Should I be Paid?

[tbexon]

** laughs out loud ** did someone really do that?

[jacet]

Yes, all it did was highlight the fact that they had very little experience.

[paulears]

OT - but I wonder if West Side Story has the Alice song in it?

[MrBoomal]

OT - but I wonder if West Side Story has the Alice song in it?

Maria ? Who the f@@k's Maria ?

[OllieDuff]

In reference to the OP's original question, no, you should not be being paid for ongoing maintenance/housekeeping work for the reasons previously outlined in this thread.

 

However...depending on the situation, if you are asked to provide tech support for external hires then it might not be unreasonable to ask for a little remuneration for a single event. When at school I always made sure I got a little something if I was doing tech for a fundraiser or external hire (usually no more than about £20-30 for a six hour call, but money's money), on the basis that if the school is raking in a shedload of money they can afford to kick a bit my way, considering that this kind of event tends to be less fun than working with other students on a theatre production. I'm currently at university, and while I will help out student events for free (or a pizza) I charge for my time on anything that isn't a student society; student events get me for free because I know the people/it's in my interest as a student/it's fun, but if I'm being asked to give up my free time for something I'm not that interested in, there has to be some motivation!

[lightsource]

 

On this forum, the mods have to police the jobs section, often having to ask posters to provide the reason a job is unpaid. The National Minimum Wage refers to proper jobs. Nobody is quite certain what actually constitutes a proper job. In a way, I tend to feel that it's perhaps the responsibility content that decides it for me.

 

If you look at http://www.mandy.com/1/filmtvjobs.cfm they do it in a totally different way. They just post a lo/no rate or a paid rate in the jobs classifieds, and then a link to notes of lo/no pay.

 

It's just another example of "you can't get a job without experience" , and "you can't get experience without a job" argument.

[Madams]

I'm 16 and I do all and more of what you listed to the school.

Now I do get paid but not by the school!

When people hire the hall the can hire me to do there lighting and sound.

But for all school productions I don't get paid but I did get 3 award for helping and there what you working for and to please your other peers.

Also so when parent come to watch shows the aim is for them to go ooo the lighting was good.

Or even " the listing better then the actors"

Thanks Matt

[AndyJones]

I'm 16 and I do all and more of what you listed to the school.

Now I do get paid but not by the school!

When people hire the hall the can hire me to do there lighting and sound.

But for all school productions I don't get paid but I did get 3 award for helping and there what you working for and to please your other peers.

Also so when parent come to watch shows the aim is for them to go ooo the lighting was good.

Or even " the listing better then the actors"

Thanks Matt

Now that you have told us your age- would you mind updating your profile with it?

[David Lee]

I think you should have spent more time in English lessons rather than messing about with the lights Matt.

[david.elsbury]

Matt

Welcome to the Blue Room

I think that what you are referring to is perhaps not quite in line with the rest of this topic.

 

David

[Madams]

1326179947[/url]' post='423301']

I think you should have spent more time in English lessons rather than messing about with the lights Matt.

 

I got a c gcse but I know I'm bad.

[david.elsbury]

I got a c gcse but I know I'm bad.

So, in the nicest possible way, why don't you do something about it? ;)

[abbotsmike]

Michael, I note you say you are the tech manager at your school, and do the maints etc, etc. And you feel you should be paid.

 

Then I read you are 16 and a pupil at said school. How exactly did you expect to be paid? Does the school have a vacant post for "your" job activities, so to speak? No of course not; they won't employ a sixteen year old with no qualifications in a technical post. At sixteen you really don't have that much experience at all.

 

The reality Michael is that you have volunteered and your teachers have been very happy to allow you to get on with stuff they are neither interested in or qualified to do.

 

For example this maintenance; does this involve you dealing with anything in the way of an electrical nature? You certainly won't be qualified to touch anything electrical whatsoever. So are you supervised...by a qualified person?

 

Just to pick up on this point, whilst at school, I was employed (officially, contracts, payment and all) by the school's DT department. My job was to help the full time lab tech keep the labs and stores clean and tidy, and assist with the maintenance of some of the machinery when necessary (swapping bandsaw blades, replacing disks on the sander, other basic stuff). Obviously all of this was done under supervision, or done with the other student also employed, and then checked by one of the staff. My main point is it is not impossible for a school to employ a student! Many hoops had to be jumped through though, as I didn't even have an NI number when I started!

[willdart666]

If I could just give my 2 cents to the OP on this...

 

It sounds to me like you're having ideas above your station here. In fairness we all do it at some point, I would happily bet that many of the people who have replied to this topic have done the very same thing and have learnt from it as a result.

 

What you need to be clear with yourself on is that although the school puts faith in you to clean their lights, make the shows look good and even put ideas forward for new kit, they always have the last word on it and see you as a student putting in that extra bit of effort.

 

Look at it from this angle; if the school were to hire in a professional technician to do all this work, you wouldn't be introduced to him as the "Technical Manager". You would be "A student who likes to help out".

 

I have every respect for you in getting your hands dirty at a young age and learning a trade with a future, but you really need to ground yourself and understand that just because the school has given you access to their equipment it does not mean you are "in charge" of it in any way. If you were to waltz into your headmasters office with even half an idea of getting paid you would be back in classes for the rest of your time there.

 

Good luck with it, but just remember to keep grounded, people will respect you a lot more for it.

[Krislights]

Hi all

I'm the technical manager at my school so am in charge of sound/lighting/video etc.

I'm responsible for the maintenance of the current equipment and for specifying new equipment etc.

The dependence on my skills is relatively great.

My question is as the skills I offer are valuable to the school am I legally entitled to minimum wage?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

Mike. Probably a familiar story to many of us on here, no doubt. My take on it is this. Enjoy your freedom, while you have got it. The minute the words getting paid for it are mentioned, you open a can of worms, and the responsibilities suddenly hit you. Not always fun. The litigation within the industry HSE, Liability insurance of many types, etc. You could always use your skills within the pro environment, and get paid for it, Sounds like a few of us would be glad to have you. You can't be a student and get paid for it. Nice try! All the best.

 

OT - but I wonder if West Side Story has the Alice song in it?

Maria ? Who the f@@k's Maria ?

 

Callas?!!! You did ask!