Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with employment

Pay Grades at SWA

polexxia — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:36:02 -0800

Does anyone know what a pay grade 136 at Southwest Airlines pays? I hate applying for jobs hen I don't even know if the position pays enough to make it worth accepting the job, and the information doesn't seem to be anywhere on their site.

Exactly how screwed am I?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:03:58 -0800

How big of a deal is it to be looking for a job without a job? Background: I resigned recently and will still be on the payroll for about 6 more weeks. I resigned somewhat under duress, but was not actually asked to resign if that makes sense (it's a loooong story). In other words, it wasn't a "we're going to fire you but will allow you to save face and resign" situation but could have possibly progressed to that in the future. We both did some really stupid things and, while I can't speak for them, I know I learned some valuable lessons I'll take with me to the next job(s). It was sort agreed upon by all parties that it would be best for me to leave but I obviously would have preferred to job hunt on my own time schedule while still coming to work every day. However, they threw some money at me to leave on the spot (literally) with a glowing letter of reference and anything negative removed from my personnel file. I agreed somewhat reluctantly but only for salary continuance so I could still list myself as presently employed on applications.

Fast forward to today: The job hunt is not going well. I had a good job so I guess I knew I wasn't going to be able to replace it overnight but it's been almost 3 months now. I sort of figured on getting something word-of-mouth through one of my contacts but nothing worked out so far. There are many potential reasons why I haven't found anything yet but that would be too broad of a topic for a MeFi question. Let's assume for the sake of this question I'm doing everything right and just having bad luck. My main concern is whether I should lower my standards or stick it out and risk being officially unemployed on paper.

How concerned should I be that I find a job while still technically employed? I know it's a red flag for someone to voluntarily leave a good job without having something else lined up, but how big of a red flag is it? I know millions of people have successfully recovered from my situation but I'm starting to get nervous. Since I'm already having no luck I don't want another mark against when I'm being compared to other candidates. My "current" employer said they will give me an honest reference (he was not fired, he has excellent reviews, etc.), but I wouldn't want to count on that to land a job. I have several solid references so I would never use my employer anyway, but they would most likely be contacted if I apply for something locally in the same industry (I'm looking locally and in 2 other areas where I'm willing to relocate).

Help me find a way to move to Toronto from the US

DoctorFedora — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:07:46 -0800

Two Americans a year out of college, hoping to find some way to move to Toronto. Is this even plausible? Toronto sounds like just the place I want to live, after talking about it at length with a friend of a friend today who is from there. The problem is that I don't even live in Canada, and I don't know how to get there from here!

My girlfriend and I both graduated from college in 2006 and 2007 (she in December '06, and I in August '07), she with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on marketing, and I with degrees in each of English and Japanese. She worked in retail for a while after graduation (she moved in with me as I finished up college and worked at the local Sears and volunteered at an animal rehabilitation center), and ever since October, when we both wound up having to go back to live with our respective parents (hundreds of miles apart), she's been working part-time for both her local NPR affiliate and her local food co-op, and I've been working as the Publicity Manager and a technical writer, as well as an administrative assistant.

I've been doing mostly publicity, marketing, writing (both technical and non), editing, simple advertisement and brochure design, and administrative stuff, and would hopefully like to break into the publishing industry (or perhaps journalism or tech or any of a number of other industries), although I'd simply be happy with something reasonably interesting with a non-toxic work environment and the ability to work and live in Toronto. My qualifications involve being good with computers (i.e. I do the extended family's tech support and am familiar with Windows, Mac OS, *NIX, Office, etc., but none of it is certified on paper) and being a rather strong editor, though using Chicago style, for someone a year out of college.

My girlfriend likes working with nonprofits and community involvement, though she also quite enjoys marketing work — there's a reason she majored in it! She's managed many teams in her years in retail, but never held a management position on paper. Like I said, she currently works for her local NPR affiliate, in the marketing department, and at her local food co-op, as a co-op person (i.e. knows how to do pretty much everything around the store).

