To think that these job adverts are being unreasonable?

[Keke94LND]

So I was browsing job ads, just out of interest, I have no plans on applying for these jobs but, am I being unreasonable to think that these ads are being unreasonable?

Both jobs are PA roles, they both offer 'flexible' working, some days from home and some days from the office which is in the boss' house, and apparently there will be some need to sometimes get to the office quickly, meaning that the applicant must live in central London and this is non negotiable. One job is part time paying circa £30k and one is full time paying £30k.

AIBU to think that the non negotiable must live in central London part of the ad is totally unreasonable and out of touch? In my head central London is like... zone 1? And if they require this they should be paying way more than £30k?

It depends on the definition of 'quickly'. Are they going to pay for a helicopter or taxi?

Does it say in the advert about the living in Central London bit? Or just that they must be able to get to the office quickly?

Quickly doesn’t mean ‘be there in 10 mins’ surely?

It means ‘this might be a predominantly wfh job but we don’t want lots of applicants from Yorkshire who will grudgingly get a train once a month with a weeks notice’

Also, if you live near the station in Croydon and the office is in Victoria, you’ll be in the office quicker than if the office is in Liverpool Street and you live in Chelsea

@herculesoffline

Does it say in the advert about the living in Central London bit? Or just that they must be able to get to the office quickly?

Both say specify 'units live in central London' because you may need to pop to the house at short notice

Oops I meant must not units

Are they both for the same company? Seems odd with one paying £30k pa for part time and one £30k pa for full time.

£30k pa for full-time is ok if it's a relatively junior position - could imagine someone to be able to support themselves living in a studio rental or houseshare in Central London. Not so much if they're expecting someone with 10 years relevant experience.

Where's the house? Zone 1&2 is pretty large area and as pp said, may be faster for someone to travel from outer London on fast train than to travel from one side of zone 2 to the other.

It’s the “pop to the office/house at short notice” that would worry me Sounds like you’d be expected to be at their beck and call all hours of the day

Okay so I wrote this on the train and have now read them again and I got completely mixed up sorry!! There's actually only one job that specifies must live in central London and it's the part time one.

The full time one stuck in my head because it was for a 'woke female influencer' lol

Screams "The Devil Wears Prada" to me....

@keke94LND

Do you have links to the adverts?

So they want a dogsbody...

YABU. It's what a PA does. Part of your role is to be at your boss's beck and call - it's what your're paid for in your working hours. It's likely you can work from as much as you can, but you would need to be available to pop to his house to collect papers, get something signed, etc. I would do a part time PA role at £30k and be available to go to the boss's house at short notice, but then I'm a PA, it's what we do!

@WhatATimeToBeAlive

YABU. It's what a PA does. Part of your role is to be at your boss's beck and call - it's what your're paid for in your working hours. It's likely you can work from as much as you can, but you would need to be available to pop to his house to collect papers, get something signed, etc. I would do a part time PA role at £30k and be available to go to the boss's house at short notice, but then I'm a PA, it's what we do!

Couldn't disagree more.. I'm a PA as well, in corporate working in Piccadilly Circus, my boss can be very demanding but she doesn't expect me to live round the corner, thankfully because I could only rent a studio flat round the corner from my office for £1,700 per month. What if my partner also needed to be near his office in Greenwich? This kind of requirement doesn't bode well for employee retention as people may want to be able to get on the property ladder (so would have to move out of central London) or start a family, (so would need more space than a studio flat) If you want someone to be at your beck and call, either pay someone the salary or a 24/7 beck and call PA, hire a live in PA where accommodation is paid for, or don't offer the flexibility of working from home, for example, I go into the office everyday 9-6.

[quote herculesoffline]@keke94LND

Do you have links to the adverts?[/quote]
www.secsinthecity.co.uk/job/3941420/part-time-private-pa-to-successful-artist-/

This is the ad, apologies that I got completely mixed up in my original post, this one is actually £20 per hour for 16 hours a week, so it's probably more like circa £40k. It's only the non negotiable must live in central London that I find bizarre, because central London is.. the majorly expensive part.. I live in zone 3 and wouldn't consider it central

16 hours PER MONTH....

@PinkFootstool

16 hours PER MONTH....

Oops my attention to detail is failing me this week 🤣🤣

"This is a part-time role and we are looking for candidates who are able to dedicate at least 16 hours per month but willing and able to be flexible as the hours are not set in stone and could increase in time. "

Flexible as possible but only 4 hours a week and so what, can you get another full time job? What if the 'employer' needs you whilst you're at your other job. Doesn't pay enough for me for some possible unreasonable demands.

I wonder if the ad was written by someone not from London. I could understand if it said must live within easy access to central London. What are they actually classing as Central?

My daughter lives in Ealing. It takes her between 40-50 mins to cycle and tube into her job in Central.

She was staying further out near Lee but it only took her 30 mins to travel in from there.

@Wheresmrpenguin

"This is a part-time role and we are looking for candidates who are able to dedicate at least 16 hours per month but willing and able to be flexible as the hours are not set in stone and could increase in time. "

Flexible as possible but only 4 hours a week and so what, can you get another full time job? What if the 'employer' needs you whilst you're at your other job. Doesn't pay enough for me for some possible unreasonable demands.

Yeah I agree, plus it's technically on a self employed basis so it won't offer any sort of benefits like pensions, and usually if you're self employed you can pick your hours but it doesn't sound like the candidate would be able to. It sounds like this person would be better of hiring a 'virtual assistant' tbh

@Comefromaway

I wonder if the ad was written by someone not from London. I could understand if it said must live within easy access to central London. What are they actually classing as Central?

My daughter lives in Ealing. It takes her between 40-50 mins to cycle and tube into her job in Central.

She was staying further out near Lee but it only took her 30 mins to travel in from there.

Yeah I agree, I would understand if it said preferably lives in London or within easy commute to so and so location, but they haven't specified where the boss's house is, and central London to me is like.. Westminster, Islington etc, most people can't live in these locations especially working 16 hours a month, which surely just means only an already wealthy person can get the job

When she first moved there in the summer she only had 10 days notice before her new job started so she sub-let a room in Clapham. Now she wouldn't class that as Central but it was literally a 30 minute cycle from there to Charing Cross.

@Wheresmrpenguin

"This is a part-time role and we are looking for candidates who are able to dedicate at least 16 hours per month but willing and able to be flexible as the hours are not set in stone and could increase in time. "

Flexible as possible but only 4 hours a week and so what, can you get another full time job? What if the 'employer' needs you whilst you're at your other job. Doesn't pay enough for me for some possible unreasonable demands.

Good for a student though

Not every job has to be the sole means of support for an independently living adult

Yes would work for a student or even an au pair such as my daughter's au pair who does indeed live right in the centre of London works part time hours and has housing provided by employer. In other words quite a few people might do it including someone retired or even council tenants in inner London would qualify presumably.

@Xenia would your au pair be able to drop things and run off though? Most students would struggle with that as well. It's this expectation that you'll drop your life in Central London and run off to help a "successful artist" (whatever that means) by popping chilled champagne / milk / cheese in the fridge because the poor wee mite has been travelling and is a "perfectionist who is very organised". But only get paid £20/hr, be SE and no guarantee of hours. Weird.

Good point(and it's my adult daughter''s au pair I was thinking a bout so no idea what her contract says).

i can understand someone's butler or full time PA having a contract where they are available as required whenever but for 16 hours a month they may find it hard to get somenoe other than a lonely old person with nothing to do who loves art and even chats to the postman because they get out so little and are very bored. (A lot of people like that do exist)