is this a normal job role or I am being stupid staying?

[bipbapbomp]

I finished my degree in December last year, and struggled to find a job relevant to it - I took a job in a supermarket over Christmas to make sure I didn't go too far into my overdraft, and it did tied me over! Luckily, on the 3rd January I was approached by someone on LinkedIn who offered me a job interview for a assistant project manager role. The interview was informal, and he said CV speaks for itself etc etc - and I got offered the job on the day. I started the week after.

At the interview, it was made clear that I would be supported ("micromanaged") by the manager. The role is part time (3 days a week), and as I am completing a second Masters now, these are on specific days, agreed with management: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

As the location is remote, I am based in an office on my own in a city centre location.

So quick summary!
working as an assistant project manager, 3 days a week, first role as this and was told I would get a lot of support, and in a location on my own, where I don't have support from anyone else in the business.

The CEO I am working for is really lovely and says I am doing a good job, but I'm not sure...

So here's my problem:

• I am totally unsure of what my role is. I do not have a job description. I don't even have a contract.

• I am forwarded emails to reply to, without context or understanding of what is needed with the reply.

• I am not given tasks, targets or ANYTHING to achieve that would stretch the 3 days. Arranging training is something I have been given; but doesn't take a great deal of time. I know there's an element of you have to create your own workload, but because of the sector this is, it would be impossible to create a new project etc.

• On most days I am twiddling my thumbs. This is made worse because I am in an office on my own - it stresses me out as I don't have anyone checking if I even came in! I could easily (and would never actually do this) not come in. Also, there's not a lot of support if I need it.

• On the days I am not meant to be working, I will get emails asking me to email/send an update to someone; and on the business Whatsapp they will ask me to do this - even when I am in Uni on my "days off". At the moment this is obviously fine, as I am struggling to find work to stretch the 3 days I do work. But, I am worry that there will be an expectation that I would "as and when" for the money I get - emails come in at like 11pm to reply to.

I am feeling deflated. Does this sound dodgy/rubbish or is it me being an inexperienced idiot?

I am getting really anxious that I am missing something, not doing the job properly or I am going to make a mistake. I have spoken to management prior to this and they've said I'm doing well, just carry on. But with what??

AIBU or is this job not a good option?

and be careful about the month in hand. That is very unusual and if you leave you are more likely to be paid a month in arrears or sometimes two weeks arrear/two weeks in hand. Eg, I have had employers where I have been paid on 15th or 20th of the month.
you will need to eek out your month in hand to the end of the following month in some cases.

@theunknownknown

that is a worry to me. I feel like I couldn't leave in the first month as I had already been paid.

I don't know anything about holiday entitlement/sick pay anything like that.

It feels like a shambles the more I think about it.

Today I have been working on a document, but no one would even know if I didn't turn up.

I have been given the option to work from home as well - that makes me even more stressed!

I expect they won a grant and need to prove what they are spending but don't actually know what they are doing.

This is a really poor way of wasting taxpayer's money. Not your fault OP. But the whole "use the funding or lose it" mentality means you've been employed to use cash and not do a job.

What a waste. Agree with others, get into your MSc work or something.

OP - did you get a payslip???

I don't know anything about holiday entitlement/sick pay anything like that

Well ASK!

You've been given lots of constructive advice on here...

My first job was like this with the exception I was sat with a team, but my manager was based in the USA and just didn’t give me any guidance or time at all. My brother had a similar experience in his first job too.

All I can say is try not to let it get to your mental health and follow up two lines of attack:

1. be super proactive about asking for more work, more guidance, more input. Lots of new grads are way too nervous about “inconveniencing” their superiors, when actually it’s better for the operation if you’re not sitting there twiddling your thumbs all day. The phone is your friend - don’t just email your boss, call him and ask him what he’d like you to have completed by the end of the day. Call him if you have a question. It will make you look proactive and means that he can’t just ignore you. If there is someone in the team that stands out in terms of being a bit of a star, ask them to mentor you. Ask them if you can help work on a report, take something off their plate. Ask for deadlines as a way around apathy.
2. Look for another job. You are basically experiencing very bad management and in your first job it’s unlikely you can fix this by yourself. So be proactive but don’t expect to stay there for more than a few months as it will start to get to you. But don’t walk out straight away as it will still look good on your CV even if the reality is you did nothing all day.

I’d also follow the excellent advice about allocating set times on your off days to
do emails, communicating this to your team, and sticking to it or you’ll never get any mental down time. I’d potentially combine (1) above with a set time to do your academic work, so spend 50% of your day being super proactive about job work then a set few hours doing academic work.

I know it’s tough though - I basically got pushed into several months of anxiety/depression due to being so isolated and bored in my first job. I stayed there way too long as I didn’t look into other jobs for ages.

I'd deffo take @milliefiori's advice.

Write up a list of questions such as your annual leave entitlement etc.