I guess my question is whether we'd have any chance whatsoever of hoping to find employment in Toronto that would be able to lead to getting visas to live there. I've learned it's hard enough for me to even try to find work in other cities within the United States, and I suspect that it'd be even harder when I'm a foreigner who's freshly out of college. A Canadian buddy of mine recommended looking for a smaller company, in the expectation that they would be less likely to be inundated with applications (i.e. I'd be more likely to be the best qualified for a given position) but I don't even know how to go about that. We each have about $3,000 US in savings, she owns her car outright, and I have about $550 in monthly minimum student loan repayments hanging around my neck.

Help me find a plan of action, hive mind! Please!

I have so much _____ to give, I just don't know where to put it!

CitizenD — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:55:28 -0800

Jobsearch question: Should I send a brief, professional email in this scenario, or would that seem desperate? I applied for a job last week. Yesterday, I called to follow up, and was given the name of the individual who is collecting all the applicants' information. This person informed me that a "committee of faculty" will be vetting the applications and deciding who to interview.

From the website, I can see that there are about 10 faculty members associated with this program. Presumably, the vetting committee is a subset of the whole group.

I'm considering sending an email to all of the faculty members, introducing myself and subtlely encouraging them to invite me in for an interview.

Tell me, hivemind: Does this seem desperate? Or, does it seem like the kind of thing a real go-getter would do (and therefore would reflect positively on me?)

Do you think it's worth the possibility of making a good impression, to risk pissing some of these people off? ("One more irrelevant email to sort through, blah blah blah...") I've had a terrible time with the job market since I've been trying to find gainful employment, and this insecurity/lack of confidence is clouding my judgment. I really can't decide if sending out this simple email would be a boon or a burden.

The other factor to consider is that part of the reason I'm inclined to send a quick note out is to deflect, in advance, the perception that I'm not qualified enough for an interview. I am lacking in one area which the job position listed as "required" -- but I believe, if I get an interview, that I can make a strong case for the fact that my other experience and education should outweigh what they might perceive as a shortcoming. However, I'm concerned that I might be putting too much attention on a potentially negative aspect of my experience.

So, I guess it's really two subquestions:
a)do I send an email?
b)If yes, do I mention/explain/argue my case?

Thanks in advance!!!

Should I lie to get a summer job?

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:31:07 -0800

College student who needs a summer job. Should I lie to get one? I go to college halfway across the country from where my folks live. I'm visiting my folks for the summer, and need summer employment. Problem is, employers seem to not want to hire a college student who will only be visiting for the next two months. Do I lie to them to get two months of paid work? If not, what do I do to get employment? I really need the money to help my folks pay my tuition.

I Don't Want to be Willy Loman!

SansPoint — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:41:54 -0800

I don't want to be a salesman! Can anyone help a recent grad find a sane, non-sales job in Philadelphia? Okay, I recently graduated from Temple University. I've been throwing my résumé out like wildfire, trying to find a job in Philadelphia (not outside of the city. I do not drive.).

I figure I have two problems at the moment:
1. I have a BA in English, not exactly useful.
2. I have spent the last three and a half years in a tele-sales position at a local theatre.

So, my résumé says, in the interest of honesty, that I have been doing sales and fundraising. Therefore, all of the responses, and most of the jobs suggested involve sales. Some of the jobs seem extremely shady, too. (I got a call from a Payday loan company, for example. WTF?!) Selling insurance, window blinds, gym memberships, and financial advice are things I really do not want to do.

I'd really like an office-monkey job. Administrative assistant, perhaps. I could do something that requires writing, or research. I even took a Technical Writing class, and aced it! Data entry? I can type up a storm! If I have to be on the phone, I wouldn't mind doing customer support. That's okay by me. I just don't want sales!

What can I do?

(If you're curious, my resume is at http://richardanderson.emurse.com, and if you think I should change something to de-emphasize my sales time, let me know.)

