Life as a Temp Employee

I work as a “temp” – if that’s what you want to call it – since they seem to only call once in a blue moon to give out an assignment. A temp assignment once a year hardly qualifies as a “temp”. More like painfully unemployed.

But I digress…

I went on an assignment last week to plug some program for “No Child Left Behind”. It was for a company called “Project Success” located back east. More about that at some other time. Regardless, my job assignment was for one hour at a school 50++ miles away (102 miles roundtrip). The hourly rate: $10/hour. Seriously. The big thing was supposed to be this: I was going to work 1-hour – but get paid for 4 (-My Employer’s Name Hidden for Protection – ‘ policy – my actual employer – you get paid a minimum of 4-hours even if you only work one hour). Plus, I was going to be reimbursed for gas at the rate of $.50 per mile. Making my gross pay for this assignment $90 ($50 for gas, $40 for work).

Today, I got a direct deposit of exactly: $10.59

It turns out that I was only paid for one hour (if this were true, my pay would’ve been more like $7) — and I need to fill out a special expense report to get reimbursed for the gas.

In the same phone call with my complaint to Kelly Services, I was asked if I wanted an assignment that sounded almost too good to say NO to.

Wanna hear it?

It’s about 40+ miles away from me, starts at 5:00 a.m., lasts for a few months, will require me to work holidays, evenings, weekends, and —- drumroll please…. will pay me a WHOPPING $10 an hour.

The assignment itself ends “when it’s finished”… The work involves data entry.

I remember the days when I used to make $19/hour for doing secretarial work. Real work.

Work that utilized skills.

Data entry is another one of those jobs that requires skills. Fast, accurate typing skills.

The minimum wage rate is somewhere around $8 to $9 an hour — I think it’s $8.90 an hour.

I’m gonna get just a squeek above that rate….

I might as well be shoveling dirt for that money.

And what exactly is that going to pay for??

$10 an hour x 8 hours — $80/day. After taxes, more like $60 or $70. Times that by 4 or 5 days.

That gives me a whopping $300-$400 per week. If I’m lucky.

That’s roughly $1200 to $1600 per month.

How do you live on that?

I guess it’s better than unemployment, which roughs out to about $289/week…

Oy….