Name changed to reflect my bitterness. I can't give any more info (I.e. need to keep things quite vague as my boss is a member on here!) but I don't think the specifics matter much.
New person started at work 8 weeks ago. I applied for the job as an internal applicant but didn't get it. I met all the essential criteria and am already doing the job that was offered, though not formally. My feedback was that I needed another year or two to 'grow and gain more experience'. I've been in my current role for 2.5 years. I live in a very rural area and promotions like this rarely crop up. I don't think there's actually going to be another opportunity but unfortunately I cannot move home (to seek a higher paid role) for at least 7 years (again, a detail I can't elaborate on). So I'm now stuck in this position - working way above my role expectations - for almost another decade.
I really really tried not to be bitter about it. I assumed the new person was a good fit with lots of experience. That's why they got it over me. However, since day one, they have been shadowing me and I've been asked to be their mentor. I'm basically managing them. They ask me in the morning what they should be getting on with and I have to delegate. They ignore the phone when it rings because they're worried it's something they wont know the answer to. Because were so rural, the boss is desperate to retain staff as it's so difficult to recruit so are bending over backwards to make this person feel welcome so they don't leave. It's basically me and her in the office each day. I'm barely managing to keep up with the standard duties of my role because I'm so busy 'mentoring'. I'm having to spend an hour a night at home to reply to emails and work on a project (one I was only supposed to be doing temporarily til the new person arrived but she has said she doesn't feel confident taking over a project which is half finished). I have been on loads more training courses and got qualifications from these (semi-required for my job, absolutelt downright essential for hers) so im having to do those bits of her job until she's trained. She spends about 5 hours a day doing the online training for these while I pretty much had to do 75% of it in my own time due to how busy we were in work. I've spoken with my manager about this and I got a really defensive reply about how I'm making this personal due to not getting the job and I'm forgetting what it feels like to be new etc. They know fine well they've got me stuck here for another 7 years so would have no desire to promote me as my role would be even harder to recruit for than the promoted one the new person has just filled.
Aibu to feel bitter? There's a newly married team member who has been vocal about wanting a baby soon which would mean another promotion opportunity at some point, albeit temporary. Wibu to scare the bosses a little by saying at some point this week I'm looking at other opportunities because I'm worried about becoming 'stuck' (it would need to be something outside of my profession as there aren't any related jobs in my area)? They have said numerous times what an asset I am to the team and how much I bring to it and they don't ever want to lose me but I feel undervalued and do feel 'stuck' because they know I can't move for ages. I'm hoping this may lead to them considering me for any further promotion opportunities that may arise in order to keep me from leaving the team.
Gosh I sound so bitter. I'm a nice person, really! I uprooted my whole life and invested so much in moving here because I was told that there would be lots of promotion opportunities over the next 5 years. Lies.