Suck up at my review or quit?

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:58:47 -0800

Impending performance review. I don't know whether to quit or somewhat disingenuously promise improvement and committment to the job. I am a lawyer. I have been working in policy for about a year and a half. Around January of this year, I realized that I really dislike it and would like to get back to being a lawyer. For the past month or so, I have been actively looking for a new job. It hasn't gone that well, but I have some leads.

I have been dealing with some pretty bad depression. I have not been myself. It's I-don't-want-to-brush-my-teeth depression. My work is suffering, but it is definitely not the primary cause of the depression. I didn't like job before I became depressed and I have done a good job here when I wasn't depressed, even when I didn't like it.

My boss is pretty cool, and normally very hands-off about HR issues, to the point where my coworkers and I rarely know where we stand. I just got word that we have performance reviews coming up. We didn't have one last year (boss just blew them off). I get some positive feedback from boss, and some negative, but always just on a case-by-case basis. "Great job on X," or "You need to handle Y better."

My problem is I don't know how to handle the review. I really would like to acknowledge what I think has been subpar performance, but I feel weird about making any promises for improvement. I am in treatment for the depression, which is one thing that I can say, but I feel like making a new workplan or something would be disingenous. I am certainly trying to do a better job, and I can certainly try to kick ass until I leave, but I feel weird, knowing I will leave when I find what I am looking for. On the other hand, I may never get that great job I'm looking for...

So should I acknowledge the performance, explain the depression, and then later, when I give my notice (which could be a ways off, if ever), say I thought it would improve but the job is part of the unhappiness?

Or should I be totally honest, quit, and do contract work while I look? I know that's not a great career move in general for lawyers, but maybe it's equal/almost equal/only a little worse than staying in a non-legal job that I hate? For future employers, I can tell them I wanted to get back into legal work ASAP?

I am mildly concerned that my performace review will be me getting fired, but I don't really think that's the case. But maybe the small chance is worth quitting and not having a termination on my record? More likely, if boss wants me to leave boss would give me a chance to quit, I think. But I don't know.

Also, the job itself is a good job, with good benefits. I like the employer, just not the position. Internal move is not possible, though. I don't even know how hard it would be for me to get a contract job. I'm in a major east coast city, and my field is in demand. I have only a few years of experince, but it is good experience.

Thanks for the help.

Please explain the administrative overhead involved in hiring domestic help in Ohio

stuart_s — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:50:14 -0800

Has someone previously cut through the thicket of regulations pertaining to hiring domestic help? Social Security? Federal withholding? State withholding? Arrrgh! I'm in Ohio. I'll be dealing with two people who work approximately 2hrs and 12hrs a week. The total yearly wages would be ~$1500+~$9000. Specifically, I'm in Cuyahoga County. Please don't tell me I have to deal with them, too.

I figured I needed the hive's help when I downloaded a PDF formatted application just to see if I even needed to deal with state unemployment compensation. One of the fields was for our IRS employer identification. The form asked for information about hours worked which seemed odd. They've been working and I've been paying them but if this were by-the-book wouldn't this form come before any actual work?

It's no wonder everyone pays their maids and nannies under the table. Frankly, I'm afraid that I'll be the only person in Ohio who's actually doing this legitimately thus eliminating the possibility of finding someone who can actually explain this. If you're one of the brave few to have managed it on your own, I welcome your guidance.

What do I need to do to get this setup? Like, exactly which forms and in what order? Then what do I need to do on a continuing basis and how often? Again, like you're explaining it to someone who needs an extension on his taxes every year because he's a ninny.

We do have an accountant but I would prefer to rely on him less rather than more.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go uncrumple my tax forms.

How to convince employers that you are more than your job title?

