Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with temporary

Does my husband qualify for unemployment?

otherwordlyglow — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:26:44 -0800

Will my husband qualify for unemployment in California after a long-term temp/contract position is over? My husband was hired for a three-month stint in an engineering position at a major electronics manufacturer to replace a guy out on sick leave. He is paid through an agency (payrolling.com) and receives a W-2. So I guess he's technically an employee of Payrolling, placed in the electronics manufacturer's office. Because the guy he was replacing ended up having complications, my husband has been there for 14 months and was recently told that the previously sick dude will be back as of the end of January so they'll no longer need my husband's services.

Can he receive unemployment compensation from the state of California? In total, he will have been there 15 months full time when he leaves.

He'd really love to stay there as a full-time employee (not through Payrolling.com) and they have suggested that a position may open up to hire him, so he certainly doesn't want to make any waves but if he's going to be out of work, the unemployment compensation would be welcome.

Am I planning to act unethically?

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:35:52 -0800

After five months of being out of work, and seven months of looking, I have recently been offered a job. Great, right? Of course it is, but it's presenting an ethical dilemma for me. The scenario: The job I've been offered is really not what I want to do in either the short or long term, and is a big step backward career-wise. This is a job that I could do in my sleep, and I just simply don't WANT a job I can do in my sleep. In fact, I've done this particular job for years, before making a substantial career leap within the same field about four years ago. I do not anticipate that this job will involve any future growth, making it the very definition of "dead end." However, it is a paycheck, and a damn good one at that. After being unemployed for as long as I've been I'm really in no financial position to turn it down, as I've nearly exhausted my savings and will have to tap my 401k within the next month or two.

The offer that I have in hand has been made on a temp-to-perm basis, where my new employer has the opportunity to "try before they buy", having me work for them as an hourly-rate temp through an agency with the (verbal and nonbinding) understanding that this is a trial period before making a direct-hire salaried job offer.

In addition, I am also anticipating a possible job opportunity with another company, for which an old friend and former colleague has been recruiting me for some time now. This position would be EXACTLY what I want to do, both short-term and long term, and would be pretty close to my dream position, in fact. The problem there is that this job is not expected to be funded for a few more months - which is longer than my finances will allow me to wait. By sheer coincidence, this job is likely to be funded some time around the expiration of the temp/trial period at my other potential job.

So, here's my dilemma: Is accepting a temp-to-perm job with the knowledge that there's a very good chance that I will end up declining a future planned salaried/perm offer to take another position unethical?

I'm seeing this two ways: On one hand, by not making a salaried offer at the outset, they're only committing to me for a few months, and it would be unreasonable for them to expect me to commit for longer than they are. On the other hand, while this is certainly a temp job on paper, I've every expectation that their stated intention to make a full-time job offer once my trial period is up in a few months is legitimate, and made in good faith, and I can't shake the feeling that by planning to possibly leave in a few months, I might not be acting in good faith myself.

I'm not a big fan of burning bridges, and I'm painfully aware that bailing after my temp period would be burning a bridge, both with the employer and with the temp agency, who would lose out on a substantial finder's fee if I accept a permanent job offer with this company.

The way I see it, I have three choices:

1) Decline the temporary job offer I have in hand in the hope that my "dream job" comes through in a few months. My personal finances and recent job-search history being what they are, this involves WAY more risk than I am able to tolerate.

2) Accept the temporary job offer I have in hand, and also accept the perm offer when/if one is made, despite the fact that this type of work REALLY doesn't interest me any more. This one is certainly ethically sound, but would undo years of forward progress in my career, as I would be stuck doing work that I hated and moved away from four years ago. It's also likely the one to be best for my personal finances, as my "dream" job is likely to result in a pay cut.

3) Accept the temporary offer with the knowledge that if an offer comes from my "dream job", that I will take it and leave the first job. This would be very good for my career if it works out, not quite as good financially, but questionable ethically, for the reasons I've stated above.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do here? I'm in desperate need of some outside perspective on this. I'm really starting to feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place here, with an abundance of bad choices to choose from, and I'm losing sleep over it. Am I just bean-plating over what should be a fairly obvious decision?

Incidentally, I have already spoken to an attorney and I'm in the clear legally speaking. Employment at will is a two-way street in my particular US state, and either the employee and employer are free to walk away at any time in the absence of a contract that says otherwise - and mine doesn't.

