Fair work trial or taken advantage of?

[LemonLass]

Hi
I haven't posted in a while but read the AIBU threads, commenting when helpful. I know it can be a bear pit at times but here goes... (because I am in two minds about a work role). Opinions from "the wo/man in the street"🙏 I'm not sure if applicants are being taken advantage of or this is genuine.

I applied to be a school cleaner for extra income. Had an interview and because schools not open til Sept the work try out next week is a holiday cottage. They provide equipment materials.

The school I would clean at if they accepted me is 10 mins walk or drive from my other employment so pretty convenient.

This is why AIBU:

The work try out is not on a bus route and takes 30 mins by car (1 hour round trip).

They have since asked if I could pick up another colleague in my town (which is a 10 min each way detour to me getting to the "not on a bus route" out of town location) also doing a work try out.

The try out is estimated at 5 hours but the school shifts would be 3 hours max (which meets my ideals- energy for a second job and sustainability which is different from a one off 5 hour property clean. I feel I may be a whinger if I say what I'm thinking. I also wonder if I am looking, subconsciously, for an excuse not to do the trial. I don't want to do this cleaning but I need money. School cleaning would fit in with my home life and my other work.

I look forward to any feedback from someone not in this situation 🙂

As long as you are being paid for the 5 hours I would just suck up the inconvenience if you want the job.

I’d agree to the trial but would not be willing to do the colleague lift. That’s nothing to do with them assessing your cleaning and actually a massive imposition. How would said colleague manage to do the job if they can’t get to the trial?

I would reply in a way that doesn’t look like I’m not a ‘team player’ but separates the trial and the lift.

It's fair if it's paid, even if a little annoying.

I think this is a little unusual I thought most schools employ cleaners through local authority. Calling it a trail is a bit misleading is it definitely paid?

I would not do this. Sounds a but dodgy.

Only if paid and no to lift.

So they want you to give a complete stranger a lift to a remote cottage over 30 minutes away by car so you can spend 5 hours cleaning it together for a trial? And you will be alone with this stranger throughout? So 10 hours in total? What kind of school is this? Do they understand safeguarding at all? And are they wanting you to clean a crime scene or something?

This sounds wrong on so many levels. It genuinely sounds like the start of a horror film!

You’d need business insurance on your car to give a potential colleague a lift to and from a job location different to the main one.

As @Tallisker says. Tell them your insurance does cover carrying business colleagues.

If you’re getting paid, then fine. If it’s a free trail then I think they’re just after a free holiday cottage clean.

Who owns the holiday cottage? Do they know this firm is sending someone who they don’t currently employ, presumably before they have taken up your references, to their property? No to giving the lift. No to the trial unless you are paid. They sound a very poor company.

I think the lift is completely unreasonable. You could always say that you are coming from and going back to a different location that day (staying with friends e.g.)

I don't think that's been the case for years. We're an LA school but cleaning is provided through a private company (not sure if that's organised by the LA or us, but our cleaners definitely aren't LA employees). This sounds like an absolute piss-take to me. Cleaning a school is mostly hoovering, wiping tables and cleaning the toilets. It really doesn't need a trial.

Did I miss where you explained if this is a paid trial? I wouldn't do it unless paid and I'd ask for it to represent the expected working conditions (so you're available for 3hrs max). And I would say no to picking anyone else up. I wouldn't give a reason.

This is very strange personally I would not do it. Is the job through a subcontractor to the school ? It sounds really unprofessional. Also even though school is closed I'm sure access could still be gained via the caretaker etc..

Sounds incredibly dodgy to me. I'd be giving it a miss personally and certainly wouldn't be picking up some random who is actually in competition with you for the job and whom you will have to chat to for over an hour!
I bet it's their own holiday cottage. The whole thing just sounds weird.

I think it all sounds odd. Where I live schools are not so closed over the summer that you could not go in. In fact the cleaners do some deep cleaning that they cannot do when children are around.

Do cleaners really need that sort of trial or do you not just have an induction/trial period.

Big fat no for taking a stranger in your car too.

Sounds like the owner/manager of the cleaning company/contract also owns a holiday cottage/air bnb and wants to save on paying a cleaner. I suspect they either have no intention of hiring you or will ask you to do their cottage again and again if they do hire you. Sorry.