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Original poster

16yr old Grandaughter awful work experience

92 replies

Leosnewmummy · 14/01/2020 09:35

Hi
Need advice what to do for the best. My 16 yr old DGD started a week long work experience yesterday in a salon due to it being part of her college work. She had to find the work experience herself and due to most salons not taking anyone or already booked this shop was the only one. She spoke to the manager who said come in at 10 till five, Monday to Friday. On arrival no manager was there only 6 staff who were all polish and didn't know why she was there. They called the manager who said GDG was there to sweep up and make coffee. This was disheartening for her to hear as she was looking forward to learning beauty procedures.
No one spoke to her and they all chatted together in Polish, she felt very unwelcome. Afrer lunch one of 2 men who work there said to my GDG he would curl her hair, which was a nice thing to do. When curling her hair he and the other guy were talking in Polish and she thought they were talking about her. Then one said to the other "get her to suck yr cock" pointing at my DGD.
Obviously she was mortified, she's 16 and a very young 16 I might add, very girly and a bit geeky. Then the guy curling her hair see her screen saver on her phone which is a photo of GDG and her boyfriend. He said "how old are you" she replied 16.
He said is that yr boyfriend she said yes. "Have you fucked him" no, " why not yr old enough you should fuck him".
She was so upset and scared but didn't know what to do. Sat on her own until 5pm then went to one women to get her booked signed. She told the woman what had been said to her and the woman said "oh he was only joking don't worry he's not in Wednesday you will have a better day. Needless to say my DGD went straight to my Dd place if work, crying and shaking begging her mum not to make her go back today. Well my Dd is fuming she's going to the salon today to confront them, then to the college to report it. My DGD is worried the college will now fail her because she's not completing her work experience. What would you do? I think the police should also be told. Her first taste of adult working life and this happens, how awful for her. And the 2 men are gay so may think its OK to speak like this to any females, I don't know.

OP posts:
Wheresthebiffer2 · 14/01/2020 11:17

my sister went to do work experience at a salon, and the only task she was given was to fold towels. not even sweeping up, or boiling the kettle, just folding towels. all day. she didn't go back for a second day, and our mother wrote to the school to say she could learn more from her at home, than wasting her time at the salon.

I'm sure some work experience is good, but if the particular salon (or wherever) has been co-erced into taking on this young person, and not at all interested, it is really a bit pointless.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 14/01/2020 11:18

My Dd is now at the police station to report it then will go to the college. Making sure no other young girl has to do her work experience at this salon.

Well done for your DD.

I hope your GD is OK and not too upset.

Comefromaway · 14/01/2020 11:19

Why would gay men be so disrespectful?

I do also know lots and lots of respectful gay men too.

Stefoscope · 14/01/2020 11:21

If it's a vocational course, I'm surprised the college don't have specific salons they deal with for work experience. It's a bit much to expect a random salon with no ties to the college to spend time teaching a student they have no connection to.

MildDrPepperAddiction · 14/01/2020 11:25

It is reasonable to expect her to only be there to sweep & make coffee, she is not trained & completely unqualified. They need to run a business and they can't have a child essentially underfoot through treatments with clients.

Thanks said, the way she has been treated has been appalling. There is absolutely no way she should have been subjected to that. I would be livid if it were my daughter. I would be reporting them to everywhere I could think of.

I hope your grandaughter is feeling ok now. She'll need a lot of love and support to be assured that they are not reflective of all men, they are a minority of horrible, misogynistic creeps.

Elderflower14 · 14/01/2020 11:28

Well done to your dd for reporting....

AvaSnowdrop · 14/01/2020 11:30

The tasks she’s been asked to do are normal for work experience. It’s quite often rubbish and you’re not allowed to do anything. But the sexual harassment is inappropriate and the salon needs to be blacklisted from future placements. Not that they will care. So personally I’d post it all over social media in local groups and make sure people know what sort of perverts are working there.

If1knewiwouldnotbehere · 14/01/2020 11:33

However what being polish has to do with anything is beyond me. Why is the fact the other staff were polish a problem confused

Presumably to emphasise being ignored as they kept speaking in a language they knew she couldn't understand. HTH

lottiegarbanzo · 14/01/2020 11:39

Had all the relevant connections and checks, between the college and salon, been made?

From your OP, it sounds a bit as though your DGD arranged this informally at (beyond) the last minute.

Either way, college needs to know and next steps arranged, for the sake of your DGD completing her course.

redwindowbox · 14/01/2020 11:44

I suggest she writes it all down, puts it in an email and sends copies to the business, the school and the police. END OF.

lovemenorca · 14/01/2020 11:47

Odd that speaking in polish but then turn to English at provide point you’d think they’d not want her to understand

lovemenorca · 14/01/2020 11:48

precise point

MsPepperPotts · 14/01/2020 11:51

Your DD has done absolutely the right thing by reporting to the Police.

TheMustressMhor · 14/01/2020 11:51

I thought the same thing lovemenorca.

theweebleshavelanded · 14/01/2020 11:57

I agree with a pp about work experience tasks being about sweeping, making tea etc as dgd is NOT trained or allowed to undertake anything beyond that (think if anything went wrong, insurance etc). Maybe the other polish staff didnt speak enough English to engage , plus if they werent told about her coming why expect them to "teach" her??

But I do agree she should`nt return because of the men and their treatment of her! Find their fb page....

Original poster
Leosnewmummy · 14/01/2020 12:22

She didn't expect to be doing any hair cutting or beauty treatments but watch so she could write these on her daily report. Nobody offered her this. Just ignored her all day.. She was really looking forward to this experience and booked it a few months ago. She's quite shy buy introduced herself to one of the women who totally blanked her, from then on the day got worse

OP posts:
mencken · 14/01/2020 12:26

being Polish or gay has nothing to do with it, nor is the insulting description of the girl as geeky (usually means scientifically literate on here) and girly.

what does need action and never returning is the sexual harrassment of a minor.

MorganKitten · 14/01/2020 12:30

I’d report what they said to her, let the collage know so they don’t send anyone else there. You can’t complain about them expecting her to sweep and make drinks, that’s work experience.

ginghamtablecloths · 14/01/2020 12:31

The way she was spoken to was an absolute disgrace and I'm sad to hear that this sort of thing still goes on.

I'm glad it's being reported to the police. I hope they take it seriously.

Also, would anyone at the local Jobcentre be interested in hearing about this?

FilledSoda · 14/01/2020 12:39

Glad to hear your dgd is going to the police. Good for her.

74NewStreet · 14/01/2020 12:43

Is this really a police matter? Confused. By all means don’t return and report their behaviour to the college, but I don’t see what the police will do about it. It’s all hearsay.

managedmis · 14/01/2020 12:45

So she understands Polish? Re the cock sucking?

C8H10N4O2 · 14/01/2020 12:48

Then one said to the other "get her to suck yr cock" pointing at my DGD

None of the customers noticed this interaction and the discomfort? Or were all six idle and waiting for customers?

SunshineCake · 14/01/2020 12:48

Of course it should be a police matter. The police are there to protect and educate. The child needs protecting. The adult male needs educating in the most polite terms.

SameOldHorrorStory · 14/01/2020 12:56

She didn't expect to be doing any hair cutting or beauty treatments but watch so she could write these on her daily report.

That’s not work experience appropriate, especially in a customer facing setting. Who wants to pay to go and get their hair or face done and have a child hovering in the background whilst the worker is explaining everything to them?

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