Alt email, just in case: amiactingunethically@gmail.com

Paid internships in London?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:41:59 -0800

How do I find a professional paid internship or temporary position in London? I am an American college and law school graduate who would like to live and work temporarily (1-3 months) in London and be paid some stipend, however minimal. The particular field of work isn't important, but I would like it be a substantive job (not copying and filing, etc). How do I go about such a job search? I'm looking for specific websites, job agencies, etc. And does Craigslist work for finding a job there?

Relocating to the US, health insurance advice needed!

hibbersk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:12:36 -0800

I'm relocating to the US (from the UK) in a couple of weeks and having concerns about health insurance. My husband's employer covers health insurance for him, but to cover me as well we must take out the 'family policy' for $500 per month (if we had 4 kids this would be a great deal, but apparently it's the same price for the whole 'family' even if that's just me. This seems crazy to me, not sure if it is normal!). Is my alternative plan crazy? Health insurance companies confuse and scare me! To simplify things, assume that I'll be there for a year, and I will not have a job that includes insurance. I'm on the H4 (nonimmigrant) visa. However the year will be split into chunks where I'll be back in the UK - for example a month from mid-Dec to mid-Jan, a couple of weeks in April, and a few weeks in June/July. So the chunks of time when I'll be in the US will be 2-3 months each.

My idea is to get premier single trip travel insurance through my regular provider STA Travel, for £134 (2 months) to £172 (3 months). The coverage is outlined on the link above and is all quite standard as far as travel insurance goes. The policy is single entry, so I'd buy a policy with each return flight to be covered for all the time I am in the US. This is clearly much better value than the $500/month policy offered through husband's employer. I assume the travel insurance wouldn't cover routine checkups etc and I'm ok with that; I can get those done when I'm back in the UK every few months courtesy of our wonderful NHS. Worst case scenario, the savings we'd make from not going with the $500/month policy would easily cover a flight home for a non-emergency, non-covered but necessary medical consultation. The travel insurance has other benefits too, such as emergency dental treatment (dental isn't covered at all in the employer's policy), legal costs, theft, etc. But I'm also totally paranoid about the US healthcare system, and don't want to be caught out or bend the rules to such an extent that the travel insurance policy wouldn't pay up in an emergency because I'm classed as being a US resident or something, because if insurance companies can find a way not to pay out, they usually do in my experience! So mefites, is this a sensible plan of action or am I missing something?

What is the best option for temporary Internet?

pbh — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:39:01 -0800

Best cheap, temporary Internet access by dial-up or cell? (In Kittery, ME.) For about a week I will be in a house in Kittery, ME (area code 207) that does not have any sort of broadband Internet. (I don't particularly want to go to the library or a cafe for wifi, so that's not an option.) What is the best way to get temporary, possibly slow Internet at the house for the week?

Relevant details:

Dial-up: My Ubuntu laptop has a modem, though I don't have a dial-up account with local access numbers for Kittery, ME/Portsmouth, NH. The house itself has a phone line. Are there temporary dial-up ISPs, or do I have to sign up for an account with a regular one and then cancel immediately? This thread mentions some explicitly temporary dial-up options, but it looks as though if I'm going to use it for 32 hours-ish most are pretty expensive. I also probably have one or two non-local dial-up numbers I might be able to call---are there any very, very cheap calling cards that would last tens of hours within the US?
Cellular: I have an iPhone, but I haven't jailbroken it so I'm pretty sure it won't tether. Are there any temporary 3G wireless options (or equivalent), or do all of the fast cellular options require having a separate account and buying a USB dongle or PCMCIA card? (This thread mentions some options, but it's a little old and most seem to start at $50+.)

Hey how's it going OH SHI.. I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:21:13 -0800

Wacky ear question: Sometimes when I speak out loud one or both of my ears will pOp and I can't hear anything but my own voice. What the heck is going on and how can I get it to stop? To better describe the sound (or lack thereof): it's like when you wear earplugs; outside sound is greatly reduced and muffled, and all you can really hear is the vibrations of your own voice and breathing.

It happens often enough that I get jarred when it happens because suddenly all the sounds are off balance and my voice sounds so close and LOUD. Sometimes it "sticks" and I have trouble responding to people because I just can't hear a darn thing they're saying.

Strangely, this happens to my nose sometimes too. I'll be speaking then suddenly one nostril will seemingly close up and my voice becomes very nasal and odd sounding.

What the heck is happening here? Is this some earwax/booger issue? How can I fix it? It's driving me crazy!

Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible?

cranberrymonger — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:50:01 -0800

Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible? I have a BA and I'm considering taking a college course in Public Administration. (In Canada, college is one level down from university and tends to be more applicable to getting a job.) I spoke with a girl who took the program and now works as a policy analyst.

She told me that she got a placement with the Gov't of Ontario (required by the program) by cold-calling managers and asking them for a 5.5 month contract. She seemed to think I could do the same: just cold-calling them, conducting informational interviews and then.... ??????

Well, this is where I'm confused. How do you parlay a cold-call or an information interview into "Will you consider me for a 5.5 month contract?"

I'm worried that it will seem rude but she was quite confident and it worked for her.

Shouldn't there be a lengthy interview process? Is that just for permanent positions? Can this approach actually work? Had anyone had success or failure doing this?

To apply or not to apply.

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:35:01 -0800

Should I bother applying to this employment agency? I'm good at working independently and can type 70wpm, and have started looking into transcription work. Someone recently tipped me off to a transcription agency not far from me. As I was looking into their company, I learned that the president of the company also owns a temp agency with whom I worked in 2003. They placed me in some questionable jobs, and after I got fired from one of them (for inappropriate conduct on behalf of the company, which I didn't feel comfortable telling my recruiter) they never asked me back. This is a small, independently-owned temp agency in Massachusetts that hired quite a few temps when I was there. Should I bother clearing the air to my potential supervisor about my previous time there? (FWIW, I never met the president of the company.) Would they remember me? Should I not even bother applying?

How can I be in two places at once when my mail isn't anywhere at all?

DiscourseMarker — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:29:30 -0800

USPS mail forwarding: Can I have permanent and temporary change of address requests at the same time? In February I moved from Address A to Address B within the same city, and I filled out a permanent Change of Address request with the USPS. I don't actually get very much mail forwarded, because I changed my address with all of the businesses that I could think of back in February, but occasionally some fall through the cracks.

Next week I will be leaving for Address C (in another state) *temporarily* (until mid-August), and I would like to have a temporary Change of Address with the USPS to forward my mail from Address B to Address C.

What I'm wondering is if filling out a temporary request to forward mail from B to C will affect my permanent request forwarding mail from A to B. I looked through the USPS.com FAQ but I couldn't find anything relevant to this situation. Has anyone here ever dealt with something like this before?

Really, I don't get that much snail mail (save Netflix, and there I can easily change the shipping address), but I'm just paranoid that this will be the one time when something important that I totally forgot to account for will arrive, and I won't get it.

How do I stop windows from taking over my portable hard drive

Syntoad — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:40:02 -0800

I have a portable usb hard drive that I use for keeping all my documents / backups on. Windows seems to love using this drive for everything, for example I am installing IE7 from windows update, and it is using the drive to hold all the temporary files during the install. Because of this the drive is always in use and I can never eject it. Using unlocker I can see that no less than three services are holding files open on this drive, and system restore is also using it (even though I disabled it for the external drive)

How can I get windows to treat this external the same way it treats a USB stick, instead of it treating it like an actual hard drive?

Is anyone familiar with Tecnológico de Monterrey in Chihuahua?

KTrujillo — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:05:41 -0800

Is anyone familiar with Tecnológico de Monterrey in Chihuahua? I was thinking of attending a program there and although it looks like a great school I'm wondering if anyone has firsthand knowledge of the school or the area. I know that things have been tumultuous in Mexico. I have a friend who has lived in Oaxaca for eleven years and she says that times are very tough...worse that she's ever seen. Is it the same in Chihuahua once you get away from the border towns? Is it a safe place to live and go to school? Thanks.

Color me strange

wierdo — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:56:04 -0800

So I'd like to make my hair temporarily white (or maybe gray, bright white would be odd, but whatever) for Halloween. I need tips, including whether or not it's a good idea. My hair is naturally dirty blond, and quite long. I don't mind if it's white for a few weeks, but I would like it to eventually wash out. What kind of color should I buy, or should I just go with a wig? Any tips are welcome.

Permanent hair color atop temporary hair color: please discuss.

iguanapolitico — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:32:16 -0800

Permanent hair color atop temporary hair color: please discuss. I used a temporary hair color on Tuesday night, and it's not the right color. I'd like to do something about it this weekend, maybe.

I should start by saying that until a few years ago, I colored my hair (myself, out of the box) for years and years. I'm not terribly afraid of new colors, or having weird color hair days, or any of that. And my hair is very short and very healthy, since it's been natural for a few years. And I really, really don't want to spend salon prices right now, and anyway, I've had better luck achieving the colors I've wanted at home.

