't give up. Hopefully it all turns out well. Good luck Eugene.

EDIT:

Dream jobs are precisely because as they are called, they don't come easy.

Maybe I'll just share a bit. IDK. I see it differently.
- I started my dream job with a take home pay of only $500/month.
- No 9 to 5. Weekends are also workdays when required. No such thing as no.
- Worked at least 10-12 hours per day or sleepovers for nights.
- No benefits or insurance until after probation, which lasts from 3 - 9 months.
- Once, I don't even have enough to take a bus home with only 0.40 cents left in my pocket for the month.

A huge cry from all others I have had and could have. Or whatever darn law requires. It happens. Opportunities were hard to find. Boss was also a slave driver and doesn't give a darn about staff welfare. A mere Production Assistant then, but love films. But I learnt alot, things had paid off well eventually. And knew more people in the field, some became my best friends, each with great careers.

I'm just saying, unless, the brunts compensate you opportunities. And then move on next level. I'm not being gentle about it, its more than just money or employment benefits starting out IMO. If its too much and not worthed IYO, then just leave.

That sucks Gene. Just tell your boss to shove it, once you've found a new job.

That sounds awful. I understand that you have dreams in the music industry, but you have to realize that doing retail for a piano place probably won't have really any effect on your standing in the music world; it doesn't matter how well you can sell a piano, it just matters how well you can play it.

While I'm sure being treated like a subhuman is good practice for entry into a music career, this really isn't helping you. I hope that you can find some sort of resolution there, or find a better job where legal rights are actually acknowledged.

I've never heard of a job as bad as that.

I'm sure there's more oppetunity get onto the career ladder.

Holy **** Eugene.... They should be reported to some one...

My suggestion is this:

1. Go back and ask for your old job back.

2. Go to the largest churches in your area and ask to be a substitute for Sunday Morning Worship Services. The regulars need vacations and get sick. It will look good in your future resume. They get paid like $45 an hour at my small church.

3. Advertise in a local paper for Saturday Night Wedding Dinner Music. Live Keyboard for your entertainment or seek out good restaurants. The pay is higher here than for Church but also you could pick up weddings in Churches. I always tip the player at my favorite restaurant cause he is cute. lol

If you have a faith I'd suggest prayer cause luck and grace is what helps along with the great talent you have.

Don't think we all dont care, cause we really do.

I'm really sorry to hear that.
The thing is, you should look at that that as a moral boost and a life lesson, instead of looking at it as a burden that will destroy your music career.

be careful, if theyre paying you illegally, you don't wanna go down with them.

Having said that, that sounds like a terrible job, but you should stay there until you know theres another available job

Well, even though there was no Written Contract, your employer had told you the job information I"m assuming that when you had started working their was obviously un true.

What he told you would be an Express/Implied, in the fomr of a Verbal Contract.

You in tunr, had quit your old job, which was a mjor part of your life, since the income of that job supported your living expences.

Therefore he is breaking that Verbal Contract and furthormore under the law called 'Promisory Estoppel' which means, due to that Verbal Contract you had a major impact on your life, that had later become untrue.

If you had the money at hand, not to mention the time. You could actually sue.

This really, really sucks. Whatever you decide I hope it works out for you.

Just in itself, a yearly payslip sounds kinky. If your boss is as much into disposable employees as it sounds like, this might all add up to him telling you he has no idea who you are a few days before your year is up, in which case he gets a year's worth of work done for free and you're screwed. I'd get out as quickly as possible, and report him to as many government agencies as possible (even if anonymously so you don't get dragged into anything).

Continue the hard work, it will pay off. Hopefully.

quit it.

I mean wtf.
YEARLY PAY? BFS TBH. That is not a real organization and is breaking the countries laws. You must be able to do something. I would go get a lawyer and just see wtf is up with that place. If you cant do that, go to a police station and ask a cop about it.

and also. Try to do private lessons OR do shows in restaurants on the piano or the mall. Theres plenty of other opportunities out there, and the one you are in is the worst.

Gene what is your mobility due to this job.
Like what contacts is this helping you make to get further in the industry?

Quit it Yearly pay makes no sense...

Go back to coles eugene.
Seriously, if they don't give you proper breaks + pay, its not really worth it
This is why I work on casual rates at a place that does give all those breaks.

Hooray for logging onto forums illegally.
Hopefully no keylog or anything like that.
No time to read.
Will read when I get home.

Stick with music my friend, through thick and thin...it will pay off someday

Here's what I'm thinking:

Alright I know you're trying to make contacts and get into the industry as you're now finished second year I think? I'm in the process of doing similar things as I've now completed first year university. I actually work in a supermarket at the moment like you did and I'm kinda looking for a job relevant to my career path.

Now, I don't know how relevant this is to your career of choice. You're talent and I guess line of work you want to go into is composing. I don't see how becoming a salesman fits into that path. So I don't see how this is a fit for you or what possible contacts you could make at the moment.

You are overqualified and underpaid. Really, a little underpaid isn't too bad for something relevant to your career, I mean I'm willing to sacrifice some hourly wage for something relevant to my career path as well. However, this is fucking ridiculous. You could make more money by giving piano lessons than in that job.

You're university must have some sort of an internship program or summer job program that you could get involved in. I know you can find a better job, show some local studios some of your composition recordings. Find a way of getting into teaching music. Do something in music other than stay in that **** hole.

You need to report the company to the government on all levels of government. That place is going down and there is no reason why you should be dragged along with it. The owner probably doesn't even have a license/permit to operate a business.

Really Gene, you need to get out of that place for your own benefit. I think it will drive you up the wall. For the sake of your own mental health, quit.

That is insane. For a start how are you going to live for the next 11 months only getting paid annually?

I was self employed with the whole door to door sales thing, only paid a commission on the number of sales i did. Even with that i had to sign into some legal contract (Which i didn't read of course.) But still as a self-employed individual surely you have rites to a certain extent. If he fires you for making a complaint about something that is illegal then surely you can claim compensation. Call one of those citicens advice places and ask exactly what you rites you have and what you can do about it.

Paid weekly lol.
But I only get the pay slip once a year.

Look at this organizations competition..see what you may can work out.