So my teenager has begun the process of finding a job.
He's worked a bit before, but not really seriously. Last year he got hooked up with this outfit after coming across them at the Printers Row Book Fair. He found them on his own, and spent a good deal of the day helping out. I later came by and discovered that the owner of the company was an old business colleague. Prescott went on to help them out in several other festivals, including wearing a mascot all day.
Since I got him a moped, and he obtained his license, my son has now realized that he can't expect me to finance his lifestyle. It's kind of weird to watch him in this way—when I was his age I already had quite a few jobs under my belt—canvasser, newspaper delivery and miscellaneous restaurant work. So, after seeing him not care for so long, I was pretty happy to see him throw his efforts into getting a job. After he went to a bunch of stores in my town without success, I directed him to Craigslist.
And that's when the problems happened. He sent off a few emails … and one of his first responses was from Vector Marketing, the business end of Cutco. They invited him down for an interview and gave him the whole dog and pony show. My son then returned home high on his possibilities—happy that he had actually found something and asking me for $150.
Yeah, the ad lied to him—it wasn't a job, it was a business opportunity. They went on to lie about a few other things—like explaining how easy it would be for him to get leads or how they're a 'Fortune 500 Company'. And there is, of course, the unpaid training. I suppose I could accept the unpaid training, but not the fact that he has to buy his sample kit. A quick intent search revealed how sleazy these folks were.
So … in an effort to diffuse the situation, I forwarded another Craigslist ad. This one seemed a lot different—they were looking for balloon twisters to work at restaurants. Knowing that my son has a knack for entertaining, I thought it would be a good job for him. I was delighted to find that he was actually able to get an interview.
The office he had to go was pretty far away, so I went with him to provide directions and support. We got to the office and he walked in—nattily dressed in a suit he purchased at a thrift store. A little while later he came out. After getting into my car, he explained what this was. It wasn't a job. These people were expecting my son to buy a $50 kit, attend unpaid training classes and then work restaurants … for tips only. Balloon Distractions weren't going to even pretend to pay him.
So I feel sorry now for a lot of kids like my son—young people subject to sales pitches when all they want is a job. I've been explaining to my son that anyone that expects him to pay money isn't offering a job. He's getting frustrated … and angry.