So I'm thinking my alternatives, to tame this undesired hair color, are:

1) Wait the "28 washes" that the box says this color will last (and it's red, which is notorious for fading quickly, so it might go faster than that)

2) Use another temporary color over this color, to "fix" it (for the next 28 days)

3) Because I'm still interested in coloring my hair, go ahead and choose a permanent color (perhaps one that I've used before and am familiar with) and go that route

(I should also say that I'm not sure why I chose the temp color. It was a moment of madness, I think. I wanted to color my hair but didn't want to take the time to think about the color I wanted, so I quickly decided on the temporary stuff. There is no other reason why I chose the temp.)

But I've never used a permanent color on top of a temporary color. (I've never used temporary color at all.) What would happen? Would the permanent color maybe not "bind" to my hair as well? I do imagine the results of the permanent color will be influenced by the presence of the temporary color, but for how long? Will the temp color be able to continue washing out? Is this just a Bad Idea?

I'm mostly interested in replies from people who have actually done this. There are a lot of OMG GO TO A SALON FOR HAIR COLOR people out there, and I'm not one of them, so that knee-jerk response won't work on me. (I've ALWAYS done my own color, and my stylists have always gushed over it. They'd have tried to sell me a salon coloring job if they felt they could.)

I've done permanent-over-permanent, but have never used temporary before, so this is new territory for me. I'm not TOTALLY freaked out by the color, but ... I had really hoped it would fade more by now. I'm tired of the whole "Did you change your hair color?" "Yes, but it's not right and I'm changing it" conversation, and I've only been out of the house for 3 hours since Tuesday night. :)

Usefulness of short-term health insurance

samthemander — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:17:54 -0800

[New Grad Filter] Is it worth it to pay for one month of interim health insurance? I'm a 22-year-old healthy female in California transitioning from student health insurance to the plan provided by my First Real Job.

As such, I will be without medical insurance for 15 days. Neither the school's insurance plan nor the job's is flexible as to start/end dates.

I've looked around and read many previous askmefi posts about short-term health insurance and seen Assurant in particular cited as a less-than-useful investment. (The company avoids paying claims, etc.) Are all short-term policies this shady?

Do you have any direct experience with purchasing a short-term health insurance policy?

And, because I'm super-clueless, do you even think it's worth it? (Minimal coverage runs around $90/month.) I'm young and healthy, so maybe it's a waste of money to pay for 15 days of coverage. However, I will be moving during the 15 days, which does increase the likelihood of incurring some kind of an injury.

Thanks!

Jobs that are okay to leave

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:03:05 -0800

What jobs are (relatively) okay to leave after a short time? I'm having a tough time psyching up to apply for jobs because I'm not sure I'll stay long. Likely reasons for quitting would be needing to leave the (geographic) area or figuring out what I really want to do and pursuing that. Right now I just need to be working - not in a dream job but something that doesn't make me want to stab myself or others (for me this eliminates telemarketing and probably most call center jobs.)

I know, for example, that the restaurant/food service industry tends to have high turnover rates and lots of people leave after a few months. What (if any) other jobs can I apply for, knowing that I could quit without guilt and/or leaving my employer particularly high and dry? I would absolutely give two weeks' notice and do whatever I could to help train a replacement.

I know temp work seems like an obvious solution, but in my experience it's tough to find temp positions that are short term and not open-ended or temp-to-hire.

I'm in the US, if it matters, with three years of college but no niche career skills.

Springtime love

rwatson — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:34:33 -0800

I'm a student in the UK and have decided to take a job in the U.S. starting in the autumn. Is there any hope for me to be in a romantic relationship until then? I've never had much luck with things like one-night stands. Most women interested in me seem to want something more long-term. However, right now, I'd be open to all sorts of things. Short-term relationships or even VERY short-term relationships. But I'm in my late 20s and I suspect most women my age are looking for something a bit more permanent. So how can I find the ones who aren't?

How should I build temporary, attractive walls/dividers on the cheap in my basement?

drinkspiller — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:24:24 -0800

How should I build temporary, attractive walls/dividers on the cheap in my basement? These paper soft walls look great, are flexible and temporary, but cost a small fortune. Looking for an alternative I could simply and cheaply set up myself to block off a 13'x13' section as a "room". The basement is unfinished, dry, with concrete outer walls and wood joists in the ceiling.

