View Full Version : Would you work for free?
Appaloosamare
20-Jul-08, 08:41
This thread is really a spin off another thread that a certain individual was mouthing off about working for free.....saying that neither he nor his kids would work for free - no matter how wonderful the opportunity was.
What about everyone else would you work for free?
I have often worked for free to help folk out, to build my experience, use as a stepping stone to other things......
What has anyone else done working for free? I guess saying you wouldn't work for free is to say you would not volunteer to work for a charity or anything......
I have worked for free on a few occassions i.e to help others out and as you say to gain experiance, but i am not surprised there are some who wont work for free, as there are plenty out their who wont or dont want to even work for money lol :roll:
I have, quite often and I certainly will again. The same goes for my family and most of my friends.
There are plenty of rewards other than financial ones for doing work for free. It can be a stepping stone in furthering your career, or give you a foot in the door (mixing my metaphors here! :lol:) and lead to a paid job if you don't have one. Apart from that, it can give you the opportunity to meet new people, develop a new interest, and give you a sense of satisfaction and usefulness within a community.
I fully understand that there are people who genuinely don't have the time or energy for voluntary work at a particular time in their lives, but that's not the same as folk saying they would never work unless they were paid to.
Whitewater
20-Jul-08, 10:55
I've always found that if you need a job done you will always get it done if you ask a busy person, they can always fit it in. If you ask a person with time on their hands it will never be done.
Some people never worked in their lives, they think the world owes them a living, they bleed the system dry claiming all sorts of benefits and do nothing in return, they do not help in the community in any way.
I suppose I do a lot of voluntary work, but I have not looked at it as work, I'm treasurer in a couple of organisations, secretary in two others. My reward is being a member of the organisations, meeting many like minded people and enjoying their company. It is the best reward you could ever have. I was also a youth leader for more years than I can remember, it took up a considerable amound of time while working in a very demanding job, but always managed to fit everything in. Through my youth work I have now got many young men as friends who respect me and even though many of them do not now live in the area they always visit me when they come home, it has always been very rewarding to see how they turned and to feel that maybe I have made a small contribution to their personal developement.
No amount of money can ever replace that.
I spent alot of time "working for free". But then maybe not, as my payment was to gain experience in my professional area of work.
I used to help people out alot, when they asked for that help. I found that if you ask for nothing in return that the work you did had very little value to those you were carrying it out for. It's sad, but people generally don't appreciate anything that does not have a cost.
Not sure I agree Ju. I have volunteered in the local school - going on trips and helping with craft classes. I have always felt appreciated and enjoyed myself too - which is a big bonus.
There will always be people who don't appreciate the work put into something whether it is paid or not.
If people were not willing to work for free there would be very few clubs or organisations that would last. I totally apreciate each and every person that helps an give their time to our club and support us each and every time. They are absolute stars.
I too have frequently worked for free, from teaching in the local schools to helping someone out when they are stuck or could just do with a hand, I think it is a sad state of affairs if people cant give up a little of their time from time to time, especially as one day they might too need someone, I have always encouraged my children to help others and if working for free means you help someone or you gain valuable skills you have gained all ways round.
People should remember "what goes around, comes around"!
I've probably worked more for free than paid [lol]
I've helped out with Scottish conservation, I was a secretary for 2 years at the local playgroup, youth club, youth information point, 1 charity shop, various committees (SSPCA, Caithness Canine Club, Wick Unemployed Peoples Project), various charity's work and events.
The experiences have really helped me and even aided me getting paid work. I'd recommend voluntary work completely, it's worthwhile and very rewarding.
Often the folk saying they wont work for free are the ones who send their children to the volunteer lead activities - rainbows, cubs,scouts, BBs, etc - they do not consider the people who do 'work for free' by volunteering and helping to run these activities.
As the parents get older they expect activities to be run for them - christmas parties, lunch days, bowling, darts, cycling groups, hiking groups, organising gala days and weeks, county shows, volunteer drivers to take people out to church or hospital appoints etc - all done by volunteers.
They should say a very big thank you to all the unpaid volunteers in this country who help many people to have a much more fulfilling and enjoyable life, simply by helping out free of charge.
The folk who do not want to work for free - just think next time you attend practically any function, most of the work will have been done by unpaid workers. If you are not prepared to help do a little unpaid work yourself - dont bother to turn up at the functions and events.
[quote=pat;409122]Often the folk saying they wont work for free are the ones who send their children to the volunteer lead activities - rainbows, cubs,scouts, BBs, etc - they do not consider the people who do 'work for free' by volunteering and helping to run these activities.
As the parents get older they expect activities to be run for them - christmas parties, lunch days, bowling, darts, cycling groups, hiking groups, organising gala days and weeks, county shows, volunteer drivers to take people out to church or hospital appoints etc - all done by volunteers.
Its sad but true that those who dont want to do anything for free are the very ones who want everything for free that they can get [disgust]
I too have frequently worked for free, from teaching in the local schools to helping someone out when they are stuck or could just do with a hand, I think it is a sad state of affairs if people cant give up a little of their time from time to time, especially as one day they might too need someone, I have always encouraged my children to help others and if working for free means you help someone or you gain valuable skills you have gained all ways round.
