Job applicant walks out of interview when employer offers to pay for 22 hours out of a 32-hour shift

Working in the caregiving industry can be very taxing on most individuals. Couple that with very poor pay and it becomes apparent why they feel burned out or change their career path. Most of the time, people get to know the realities of the place they work at while on the job. But for u/throwawaybusdude, that was not the case as they got to know about the poor pay the company was offering right from the interview.

The post titled "rage quit an interview" has got 1.5K upvotes on the site with 56 comments. The individual states that the incident happened around 8 years back, but it still lived "rent-free" in their head. They shared the story to get other's opinions on it. The individual states that they worked at a group home for at-risk youth for more than five years. They mention that staying in one place for that long would make employers consider them a "veteran" in their industry.

They write, "I moved from Florida all the way up to Vermont. I was still certified in CPR and all that jazz." They apply for a job at another group home in Vermont, wanting to continue in the same industry. It was a minimum wage job that paid 10 bucks an hour. The individual assumed that with their prior experience, getting a job would be relatively easy. However, they were in for a shock at the interview when they found out that they were called for a group interview with other candidates sitting in the interview with them.

Reflecting on the interview, they write, "Huge red flag right there." The interview progresses and they find out even more startling facts about the position. They write, "Apparently every week you'd work Wednesday 2 PM to 10 PM, Thursday 2 PM-10 PM but then Friday we are to work 2 PM to 10 PM; then CLOCK OUT but remain on site and sleep there, then clock in at 8 AM Saturday morning and work almost a double shift and leave at 10 PM."

The individual even found out that they would not be properly compensated in case they had to wake up and tend to an emergency case in the middle of the night at the group home during the weekend. They found out that they would only be compensated for the 20 minutes or however long the patient threw the tantrum. They write, "I said right there that I'm not staying there for 32 hours in a row, especially if you're only paying me for 22 of those hours, which is illegal." The individual then walked out of the interview as they felt cheated by the employer. Three others followed their suit. However, they mentioned that a majority of the interviewees stayed. 

People on the site commended the individual for walking out in the comments section. u/Kicky92 said, "Yeah, I'd have walked away too. If they want you to be on call, they have to pay you to be on call." u/Behemothschandelier added, "Starts with the states looking to cheap out and trickles down to the group homes. I've worked in the field for years before burning out. I'm in retail now and it's not much easier, but it's much easier to not care."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2023. It has since been updated.