WWYD - dates clash between potential internship and other potential work.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the boring AIBU! It's more of a WWYD really - I'm posting here for traffic and just to ask for some advice if that's okay.

I'm currently applying for an internship abroad in Europe. The company advertising the internship have a suggested start month on their website (July this year), although they don't give a specific start date.

At the moment, my main job is working as a tutor. I've just been asked to tutor someone until the end of the school year and possibly into the following school year. As the school year doesn't finish until mid-July, if I commit to tutoring this student for the full school year, I wouldn't then be inmediately available from the start of July for the internship (hypothetical at this stage, I know!) It's just that I'm particularly interested in this internship, and want to show the company that I would be available, if successful, to start the internship as soon as possible.

My WWYD is this: how should I approach discussing my availability for tutoring with this student? Should I let them know straightaway that I may not be available in July, in which case they may choose another tutor who has more availability?

Thanks, everyone :) Sorry again for this silly AIBU!

If July is merely a "suggested start month", that sounds to me like the company will be very flexible as to exactly when your internship would start. Which makes sense, of course - you're unlikely to do mission-critical work, needed at a specific time, as an intern. So I'd bet good money that you'd be able to negotiate a start date that fits around your tutoring.

Addendum: my company has a well established internship scheme, and we couldn't give a toss about when the interns want to work, we'll go with whatever suits them. An intern applicant being available "to start as soon as possible" wouldn't factor in the slightest into whether we accepted them - we'll accept or decline them based on their merits, and THEN worry about when they'll start.

I'd just say something like 'I may be going away for work in July, but I don't have define dates as yet so can't commit to anything, but I will of course let you know as soon as I know'

As a potential client I'd be ok with that (and would still book you unless I had someone else in mind) . I'd be more likely to be annoyed if you implied you could do it then told me further down the line that you couldn't.

I would tell the person wanting the tutor that you may be away in July and/or August, and take it from there. They would probably be expecting you to take a summer holiday at some point, and they may also be away themselves for some of the time.