Arrange meeting to get those answered.

Stay until you've done your masters!!!

You're only a few weeks in, job might pick up so just enjoy the down time for now and the extra time you can spend on your MA

Charity projects often take time to get up and running so your role may become busier as time goes on. It could also be that there is charity funding that needs to be spent by the end of the financial year.

My post is apparently funded by a local authority - but the payment was arranged by the CEO, so I don't really understand that bit.

So they have taken you on to ensure that funding is spent. With LA funding if you don't spend, you generally don't get it next time or a proportion of if you don't spend it all ( that's how it worked when I was in an LA).

If the funding goes, the job goes unless they get funding from elsewhere.

You need a contract of employment rapidly from them. You also need to ask that you work in an office with others and at least with the PM you are "assisting", surely the CEO isn't also managing the project. On the Project Board/Sponsor I can understand, but not really the PM.

You currently sound like an under utilised Admin Assistant with a specific job title to satisfy the funding criteria.

Did you get a pay slip?

You need a contract. This is basic stuff that any employer should provide.

Sounds like they will need you, they had budget for you and they're just giving you bits of stuff to do until they get started/kick off the next phase/have time to properly bring you on board. But no one has told you that.

Although Assistant project manager is often an admin role in my experience, chasing docs for signatures, booking meetings, sending emails the pm can't be arsed to.

I work for a charitable organisation and this is NOT NORMAL.

You need to get a contract (including salary, hours, holiday entitlement) and payslips. And tell them that without these, you can't continue working in this way. You seem to have time on your hands during your working hours, so prioritise these needs. Keep pursuing the office/CEO as often as you have to.

Use the holiday / sick pay as an excuse to ask for a contract and company handbook?

Also you need to know the fire policy etc..?

I had a couple of jobs like this in the charity sector.

I left then later regretted it.

Stay and make the most of it

@bipbapbomp call the charity head office and ask to speak to HR - ask them if you can have a copy of your payslip, your contract and your job description - see if they even know of your existence!
If they don't have a clue who you are, leave, pronto.

If you do stay, re: the emails, do you have an 'out of office' switched on when you're off at uni? Does it say, you will respond to all emails on Mon/Tues/Wed - if so, do not even look at emails when you're not supposed to be working.

Sounds to me like the charity is just a bit disorganised and unprofessional. Ask for a meeting with your line manager, ask to see project plan and organisational work plan. Where do you fit into it and what aspects do you have responsibility for. What are the key milestones for next 3-6month and the longer term funding picture. Set key objectives and tasks for you to work towards. Ask for a contract and job description.

Or you could just coast it out and do a bit of uni work during the day, long lunches, etc as other have suggested.

I don’t think there is a huge difference between an assistant project manager role and an admin role so that isn’t concerning. (Arranging training would be a task for either).

Just ask for a contract and pay slip.

Re: lack of work, it may be that they haven’t worked out what they can pass on to you yet and it may evolve.

I would do no work on days off, save it for the days you are in. You could just reply something like ‘noted, will deal with on Monday’. I send emails at time convenient to me, I don’t expect recipients to deal with them outside their working hours.

This sounded very dodgy at first, OP, but having read the whole thread now I agree with what some others are saying. This is probably early days in a small charity that has been given funding and needs to start showing they're using it.

A good time to get on with your MA thesis! If the job does fall apart later, you won't have wasted your time. And I don't believe any employer would think less of you for taking this job and seeing where it goes, at this early stage in your career. Best of luck with it all.

the charity is well known locally. My post is apparently funded by a local authority

I was wondering if your post had outside funding. I had a job kike that. Totally above board but along with a couple of other people they employed, just didnt have enough to do!

I remember being fairly new and asking my line manager what he wanted me to do - I was supposed to be his assistant - about 3 hous later he came into my office with his coat on and bag in hand. Gave me 4 emails to send cancelling a meeting and said he would be back in two weeks!!

Before you even said charity I thought third sector inefficiency, not money laundering.

The OP said it’s a well known charity in the area so unlikely to be a set up.

My daughter had a job a bit like this, with a charity. working from home, but only about 8 hours a week. She was there for 3 months and she didnt actually do anything at all apart from look at the training videos and have occassional meetings with her manager. They gave her a phone and a galaxy tablet.
after 3 months she gave it up because she was feeling so stressed about it

It sounds like a great job when you're completing your masters! Ask to work from home, and work on your uni stuff whenever there's no work to do, and continue to do the out-of-hours stuff in return. If you're doing everything that's being asked of you, no worries.

The problem with this sort of job is that when you go for an interview and they ask you to tell them about “a time when ...” you will have nothing to draw on to illustrate what skills you have gained from employment so far.

I’d use the time to look for something else, pronto. But don’t give it up until you do have another job. If there’s no contract, there’s no notice period so you could move on pretty quickly.