Help and advice about difficult boss!

[ambermay]

please bear with me on this one it might be a long one but any advice would be fantastic especially those of you that are salon owners/managers

Ok so it all started over three years ago, I was at college doing my level 2 and one of the girls on my course told me that she had just decided to open a beauty salon and would I be interested in working for her, omg I thought thats great especially as it's so hard to get a job with no salon experience so I bit her hand off, over the last 3 years i've now qualified in level 3 and level 3 nails, worked at tesco and done some private cleaning to bring in some money to help pay the bills, in the mean time the slon still hasnt opened??

Every month since june last year she has been telling me that the salon would be ready to open next month so in total the salon should have opened 7 times over by now!

She has paid for me to do various training which I was really glad of but still not open.

also I have asked her loads of times how much I will be getting and how many hours i'll be doing still no answer, if I phone her or txt she replies when she feels like it and not before.

a few weeks ago I mentioned to her that I was thinking of doing a bit of mobile to help me with the bills and she told me I COULDN'T!!

last night she txt me at 10pm and asked if I could go in the next day to do a massage to practice but when I said I was working she was really rude to me, bearing in mind this massage was for a family member of hers it was free, and I'm not getting paid to go down and practice in the salon, and Iv already told her I do not need to practice massage I do it all the time.
My point is Ive waited very patiently for 3 years for this salon to open (silly me I k now) and now she seems to want to control me :cry: she seems to think she opening in 3 weeks but has said she cant guarente many housrs.

There is another vacancy come up in a local salon and it really appeals to me, (money and hours are excellent)I know there is only a slim chance I could get this job because there a people out there with more salon experience but I think i'm good enough! do you think I would be out of order applying????

I am soooo sorry its so long, please help:cry:

 

[Voodoo]

i'm not in the salon business, but have had a business before so here's my 2 pence worth....

she isn't your boss as you haven't signed any contracts with her, and she isn't paying you a regular wage.

personally i would go for that job you have seen, and forget about her pie-in-the-sky idea about opening a salon.

all you have done is agreed to work in her salon WHEN it is open...3 years is rather a long time to wait!

good luck with the other job, and i would tell her firmly that you aren't interested anymore as you need regular work and a regular wage.

can you imagine what it would be like if you DID work in there?...she doesn't sound very busines-minded to me whatsoever.

jue x

 

[kylieb]

I'm not a salon owner hun but just wanted to say the same sort of thing happened to me. I went for and interview and everything and was told the salon would be opening in 1 months time. I waited 6 months, in the mean time jobs were flying at me but i didnt take them as I really believed what this employer was saying.
Go for the job in the local salon. If this other lady is already getting the hump with you then i am wondering what she is going to be like if you do actually work for her.

I know she has sent you on training but just look at it as you have waisted 3 years of waiting and your bonus was to get qualified in a few extra things.

And dont let anybody tell you that you cannot do mobile work as well as working in a salon. You are allowed just so long as you dont advertise within 3 miles from your salon.

Good luck with what you decide xxx

 

[izzidoll]

She has paid for me to do various training which I was really glad of but still not open.

I find this strange...you do not actually work for her as yet, and yet she has paid for training for you.
She sounds pretty generous, and don't you think that ethically if you do take up employment elsewhere(which you are entitled to do as no contract has been signed) then you should pay her back her outlay for this training.

 

[kylieb]

I find this strange...you do not actually work for her as yet, and yet she has paid for training for you.
She sounds pretty generous, and don't you think that ethically if you do take up employment elsewhere(which you are entitled to do as no contract has been signed) then you should pay her back her outlay for this training.

I dont really think she should have to pay her back as she has kept her waiting and she has been loyal to this lady for 3 years by not getting another job and waiting for this one to become available. I dont think I would wait for 3 years so I take my hat off to her for her patience.
I think the training is the least she could do for her xxx

 

[rouge]

I find this strange...you do not actually work for her as yet, and yet she has paid for training for you.
She sounds pretty generous, and don't you think that ethically if you do take up employment elsewhere(which you are entitled to do as no contract has been signed) then you should pay her back her outlay for this training.

That's what I was thinking. I'd go for the other job, if you get it then offer to pay her back the training costs. It's only fair, even if she has messed you around.

 

[jonailtech]

i agree with izzidoll i think you would have to pay her back it was your own decision to wait three years for her to open, but about your original question i think you have every right to look elsewhere for a job and i think you'd be mad to wait any longer for her to open, as long as you pay her back that is..

 

[ambermay]

I find this strange...you do not actually work for her as yet, and yet she has paid for training for you.
She sounds pretty generous, and don't you think that ethically if you do take up employment elsewhere(which you are entitled to do as no contract has been signed) then you should pay her back her outlay for this training.

Imo I dont think I should pay her back for the training because it was her decision to train us both before the salon opened also last aug I had a lot of cleaning work and when she said we would be opening the following month I finished the majority of the jobs giving my clients 4 weeks notice thinking the salon would be open so as it didnt I then lost out on my pay from cleaning and got in to a lot of debt since,

I know that maybe I shouldnt have waited three years but I felt as though she would be the only salon willing to hire me with no salon experience.

the salon has been kitted out and all ready to open for months but I think she putting it off, im there tomorrow so I 'll see what is said.

thanks for your replies.

