Got an interview, contract question

Chrish5244 · Post by **Chrish5244** » 02 Feb 2016, 17:28

Hello, this is my first post. I've just got an interview which I'm attending next Wednesday. When I've double checked the advert it shows the hours are 7.00-15.00 but further down it states the contract is 25hrs per week, 6 days per week with one week off in six. This obviously doesn't add up. Other adverts seem to be similar too. My wife works for RM so I know about the overtime and the fact the contracted hours can sometimes mean very little but any ideas on what these hours/work pattern is likely to be?
Thanks is advance

Post by **POSTMAN** » 13 Feb 2016, 23:26

Sorry no one answered this,what happened.
Rule of thumb,they don't know what they are doing.

Chrish5244 · Post by **Chrish5244** » 14 Feb 2016, 20:31

Ha! Cheers. Interview went well I think, just waiting to hear now. Still non the wiser on what the hours would turn out to be though.

Deedlight · Post by **Deedlight** » 14 Feb 2016, 22:45

Chrish5244 wrote:Ha! Cheers. Interview went well I think, just waiting to hear now. Still non the wiser on what the hours would turn out to be though.

Your contract is for 25 hours and that's all you will officially have, but you will be expected to work on your rest day and do overtime at short notice. Not being snarky, it's what's happening at our DO and the other one I am frequenting for overtime.

Basically when they need you, they will shove all the overtime they want onto you, often upset if you refuse and resorting to all sorts of pressure tactics. When the time for end-year savings come, they will abruptly tell you to start coming your time. But often your frame won't be prepped sufficiently, so you will struggle to meet the official hours. Should you dare to book overtime (rightfully, never let anyone convince you otherwise), you will get some conversations how "other can manage the load and there is efficiency problem with you and how you are supposed to be a solution to a problem, and not another problem" and all that kind of bullcrap. You are meant to be flexible workforce and your stability, financial or health situation is outside considerations. Not to scare you away from the job, just to make you aware what they sell you at interviews and inductions doesn't match the quite brutal reality.

Pro tip for your interviews: DOMs love overtimers. Tell them you love overtiming and give convincing examples from previous jobs where you have worked like mules way over your hours. They love people who give the company free hours even more.

Chrish5244 · Post by **Chrish5244** » 15 Feb 2016, 10:02

Thanks for the reply. I don't doubt what you're saying as my wife works for RM and has told me pretty much the same! I did ask about work pattern at the interview but they weren't really able to tell me for sure which is quite understandable as their is potentially more than one job at different offices.

Chrish5244 · Post by **Chrish5244** » 18 Feb 2016, 16:22

Well Ivehad my reply and I've passed the interview but have been added to the waiting list for 3 months so just keeping an eye out for any new vacancies or for them to call me now. Strangely I've just had an email from another DO hat I applied for saying I wasn't successful in getting an interview! Just shows it's pretty much pot luck once you have completed the tests. I've actually emailed about the job I've just been turned down for as surely it would make more sense for them to consider me for that than interviewing a whole load of new people? Anyway, I'll wait and see.

Chewster · Post by **Chewster** » 26 Feb 2016, 20:28

When I applied for the job first, it was quoted as a 20 hour contract. That was a bit offputting for me as I wanted a full time job (but I was working for an evil job agency on a zero hour contract so it was still the better option). When I had the interview, they didn't have an answer for me either. I started just over a year ago now, and I've yet to do a 20 hour week! On the quietest weeks I've maybe done 30 hours, up to 50 hours when it's been busy and I've worked days off (then up to 60 and even 70 hours over Christmas but lets not talk about that)