So throughout the summer I was not able to find work, by the end of July I was completely out of cash.  Two weeks ago I had to take out a cash advance in order to pay my rent.

I had an interview on July 1.  I was offered the job immediately, but they kept moving the start date around, from 21 July to 14 July, then to 28 July, then to Aug. 4, then to Aug. 6, then to Aug. 5.  I actually started on the 5th.  I think by the third switch I really should have backed out. Problem was that I was trying to switch fields out of teaching into a new tech field (I got my M.Science. degree last year) and I could not a get a tech job-this was my only offer. During the month of July some well-paying teaching jobs in my speciality were coming through my inbox-I was bypassing them because I thought I was starting this job.  Well I did start on August 5th.  Seemed Ok, worked 20 hours, was interesting and I really liked it. I was working for an engineering firm and doing research.  Was thrilled to finally make the change.

But the oddities started adding up. Issues here, there and everywhere. It was supposed to be 30 plus hours but some weeks I was scheduled 16.  They then wanted the front and back barcode of my passport for payroll-which I have never needed before. I sent it. The recruiter that I sent it to went out of the country the day after.  In the middle of the shift the following week I get a call again for the passport-they could not find it. 

Then came the issue of pay...the recruiting firm had a habit of not telling me anything until end of day at Friday 5 PM. Last Friday the entire team got their email link to do their timecard except me, and it's Friday afternoon and the timecard is due.

I finally get the link after having to ask and ask and ask. I get the link, go into the portal, and there is no virtual timecard, so I can't fill it out.  They tell me to wait until it's populated and that I have until Tuesday so don't worry...I'm worried. Saturday I log in to fill it out...it's populated, but the dashboard doesn't look like the instructions sent. Everything is the same, the calendar, day and total hours, but there is no field to fill out the time I came in and left...odd.  And I can't create a field.  I fill out the timecard as is with total hours worked for each day and submit it. The dashboard says, "success, you have submitted your timecard." It's green.

Monday, I get to work and get a text that the timecard was rejected. I ask why and I ask if it's because I excluded the hour lunch from Tuedsay.  He says yes, that the problem was I shorted myself one hour. We only had lunch one day, and the rest were half days, but he rejected every single day.  I redid the whole thing. I never heard again that it was rejected a second time, yet the dude sees me in the office every day, and has like five different ways to contact me to tell me something's wrong.

I wake up this morning-no money-not even a pending paycheck and it's payday.  I text the recruiter, who apparently is still out of the country and she says that it was rejected again earlier this week and she doesn't know why.  I won't get paid on time. I text the boss, he doesn't answer. The recruiter tells me I won't be getting paid. I have no groceries and am dreadfully overdrawn.

This is the point where I realize the job effectively has not materialized.  I was supposed to go to work this weekend, but I'm not gonna go in and just continue to work at a place where they aren't going to pay me and keep bouncing the timecard back with stupid fu**ing excuses.  No one explains why the actual timesheet looks different than the example provided.

I was a salaried employee for 18 years. I never dealt with this shit. Being a teacher sucked in a lot of ways-but this type of thing I never encountered. If the principal said be at work Monday-you indeed were there and there was a job. The paycheck always came. No ambiguity.

I sent an email quitting, citing that the entire process was a disaster. Of course no one answered, even though I demanded my money and cited the hours worked. It wasn't until I called the plant directly and raised hell, going above my boss' head did I then get an answer. Magiclally, the timecards were approved for all hours, but I'm going to have to wait until next Friday, again to get paid. Not even holding my breath on that. 

Everyone warned me about the job. Kept telling me not to take it. Kept saying that I was making a huge mistake and to stick with the school.  I passed up even higher paying teaching positions. Fortunately, at 1 PM an email came with a long-term opening for an English teaching position starting NOW. The principal called immediately and I accepted.  It pays half of the tech job, but they will at least be issuing a paycheck. MY GOD!

The other firm owes me $1200.00.  I have no cash for gas, groceries or anything. I've never been this bad off. I called  my family sobbing. I could not stop crying today, just cried and cried and cried. I liked doing the job and the atmosphere, but I'm sure had I kept going in, they would have continued to say that they would pay me the following week each week....just like the never-ending start date.

If jobs weren't so tight in this sector, I would have pulled the plug the third week of July when they changed the start date for the third time. I just wanted to give them a chance. Well, I did.  Before I was salaried, but back in the day I used to fill out a paper timecard. It was never once disputed or rejected.

The 'support group' that I am a part of has people that you are supposed to be able to call when you need to talk about something. One of the people who volunteered to take my calls, won't take my calls. Pretty disappointing.

I get tired of the endless, endless lies out there. This was a world-class engineering firm whose fulltime employees are PhDs.  They have offices globally.  It was the last place I thought would f*ck around with my money.