Complicated work/contract situation - should I stay or should I go?

[thirtysomething]

I'm in a bit of a pickle. Was volunteering for a while at a charity which turned into a paid job, but on a very casual basis - i.e. they tod me in a letter how much I would be paid and we verbally agreed a number of hours, and I tell them how many hours I've worked each month. Nothing was every really mentioned about time limits, except a sentence about flexible hours until the end of the year.

It now turns out that they are in a position to recruit someone to do the job permanently, for more hours a week than I've been doing. I didn't know they'd applied for funding for this role (they obviously knew all along!).

They've hinted heavily they'd like me to apply but I'm very annoyed about being kept in the dark and, effectively, by launching a recruitment process with a start date they've tactlessly given me my notice I suppose that our temporary arrangement will cease then.

In some ways I'd like to stay as I enjoy it most of the time; however all of this has made me very wary of the management and I'm also worried that I'll put myself through the recruitment process only for someone better qualified to come along and I'd feel totally humiliated. I'm also expected to advertise what is effectively my job as far as our clients etc are concerned to our email network etc., which I find huliliating too.

Also, the job entails slightly more hours than I can really do at the moment, and lots of extra tasks.

Any suggestion? I'm gutted at the thought of having to walk away from there and probably having to train my successor, but I feel a bit used and trapped too!

Sorry, very long post, thanks v. much if you stayed with it!!

It sounds like they want to keep you & have designed the job with you in mind

They probably didn't tell you about applying for the funding in case they didn't get & they didn't want to give you false hope.

Maybe they don't realise you can't do the hours they want - I'd have a chat with them about applying and doing less hours

I think as you only had a 'casual' agreement it doesn't really give you much to go on.

Maybe they didn't want to tell you about the possibility of getting the funding as they didn't want to get your hopes up about the possibility of a more permanent position.

I agree it is rather tactless that they've effectively given you notice, but I guess its something to learn from about getting a clear contract set up at the beginning.

Do you think they are just going to be going through the process of advertising teh job and they'd just give it to you anyway - how equal opps are they?

I'm not quite sure I understand why you're this upset tbh.

It's good news that they have funding to appoint to this post on a permanent basis.

It's excellent news that they are so pleased with your work that they are hinting heavily for you to apply.

It's completely appropriate for them to advertise the role rather than just appoint you, and a robust, open recruitment process is probably a condition of the funding.

It's a little bit inconsiderate of them not to tell you they were applying for funding, I agree. I don't know how much you'd normally know about applications for funding as part of your role, but in the case where it's effectively the job you are already doing, yes it would have been better to let you know what was happening. But they have let you know now, and are obviously keen to appoint you to the permanent role otherwise they wouldn't be heavily hinting to get you to apply.

It if would be more hours than you can do, talk to your boss about it and see what can be done.

Thank you everyone for your extremely swift responses!! I feel better now as you've all been very reasonable and objective, and I guess I'm still reeling from the shock of all of this suddenly coming up and having to go through a recruitment process for something I'm already doing. If indeed they are planning on appointing me anyway it makes me feel very bad in relation to everyone else who goes through the recruitment process as they will have got their hopes up and it wouldn't be fair (but the other side of that is that I worry they'll end up with a better candidate anyway!! so I can't win really!!)

If you're in the job and they are pleased with you, any recruitment process you go through will not be that taxing or burdensome I imagine.

If they are getting funding from a govt body or other organisation for this post it is extremely likely there is a specific requirement for a full recruitment process to be completed, so a decision to do this is by no means a reflection on you, and does not indicate a desire to find anyone better.

thanks flowery, that's very good to know (I will still worry about the competition though!!!)

Can understand your instant reaction but it sounds to me as if they're hinting the job will pretty much be yours. It is almost certain that they are legally obliged to advertise the job (it is rare that a company won't have to do this) so they have to go through the motions of advertising/recruiting, but it sounds like it's just a formality. Good luck!

thanks fattipuffs - what a cool MN name!