I spent some time re-thinking my anti-slave plan and mode. Maybe, having a master wouldn’t be all that bad. So, I asked for a written offer/ contract with certain specifications. I was thoroughly amused with myself. Just months after promising NEVER AGAIN, I was on the verge of being ensnared by a new master. It was time to brace myself for a new chapter in the life of a working girl….

Cont. from last Working Girl:

The online news company expressed a severe interest in having me join their new team as a staff writer- to write both features and hard news.  A salary had been quoted. There was even a general date being tossed around as to when I should come onboard as a full-time company writer.

My suspicions proved right.  A few days before my freelance cheque was to be made out to me, I received the usual email enquiring after the stories I’d be submitting that day with the added question: “you’re working now as a staff writer, right?” I resisted the urge to chuckle/roll my eyes/sigh/do any other such thing. As politely as I could, I responded- asking if a contract had been made ready. I also suggested that talk of me being a staff writer be postponed until such a document was ready.

It has been my experience that employers can sometimes have this way with words. They enjoy knowing and using words such as “casual”, “informal”, and “friendly” only when it benefits them. 

In my case with the absent contract, “casual”, “informal” and “friendly” meant me agreeing to: a) being born yesterday; and b) a lesser-paying staff writer position without the formal inconveniences of a contract.  Before all of the early to mid 2009 mess, I would have just shook my head in amusement and think this particular employer severely disorganized. Now, I wasn’t amused and began questioning, again, whether I really wanted this new master/monster.

But, I allowed the company a second chance.  I accepted that a lot was happening at this time, what with new writers, an editor and etc being recruited.  I was more than happy to continue as a freelance writer- the freedom was still a big turn-on and I, quite truthfully, just wasn’t ready to go back to the other side.

So, I was more than prepared to wait until forever, if that was how long it took this employer to get around to having a contract drafted, me read it and then sign if all terms were agreeable. But I wasn’t given a chance to wait forever. After I sent in my invoice for the month, or maybe just a bit before that, a contract suddenly appeared with the attached note:  “Please check the contract and let me know.”

I opened the file and began reading through the contents. There’s another thing I’ve learnt about employers: sometimes they get a bit confused, and, as a result, their written offers have this way of looking a tad bit, or a whole lot, different than their previously uttered verbal offers.

Coming Next Tuesday: #29: Seriously, this happened….