MeetCleaverTheatre — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:33:11 -0800

I am a library director who definitely needs a change of job (possibly a change of career) but I am stumped as to how to convince employers outside the library world that I am willing, able and sometimes more than qualified to do a job that doesn't necessarily involve books/libraries/IT maintenance. Can anyone share examples of how to convince employers you are qualified for something different? As above, I am a library director and IT guru for a small midwest college (have been for 6 years now). We currently got a new president and a new executive director and what was once a comfortable position has become an exercise in justification. I am used to juggling a lot of tasks in the library/academic world, but what was once a renaissance position has turned into a "goat rodeo" of doing everything but my job...and I find I'm so much nicer/more fun of a person when I'm not there. :)

I've recently seen many jobs for corporations, hospitals, start-ups etc. that I feel I could easily do and enjoy, but I'm finding that I have a hard time convincing them that my managerial/IT/office skills are translatable from libraries to _________. I know AskMeFi is high on librarians, and maybe others who've experienced similar situations. Any ideas as to how to become more marketable? Anyone out there change careers in mid-life? FYI: I am 35, MLS, 9 years of professional library experience & teaching/public speaking exp. and 16 years of professional online media / video production experience

Any advice or insight would be most graciously appreciated. :)
Thanks a million gang!

Professional networking faux pas

Viola — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:11:51 -0800

Through a weird wormhole of coincidence, I'm meeting up with a person who is leaving her job at a magazine. I happen to be good friends with a guy who just passed the first round of interviews to replace her, and I know he wants this position badly. Is there anything I can do to take advantage of this coincidence on my friend's behalf? ... or is that ingratiating and tacky? While I'd love to jump in and say, "Hire this dude, he's fantastic!" I'm sure she won't appreciate my reckless enthusiasm. Should I just not bring it up at all lest I accidentally sour her to one or both of us? Maybe just try to weasel out what her superior is looking for in her replacement?

This is a weirdly coincidental, well-timed meeting facilitated through a mutual friend who thinks the editor and I would get along, being in similar positions and the same age, etc. I've never met the woman before, so I have no level of pre-existing friendship that might compel her to forgive me if I cross any lines of professional propriety.

Are there any guidelines or etiquette that should be evoked in these sorts of situations? I'd love to help my friend but I don't want to make the editor uncomfortable.

I need advice on firing two employees!

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:07:41 -0800

I need to terminate two employees this week... I need to terminate two employees this week (in the US, Illinois) do I need to contact the Unemployment Administration and let them know, or do I wait until the employees file and assume that I will be notified?

job offer ethical dilemma

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:46:39 -0800

I'm in a job offer dilemma. I've verbally accepted an offer that i'm excited about. BUT, a job that I don't hesitate to say would be a dream company for me just had me interview again for one of two positions they are considering me for. Sounds like it is a slam dunk that i would get an offer from DreamCompany but it's the end of their quarter and they are wrangling a few details around, shifting head count, etc and won't have anything firm for a few more days but SortaExcitingCompany needs papers signed TODAY. Ugh - dilemma..... SortaExcitingCompany does not know anything is up yet. I'm tempted to see about getting a few days extension on the offer but worried about just retracting it all together. I know everything in the US is "at will" work anyway - but ethics still come into it for me at least.

How do I negotiate my new salary?

matholio — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:56:01 -0800

What strategy should I adopt to clarify and hopefully increase this job offer? I have a job, I think it's a good job, but for various reasons I want to move on.

I had an interview with the CEO of a smallish company, and I thought it went well.

During the 1st interview, the topic of remuneration was discussed, I wasn't really ready for it, and frankly I think I made too many positive noises too early. Some figures were mentioned and afterwards I wished I had made my position clearer.
Basically there was some confusion on my part about Base/Package.

I was tempted to call back to clarify it, but I didn't want to sound over confident.

They followed up with a reference check, and finally a telephone interview with a senior technical consultant. All went well and they made an offer today.