 

[sbbugs]

I dont reply on these boards just love reading, but I had to respond to this one. I have been going through something a little similar. I was employed by this person that opened a nail salon in my area. She painted a beautiful picture of what plans she had and things she was going to do with the business etc etc. She started offering classes and I was able to instruct, Im managing(but really not as im the only one, so now just running the place for her till is sells basically) and more establishments were to open.
I thought this was my time to shine and that finally I was going to be in an established business with all the bells and whistles. Well things changed, she moved away and not a couple hours, on the other side of the country and is now selling the business. She is telling me there is a place within the company as she is trying to franchise the business name but do i believe her not one bit. So now I feel very guilty( but I know I shouldnt) because if I leave the business will likely shut down because we couldnt even get employees at our busy time last year. So im here to say don't sit and wait around for someone, I seen lots of red flags in my face from the start but ignored them, and now realize I have to look after myself because no one else is going too. This has happened over just a year but 3 years is alot of a persons life you can't get back when you could have been doing something else. I am doing some mobile now and she can't say anything because I am doing it 30 mins away from her salon. I know legalities are different in different places but I have learned sometimes when people dream too big and too fast someone gets hurt in the crossfire.
Again good luck. I believe everything happens for a reason but sometimes we have to make it happen and can't sit around to see what might transpire because we might not like the outcome.
Jen

 

[Violet Star]

Oh sweetie. This lady isnt your boss and she has absoloutly no control over you at all shes just a normal everyday person. To be honest i think this salon thing is just Pie in the sky for her - For someone to say they are opening a salon for 3 years and still not opened well i would have long forgotten this one from the first 2 months.

I think you should do what you want to do, work where you want or work for yourself. To be honest i think working for yourself is better as you can be proud of what you have done, you have no-one to boss over you, your completely in control.

hths x

 

[bombini]

I can't understand what the hold up is if she has a salon kitted out ready to go ?

Do you have a contract ? If not then I would be inclined to apply for the other job if you are offered it then I would tell the first salon owner that you cannot put your life on hold for a salon that may/may not open.

With regards to the training, which training was it ? Product training ? New treatment training ? Product training is usually free so I wouldn't be paying that back and even if she has paid for it if you aren't using the products its of no benefit to you at all.

 

[Magic2beauty]

Apply for the new salon! you have not signed a contract with her. You can't break your back for this very unreliable person, imagen how she would run her business after all that messing about- one wonders is there really a salon at all??
dont feel bad , do what you need to do to further you career! God luck!

 

[Retired]

I find this strange...you do not actually work for her as yet, and yet she has paid for training for you.
She sounds pretty generous, and don't you think that ethically if you do take up employment elsewhere(which you are entitled to do as no contract has been signed) then you should pay her back her outlay for this training.

That's my thinking exactly. I would definitely go and work somewhere else and pay her back. That way things are even between you.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[SelenaP]

apply for the new job an good luck to you . . i wouldn't pay her a penny - think she got a damn cheek imo, just think of how ahead you could have got in the last 3 years instead of waiting for her! her fault she hasn't pulled her finger out an sorted things out, an hers for payin for the courses, she's not your boss an sounds to me like she wouldn't be any body elses for long either, sorry to sound so blunt but sod her . . it's your life! go for the job!

 

[chantell simone]

so let me get this straight she offered you a job in her salon, that after 3 years is still not open, paid for your training and then tells you that you can't work on a mobile basis even though you have been waiting very patiently!

If you have not signed a contract then you are not legally bound at all

I say apply for the job, you never know you may get lucky

 

[Sahara 711]

The answer is sooo simple... tell her to where to go...

• You have signed no contract,
• You have done no work for her in salon
• Employment commences when "Terms of Employment" this is a (statement of employment) are exchanged & agreed.

The law would take a an extremely dim view of a prospective employer "promising" jobs to people.

She has no hold over you or your profession whatsover, if she paid for some of your training, thats her problem if she has miscalculated her sucesss of her salon & cant employ you with reliable terms of employment.

Go for the other job hun & ignore any contact from her...

You be fine.

Gill
Sahara Nail Spa

 

[tog]

Get shot of her, she's living in cloud cuckoo land.
If this woman gets funny about the money she's spent on courses for you, politely remind her of all the work you've turned away in the past 3 years whilst she was promising you a salon job that didn't materialise, so that's money that YOU lost on account of HER.
As someone else has said - you have learnt the hard way that you need to look out for number one, ie YOURSELF.
Apply for the other salon job and carry on with your mobile work too. Who does she think she is telling you not to?
Good luck!

 

[ambermay]

Thank you soo much for your comments you have all basically said everything my mum has been saying for months but I wanted a non biased opinion I will remember in future mothers are always right (im one myself so I should know that:lol

anyway im going in tomorrow to chat about wage, deff opening date and hours and going to put in a very nice way that I have to look for other work if she cant give me any straight answers oh! and I applied for the other job so fingers crossed

thanks again all, I'll let you know the outcome x

 

[tog]

well done you, although it is difficult to do these things you'll feel SO much better once you've told her. x x

 

[Voodoo]

good luck with the jobs you are/have applied for. :hug:

if she gets all arsey about the training she has paid for, then politely remind her that for 3 years she has been promising you a job in the salon and you have turned down many others whilst waiting for it to FINALLY open.

jue x