How to file for unemployment benefits for temporary layoff

Joleta — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:31:51 -0800

How can my husband collect unemployment benefits for temporary layoffs, in Illinois? Mister joleta works for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). Due to Dept. of Energy budget cuts and lack of funds, the lab is requiring all employees to take rolling unpaid furloughs rather than close down the lab entirely. As a salaried exempt worker, my husband will have to take one week of unpaid furlough every two months for an eight-month period (February through September). Things will be tight, but we'll survive. One of the FAQs on the Fermilab site says that furloughed employees can apply for unemployment benefits, but I can't find any information on the IDES web site about intermittent temporary layoffs of one week duration, other than than the following (see pgs 43-44 here):
"A local unemployment insurance office may instruct a claimant that he or she is exempt from registering in person with the employment service office for one of the following reasons (56 III. Adm. Code 2865.100):
. . .
"2. The claimant’s unemployment is due to a temporary layoff that does not exceed four weeks in duration."

This implies that one can receive unemployment compensation for temporary layoffs, but I can't find anywhere that explains how this is done. I know that in Illinois you don't get unemployment compensation for the first week of unemployment (the "waiting week"). But with intermittent layoffs, each furlough week is the "first" week, unless they can be somehow strung together into one period of unemployment. Can someone point me to a link explaining how this would work or give actual experiences. Three weeks of unemployment benefits is better than nothing.

I'll wait (tables) in the pouring sun.

mykescipark — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:41:29 -0800

I've just moved to L.A. and need immediate employment to provide some short-term financial security. Locals, who (or what) would you recommend? (e.g., What are the least insane and/or most humane temp agencies? What are some cool places to do menial, customer-facing work that actually pay a living wage?) A few more factors:

- I live right in the thick of Hollywood near Sunset and Highland. I am one of the crazy few who choose to live in L.A without a car. This does rule out a few car-centered jobs, but I'll bike or bus it, regardless of the time involved. I'm a hardcore city biker, so anything within, say, 5-10 miles is a cakewalk. (Don't let distance stop you from recommending something, in other words.)

- I'd consider assignments up to six months, assuming it paid well enough and I had a little flexibility to interview and get my life together otherwise.

- I'm a composer, sound editor, and radio producer with music-industry, radio, and editorial experience, but I don't expect this short-term work to be in my field(s).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

How much should they pay me?

anaelith — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 23:23:09 -0800

In Northern Virginia, for temporary office work through an agency, how much should I ask the agency for, per hour, in USD? How much will I actually reasonably get? I'm in Northern Virginia, Chantilly/Centreville area. I've never had a job (not even flipping burgers) before. I have an A.S. in Computer Science and an A.S. in Science/Mathematics. GPA is not terribly good, but not failing. I can type, do basic computery things, use complete sentences, etc. Mostly I am just sick of school and would like a no-heavy-lifting job without being taken for a fool or an easy mark. So how much should I ask for, per hour, in USD, and how much should I actually expect to get? (And a bonus question, are there other trick questions I should prep for?)

What is filling up my local hard disk?

DZ-015 — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:56:04 -0800

Does Windows create temp files on the local disc when copying a large file from an external drive to a network share? I'm trying to copy a large Windows Backup file (65Gb) from my external USB hard drive to a network share on my employer's network. I reckoned this might take a while so I left it overnight. When I came in to work this morning, my local (C:) drive was full. I'm not copying the file to C:, so does Windows create some kind of temp file when copying from an external drive to a network share? When I cancel the copy, my hard disk returns to 10Gb free......

Yikes! Just found out my new apt. won't be free until 2+ weeks after my lease's start date (which is next Thursday).

lorimer — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 04:26:18 -0800

Minor-Panic Filter. NYC apartment won't be ready for move-in until at least two weeks after lease's start date (which is next Thursday), and I found this out LAST NIGHT. I still have to vacate my current place on Thursday. What are my options, and what creative solutions might keep me from having to move all my stuff twice in the space of two weeks (during an ultra-busy month for me)? In January I found a great cheap apt. that was about to be gut-renovated (I saw another apt in the building that just been renovated with the same materials and it looked great). The building's mgmt told my broker that the renovation would be finished before March 1st so my lease should be drawn up for that date.

So on Jan. 31st, I signed a 12-month lease with a March 1st start date (giving the brokerage my first month, one-month deposit & broker's fee as certified checks). Over February, the agent who'd shown me the place kept reporting he'd seen the renovations in progress and the March 1st move-in date would be "fine." I started getting concerned that he couldn't absolutely confirm this, and I asked whether I should be talking to someone at the building company myself (he said no, but this week I told him I had to hear something from a person who could confirm for sure).