The offer is exactly what the numbers mentioned by the CEO.
Looking at the offer, they have included Super (pension) in the Base.
That's a significant amount, say, at least 8% of Base. Maybe more but they have not indicated how much Super they offer (why?).
It's not really normal to roll these numbers together, quite unusual actually.
Also, regarding the bonus, it's KPI linked, but the KPIs will be thrashed out during the probation period.

So my question is how do I approach these discussions?

In my initial conversation with HR, I stated a minimum base.
In my mind Base does not include anything else.
The CEO may well believe we had an agreement in the first interview.
The at risk component is quite significant, so I feel they have room to move.
Should I offer to give up potential bonus, for more base salary?
Should I mention it's not usual to include super in the salary?

There no point moving for the offer they have presented, but I like the role, I think it will suit me, and they are keen to fill the role. They have been with out this role for at least a month and already feel standards are dropping.

My gut feeling is they can and might meet my minimum salary expectations, I just don't want to stuff it up with my lack of negotiation experience.

Sorry for the rambling back story, I hope it's coherent enough.

Do employers value leadership schemes for students?

PuGZ — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:03:32 -0800

How would something along the lines of Monash University's Ancora Imparo Leadership programme (general) or its Leadership in a Technological Environment programme (engineering-specific) be viewed by prospective employers? Are these useful initiatives that a student should endeavour to be a part of in order to earn brownie points, or will an employer see them as a waste of time? Also, if an employer would indeed look upon these in a positive light, would one also include mention an Engineering Excellence award or is this needless?

I know these are specific examples, but the question I'm trying to ask is whether these programmes are a) inherently useful and b) attractive to employers.

Many thanks for your wisdom!

Friend was fired today for being homosexual. State of Iowa.

lutzla23 — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:44:23 -0800

Friend was fired today for being homosexual. State of Iowa. I know she has the opportunity to file for unemployment but does she have any recourse for lawsuit for unlawful termination Today around noon a friend of mine was fired for being a homosexual.

Couple of weeks ago my friend (female) was called into executive management meeting where it was discussed about her lifestyle not fitting company ethics and “not the type they wanted working there.” She was asked to sign an ethics/code of conduct form that she would abide by – she did not sign.

During the next few weeks clients under her were assigned to others as well as all subordinates were reassigned to other supervisors. She and I had assumed they were trying to drive her to quit.

Today around noon she was called into the office and was fired and asked to leave immediately.

We both live and work in Iowa.

I know that Iowa does not technically have a discrimination clause against sexual orientation and also is a At Will state where people can be fired/let go from their employers without notice or reason.

I know she has the opportunity to file for unemployment but does she have any recourse for lawsuit for unlawful termination

Inspire me with your best personal entrepreneurial story

jmnugent — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:27:15 -0800

I'm looking for practical, first-person, inspirational stories of how to launch/bootstrap entrepreneurial ideas with little or no resources. The more specific and detailed, the better. I'm in a life-phase right now of working hard to pay off some significant debt. During the slow and painful process, I'm building up a stack of creative ideas that I'm pretty sure would be successful if I only had the resources to nurture them. (I have no delusions of going "rags to riches", I'd just like to go "rags to being-able-to-pay-my-bills" before I turn 40.)

I hate to let the ideas stagnate, but there are weeks I can barely afford to eat, much less anything else. I just have this sinking feeling how much it will suck to hit 40 and look back to see all those ideas that died on the vine. (I also am starting to resent being referred to as the "guy with a bunch of ideas who never does anything with them" because I'm totally NOT that guy, but I have no resources to prove otherwise.

I realize the pragmatic answer for me (at the moment) is to keep doing whatever I can to get out of debt, but I'm hoping other MeFi's will have some inspirational stories of times you were at the bottom, and found creative ways to jumpstart one of your favorite ideas. Bonus points to anyone who started their own in-house business and eventually moved to it full time.

Unhappy job at a stable company, or better job at a takeover target?

