Am I Overreacting About Late Payments?
I’d really appreciate some advice on whether I’m overreacting in this situation.
I’m a single female living in a one-bedroom house, running a car, and working part-time after some time off for surgery. My work situation has been stressful, and I’m at a breaking point. Here’s the backstory:
Last year, I worked one day a week at a school through an agency, doing different roles. Eventually, the school decided they no longer wanted to work with the agency and asked me to either leave the agency and continue working for them directly at a higher pay rate or stop working there altogether. I wasn’t under contract with the agency and had no loyalty to them, so I agreed to work directly for the school.
The school is 28 miles each way, meaning each shift is a 60-mile round trip that I need to budget for. The arrangement changed slightly as well — instead of invoicing the agency, I had to invoice the school directly and wait 30 days after submitting my invoice to get paid. The problem is, they’ve missed my invoices multiple times, leading to late payments.
In July, my invoice was overlooked, and I had to wait the entire six-week summer holiday before the school reopened so I could chase the payment. Another time, a staff member left, and my invoice was late again. Every time this happens, I end up getting hit with extra charges because my bills — council tax, rent, car insurance, Wi-Fi — all rely on that payment. I’ve even had things go to bailiffs because of it.
The late payments have been consistent:
• October and November were late.
• In December, I was due to be paid on the 20th but was told my invoice was missed, and I’d have to wait until January. That payment was meant to cover Christmas, so you can imagine how that felt.
• January’s payment finally came on the 15th.
• February’s payment arrived on the 14th.
• This month, I was expecting payment on the 14th again, but when I contacted them today, they told me I won’t be paid until the 28th.
This latest delay means I’ll have to fund the 60-mile trip for six weeks before getting paid, and I just can’t keep doing this. I’ve already sent my invoice for the two weeks I worked in March, but my plan is to hand in my notice on Monday.
Am I overreacting? I feel like I’ve been patient, but the lack of consistent pay is putting me in a really difficult position financially. I’d really appreciate any advice.