Guilt!

[glenn@KC]

I’m I the only one who feels guilty about putting in invoices for casual work I done in my local theatre even though it has been announced this week that they are having there £77,000 funding cut from the arts counsel?

 

I know they shouldn’t offer me the work if they can’t afford it and I know they are saving money in the long run by getting me in ever now and again rather then paying people full time but it still feels like I’m not helping there situation.

 

I was just wondering if I’m the only one who feels this way.

 

Thanks

[gareth]

No guilt necessary. Regardless of whether the theatre are having financial problems, you did some work for them for which you need to be paid. In fact, if they're in possible financial difficulties, I'd be tempted to make sure I got my invoice in as quickly as possible, just in case ...

[w/robe]

No it is not just you.

 

I keep putting off chasing a company for a small amount of money that they owe me as their grant has gone completely so they are likely to fold. It looks a bit callous to phone up someone who is almost certain to loose their job and ask for the balance of my petty cash.

[Guest lightnix]

What gareth said, you can't afford to be sentimental about business. Doing stuff for cheap / free, in order to help people out and feel good about yourself is all very well; but it won't feed you or keep a roof over your head and you have to admit that those are more important things to worry about.

 

Personally, I'm amazed that the Arts Council has any budgets left to cut - this has been going on for over 25 years now ;) I still have my "Financially assassinated by the Arts Council of Great Britain" protest badge, which I got as a student in 1981!

 

e2a: I know I may sound hard-nosed about this, but I've seen it happen the other way round - where a failing company has continued to book crew to work for them, even though they know there's no way they're going to be paid; just so the directors can screw a final few pennies out of the business before it folds. These things go both ways.

[paulears]

Bear in mind that you only know the public story - very often you can do the sums and work out they don't work.

 

My own venue often has shows that sell poorly, I look around the auditorium, look at the staff and count bums on seats. I still stick the invoice in at the usual rate - if they can't balance the books, it is up to them.

[mac.calder]

From the first episode of Firefly (a TV show, cut down in it's prime): "I do a job, I get paid". It is that simple.

 

Now whilst this may not apply to the venue you work in, I know many organisations who play the "We're a charity and cannot afford that" or the "We are not for profit, we cannot afford that" card all the time - some of them have multi-million dollar budgets, and their "cannot afford" is really a "we want to see how much we can sc3w you".

 

The simple rule is you do a job for them (and I assume they agreed on a price with you), you get paid that price.

[glenn@KC]

Thanks for all our comments. It’s all welcome. The fact is I am still posting my invoices as I know I should and they won’t mind.

 

It’s just the guilt knowing that there is a very real threat this place will fold and this is the venues that got me into professional theatre and trained me to the standard I am today. It was because of the experience of this theatre that I got the full time job I’m in now. I’m not loaded, but I am comfortable. The reason I’m in the position I’m in is because of the help I got from this theatre so it would tear me apart to see it go under.

 

Just thinking out loud really and wondered if I’m on my own with this.

[gareth]

Neither you nor they are a charity, though - you're both running a business, and should operate your accounts on that basis. If you were having a lean few months work-wise and were really short of money, would they give you a few quid just out of sympathy?

[MarkPAman]

I very much doubt that your invoices alone will make the difference between survival or not for this venue. Continue to send them in.

 

In the future, if things are bad, they may ask you to work for less & you'll have to consider if you want to do that. Or they may ask you to work free on a fund raising event, which you can then do with a big smile on your face. :D

 

Edit: slepping

[Guest lightnix]

...this is the venues that got me into professional theatre and trained me to the standard I am today... The reason I’m in the position I’m in is because of the help I got from this theatre...

I understand your feelings, but it wasn't the venue itself that gave you the training and exeprience, it was the people working there who did that for you. Unlike the venue, these people are not likely to disappear; keep in touch with them and who knows - one day you may be in a position to return the favour or help them out in some way.

[jexjexjex]

I'm with the rest.

 

Do the job and put your invoice in as normal.

 

If the business IS failing, there may come a time when you submit a line and it doesn't get paid and then what happens?

 

Put your lines in and get paid while you can and feel no guilt about it - it's your livelyhood!

[Jivemaster]

Your invoice will likely be so small in the grand scheme of their things as to make no difference to their eventual survival. However each amount will be signicfcant to your survival.

 

If you are asked to work, invoice it. You will be expected to take shorter hours if they go down slowly, If they go down suddenly there may ba an invoice in the system that does not get paid, - dont let it be a big one!

 

If you are asked to assist with a survival fundraiser then you chose what fee to charge.

[RoyF18]

The Arts Council are the only ones that should be feeling guilty (some hope of that as they line their own pockets...)