Of course, last night he finally told me: not only can I not move in on the 1st, there is still no set date for when the renovations will be finished ("They're saying it should be done by the middle of March"). I called the owner of the brokerage, and he expressed shock, apologized for this agent's behavior (he's very young and brand new, and he apparently "froze" into pretending all was well), and promised that my contacts at the brokerage from now on will be him and the young agent's manager. But logically, there's nothing they can do about the start date.

So... while I sure can't afford a hotel/etc., I can crash with friends. But obviously, moving my stuff twice is going to be complicated and cost me more time & money -- and March is an important & dense work-month for me that would be pretty seriously compromised by couch surfing.

The ideal solution would be if I could stay in a different apt in my new building, from March 1st until whenever my apt is ready. HOWEVER, I don't know if asking for that is a good way to start off my relationship with the building's mgmt (after all, the urgency of this situation is due to the incompetent broker more than to them -- and it's so unlikely anyway that there's any unit still open for March 1st, since there are only about 90 units in the building). Based on experience, I think it's ultra-important to pick your battles and to start on a positive, non-"problem" note with a mgmt co.

In immediate terms: what am I not thinking of that could help me avoid couch-surfing and messing up my work-month? In financial terms: A) is this situation grounds for getting my broker's fee back? And B) assuming I don't get to stay somewhere in the new building as of March 1st, should I ask the brokerage to pay for half of my doubled moving expense? (I don't have much stuff, so we're just talking two man-with-a-van afternoons, rather than one.) This is the first time I've used a broker (I've found all my other places without one). Thanks for any advice... anecdotal advice is great too...

hot rod hyundai

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:40:55 -0800

Help me vandalize my wife's car! While my wife is away, I would like to paint flames on the side of her black '01 Hyundai. I would brush paint it on, but I would like the colors to be very vivid and opaque.

Difficulty: It has to wash off with soap and water once the expected merriment is acheived. I would be in pretty big trouble if it didn't.

Any ideas what kind of paint would work for this?

Things to do in Wichita related to law

ibmcginty — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:52:56 -0800

In search of temporaryish legal career opportunities in Wichita, Kansas. My girlfriend is from Wichita, and has taken a 6-mo job there, with the possibility to stay on longer. I am from coast where the sun rises. We both have recently earned law degrees. I've been clerking in a US territory since getting that degree a year ago. I like policy, legislation, etc., but would be up for more or less any legal thing. Any thoughts on temporary legal career opportunities in Wichita? Thanks for any suggestions.

Should I take a permanent job knowing I'll only be there 10 weeks?

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:30:04 -0800

There's a job I really want and I think I have a good shot of getting hired for it. The problem? They're looking for someone permanent and I know I'll only be able to stay for 10 weeks. I'm a freelancer spending a few months away from home, in the city where I used to live. Because I'm going to be here for a few months, it would be (very) good to have a steady job, in part because a lot of my freelance work from home can't be done long distance.

I've registered with a bazillion temp agencies, talked to friends, etc., but the most appealing job I've come across so far isn't a temp job at all. It's an entry-level position at a (food) company I've admired for a long time. I'm an avid amateur chef, but have no professional experience. They know this and are considering me anyway.

The problem is I know I'll be leaving town in ten weeks. And in our brief phone pre-interview, the guy stressed that he was looking for someone who was going to stick around.

Now, I'm no idiot. What is this guy going to say to me? "Yeah, we're looking for someone who will leave at the drop of a hat"? Of course not. So I take the "someone who will stick around" thing with a grain of salt. If we were talking about McDonald's or Wal-Mart or something, I wouldn't be so tied up in knots about it because those places pretty much have revolving doors. For what it's worth, this place is not a multinational conglomerate, but it's grown beyond a tiny, mom-and-pop operation.

I don't know quite what to tell the guy at the interview tomorrow. I could be completely honest and try to make a case for my being a temp, but I'm not sure what that case would be, since that's not what they've said they're looking for.

On the other hand, I want to do the right thing, but I don't want to be a sap either. I respect this company, but I also know most companies would probably lay me off in a heartbeat if it became inconvenient to have me as an employee. I just don't know if I'm capable of turning the tables in this case.

Finally, I'm also worried that if I get the job and do leave after 10 weeks, it will burn a bridge with a company I always told myself I might want to work for, in a city where I'll very likely end up again after a few years.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

Mail: helpmehivemind@yahoo.com