Anonymous — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:08:34 -0800

Should I move from an unsatisfying job at a stable company, to a better job at a company that might soon be sold? I'm not happy at my current job, and have just been offered a better position elsewhere. The problem is, the company that's trying to hire me is on the auction block, and will probably be sold in less than a year. The two jobs are fairly similar, but the new one has more responsibility, a better group of workmates, and would let me learn more than I'm learning at the current job. Let's say the pay would be identical.

I guess my main worries are:
1) Given that the job market in this industry isn't too saturated, should I worry too much about being laid off in an acquisition? Would it reflect badly on me in the future?

2) Under what circumstances would it be better to stay in my current job, and wait for another offer?

Thanks, hive mind - and sorry about the lack of details...

Throwaway email: shouldigoorshouldistay@gmail.com

Reference Check Legalities

Raynyn — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:38:24 -0800

In Canada, is it legal to verify the employment history of a job candidate without their consent? I've been offered a job "pending successful reference checks". The employer told me they needed 3 references, I provided 4 including one former supervisor from my second last job (I was fired from my most recent job). They were unable to reach my former supervisor, but they checked all my other references. So they then asked me for a reference from my last job (the one I got fired from), and I provided someone who I had a very close working relationship with but whom wasn't a direct employee of the organization. That was yesterday. Today I got another message complaining that they still weren't able to reach the supervisor I had listed as a reference and asking if I had another way to reach her. This was left on my cell phone, so I called back and left a message saying no I don't, but the prospective employer won't receive my message till Monday.

I'm worried that they are going to start, or have already started calling the organizations directly to verify my work history, and will find out I was fired in the most recent case, and in other cases that I have fudged my dates of employment. So I guess I'm wondering what the plausibility of this happening is? I'm supposed to start Monday, at least I was. Now I don't know.. Do I go in on Monday or not? I haven't been officially offered the position yet, but they thought reference checks would be done by now.. I'm getting a bit frustrated with the process though as they've now contacted 4 references and it seems a bit excessive or like they smell a rat?

Toronto employers of insight/strategy/planning people?

Kololo — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:29:05 -0800

I live in Toronto, and I want a new job. I currently create 'consumer insight-led innovation strategies' for the marketing department of a major retailer. I want to continue to work in the strategy, planning, consumer insights, trend forecasting, and/or consulting type of roles, but I want OUT of the big corporate cube farm. Please use your fantastic insider knowledge to tell me about the fantastic place to work that I don't know about yet. Ideally, I'd love to be in an ad agency, branding agency, or boutique consultancy. Or elsewhere that has a non-"corporate" culture.

Tips & hints for getting the job are welcome, in addition to suggestions for great potential employers.

How can I prove I'm on time?

invisible ink — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:39:23 -0800

How can I prove to my supervisor that I'm arriving and leaving to and from work at my scheduled times? At my current law firm, we're on the "honor system" when it comes to keeping track of the times we leave and arrive. Problem is, everyone's watch or computer clock is set to a different time - sometimes even a full ten minutes ahead. We (unfortunately) do not have Kronos or any other kind of time-tracking software - and I don't think the attorneys are interested in coughing up the extra dough to buy one.

So, what I need is:

1) Something that states the actual time, or something very close to it. I'm in southern California.

2) A way of proving that I arrived at so-and-so time, and left and such and such time.

Gift for family for whom I work?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:15:32 -0800

For the past four or five years, I've worked as a dog-walker in New England. A family whose dog I've walked for much of that time is moving back to their hometown in the midwest. Because I dabble in photography (and because they live in a neighborhood with great architecture), I'd thought of putting together a scrapbook or photo album with pictures of their community, some of which would include the dog, as a going-away gift. The more I think about this, the more I see the potential for it to go horribly wrong or be misinterpreted by the family. What's the best way for me to do this? I have a good working relationship with the family in question -- I wouldn't call them friends but they have attended at least one of my gallery shows in recent memory. The photos of the dog that I have in mind would be outside and with the "local color" that I've befriended over the past few years (the mailman and the baristas at the cafe up the street), and would not be inside their home. I could put the negs in the photo album so that they could be assured that I would not re-distribute the photos. (Most of my work is with disposable cameras.)

