After having done all that work for free, get stabbed in the back

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

In English I'll also call it getting social security, US style.
Anyways, in my city I can't be forced anymore to do volunteering. I did that job because I like accounting and wanted to keep my experience fresh. The truth is employers don't give a flying crap whether you're alive or dead
Why?
Since most offices are f-ing populated by people younger than 35 (including that dreaded species called manager) they don't want somebody around who's been around the block (no not that one) and isn't easily manipulated.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: QueenofWeirdBut no human should be manipulated into thinking its in there best interest to work for free... it really does infuriate me.

No, it's often not in your PERSONAL best interest to work for free. But is can be in EVERYBODIES best interest to do some work for free.

As an example: I'm a miller (as in: a guy that operates one of the historical windmills here, you know, the ones we're famous for). But running a windmill is not "economically feasible" anymore, it hasn't been since roughly the 1920's. Due to some later improvements many of them were still used up to the 1950's - mostly in cooperation with more modern machines and often partially for sentimental reasons. But sentiments don't pay your bills, so in the 1950s most of the old wind mills were put out of business and slowly decayed.

This process of slow decay continued until in the 1960s groups of volunteers decided to re-instate the Dutch tradtion of running (mostly 18th and 19th century) windmills. If it hadn't been for the 2000+ volunteers that decided to voluntarily become millers so far - which involves a two year long training which you have to pay for yourself - there would not have been a windmill left! See, you can renovate a mill with money, but if you'd had to pay the millers to run all 1100 mills we still have left - the costs would be way to huge. So, in my country, we keep our mills running - using voluntary labour.

Now, most millers love to work their mills, so a certain personal satisfaction is involved. But most volunteers are also motivated by the realisation they do this for others - for people that grew up with that mill, that love to see it work.

Service to self - or service to others?

You decide.

a reply to: ForteanOrg

If I'm going to do work for free AND get f-ed, it better be something of huge importance