I had thought about leaving it for them as a surprise on my last day, but this has the potential to turn into a Michael Hanneke movie if I drop the ball. Thoughts?

Is it possible to guarantee getting paid for a certain amount of time?

clearlynuts — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:00:05 -0800

How can I guarantee two years of pay at a certain rate? I want my employer to pay give me a 150% raise and guarantee to pay me for two years. Let's say I'm in prime bargaining position for this to happen, if they can find it in the budget. What's the best way to guarantee getting paid (I want to have 5x my current salary at the end of two years)?

They could increase my salary, but I wouldn't want them to terminate my at-will employment when they felt they didn't want to pay me anymore. I don't need health benefits, so I could become a 1099 contractor, but I'd like to avoid having to hunt down money on a regular basis.

How can I make this happen?

Must I disclose my race?

notswedish — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:41:26 -0800

Is it legal for an employer to require that an employee indicate his or her race? I am in Chicago, Illinois. I'm being told that an employee MUST check one and only one of five boxes (white, black, Native American, Hispanic, or Asian) on his/her employment form in order for his/her work assignment to begin. This employee has already been hired, but cannot start work until he/she indicates which of those five above races he/she 'is.' In case it matters, the (future?) employee in question is a student at a university, and the employer is that same university. This is a part-time, college-type job, though not part of the federal work-study program.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Does ICE think I'm still working if I'm on leave without pay?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:51:37 -0800

H1B question: Can I go on leave without pay and remain in continual employment, for the purposes of transferring the H1B to a new employer? To avoid applying for a new H1B when moving to a new job, I need continuous employment. My next employer just submitted an application for my transfer to a new job there in a few months. My current job is a misery and for various temporary reasons I am useless at it. I would like to take leave without pay from it, and preferably return to my home country for a while. I am pretty sure my current boss would be cool with this, but as far as ICE is concerned, can I do this without interrupting my status as "continually employed?"

Various websites say yes. But there are some contradictory claims from sketchier sources leading me to feel a little uncomfortable about this strategy. I would like to find the formal ICE policy document or statute which makes leave without pay acceptable.

I would ask at work, but they have proven to be pretty clueless about immigration issues in the past, and I don't want to tip my hand about wishing to leave early before I've confirmed that it's viable to do so.

How to get a 'productive' job for one year?

farishta — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:05:34 -0800

Yet another jobfilter question: any advice for a 22 year old with a graduate degree looking for one year of 'productive' employment? The short of it: in June I will finish a masters degree at Cambridge, move back to the US, and wait for my fiance to finish her masters in Charleston, SC. During that time we will apply to mutual PhD programs, so I have one year, minimum, before starting back up at school. What I need to do is work, as I've spent most of my savings here in England.

Ideally, I would like to find a job that doesn't 'drain my brain' and leave me unproductive during my time off. I would like to get some personal research done over the next year, and going back to my old job as a waiter, I know, will be mentally exhausting. Ideally, I would like to avoid the service industry or retail. I'd rather like to find a job that would help me learn some kind of skill, any skill, from butchery to free lance cartography (if-only). I'd also like to maximize the amount of productive free time that I have, as I've made a long list of personal projects for myself.

Some jobs I would love, but which don't look like possibilities due to timing/location: teaching European history at the high school level; becoming a tour guide; teaching for Phoenix online; working at a cheese/furniture/box factory; being paid to sit in a room and read books all day.

The contingencies: Male, 23, BA's in Philosophy and Religion, MPhil in the History and Philosophy of Science. Five years experience in restaurants, odds and ends jobs in retail. Not muscular, but energetic and willing to try my hand at hard labor. Will be in Charleston, SC.

Please help me! Thanks in advance.