People should remember "what goes around, comes around"!
Indeed nicnak - KARMA!
the wife has numerous times,but i hvent had the chance yet,but would for the right position
Myself and my partner often used to holiday abroad and tie it in with unpaid work at dog rescue centers and animal rescue centers and loved every minute of it:D.
We would then compare flea bites, bug bites and animal bites over a few beers at night.:confused
teenybash
20-Jul-08, 13:13
I have worked many times for free but, gained a wealth of experience in return. Not everything we do in life should have a price tag.
After finishing work , and spending a little time off i decided to offer myself
as a vlounteer to run a youth club,which was drastically falling apart at the seems, which i enjoyed immensily, and i agree there are some jobs you dont mind not being paid for, but there are the odd occasions that people want some to do over 16 hrs a week for nothing and i think thats where they are wrong. Teens get it alot, they get asked to help out, then spend alot more time there than was first stated and are expected to do it for nothing. Most ask for vlounteers so they dont have to pay a wage and be taxed on it, so there are many reasons why folk wont work for nothing..
Margaret M.
20-Jul-08, 13:30
Most people who volunteer can relate to spending more time on volunteering than the job they are paid to do but it is very rewarding. I say most people because even within volunteer organizations, there are people who prefer to do nothing. I guess it looks good on their resume to say they belong but when it comes to doing the work, they are nowhere to be seen. Organized volunteering aside, if I see someone who needs help and I can do it, I offer.
i have done a lots of jobs for freinds,relatives etc to help them out am not that tight!
voluntary work for charity etc is fine by me,but that is where it stops.
in my life when it comes to work i have been offered "wonderfull" opportunities" a couple of which i gladly accepted.but,they came with a wage too,i even got paid for training.
what makes someone think they are so wonderfull and have something so special to offer that you do the work for them free.
all to further themselves in their own business.
"mouthing off" no,this is the real world.nothing is free.some need to get a grip on that
This thread is really a spin off another thread that a certain individual was mouthing off about working for free.....saying that neither he nor his kids would work for free - no matter how wonderful the opportunity was.
What about everyone else would you work for free?
I have often worked for free to help folk out, to build my experience, use as a stepping stone to other things......
What has anyone else done working for free? I guess saying you wouldn't work for free is to say you would not volunteer to work for a charity or anything......
head for the hills boys the posse is a saddlin up :lol:
Kathy@watten
20-Jul-08, 13:43
Yes I regularly contribute to the clubs and hobbies that my kids attend and would be embarrased to say the least to accept a payment from them but as a parent feel this is how things just are and this is how we keep the costs down for our clubs...everyone does a little!
As far as volentary stuff goes I spent many hours working for free as a teen/ early twenties just learning and gaining a broader spectrum of skills, skills of which I could not ever gain at a college or by paying for so in retrospect I daresay I indirectly bought, but admit I thourorghly enjoyed it and if something is your passion you will strive to be the best you can without wanting to always look to make a pound.:)
I do lots of work for free, and also see a percentage of patients privately for free, as i feel it balances the work i do for income. Ive always done this and always will.
I do lots of work for free, and also see a percentage of patients privately for free, as i feel it balances the work i do for income. Ive always done this and always will.
You should be helping the NHS for nowt then, giving up your time to see private patients for nothing, they could do with more like you.
Well, the NHS doesnt work that way,
At Dunbeath we see a wide range of patients, including those not registered at our practice for free for a variety of therapies for free, we have done this over 7 years now.
We always make sure we have several slots available for those who need something different, similar to all our workshops, again we do this free and subsidise it our own pocket. The NHS keep telling us there is no room in the budget for other therapies etc, and never support the things we do of our own back.
i have done a lots of jobs for freinds,relatives etc to help them out am not that tight!
voluntary work for charity etc is fine by me,but that is where it stops.
in my life when it comes to work i have been offered "wonderfull" opportunities" a couple of which i gladly accepted.but,they came with a wage too,i even got paid for training.
what makes someone think they are so wonderfull and have something so special to offer that you do the work for them free.
all to further themselves in their own business.
"mouthing off" no,this is the real world.nothing is free.some need to get a grip on that
The same could be said of some who think they are so great they deserve to be paid, yet when it comes down to it everyone else has to carry them, so it works both ways
I have worked in plenty jobs where there are those who skive but still expect the same wage at the end of the day.
percy toboggan
20-Jul-08, 15:44
Yes, I would work for free for a friend in need or for a good cause.
There is far more to life than money.
cuddlepop
20-Jul-08, 15:51
I've in a position where i've loads of free time during the school day.Its not possible for me to take full time employment and indeed as a registered carer what you can do is strictly limited.
Anyway i felt as though i was wallying in self pity and was on a downward spiral to depression when with a lot of encouragement resumed the "paid" job I once did for "free".
Local community centres rely on the volunteers and without them we would have no services in our community centres.:D
But its like everyone has said its the usual suspects you see time and time again at local activity clubs,volunteering.
[There is far more to life than money.[/quote]
i agree,
but you don't have much of life without it,any job i have done for anyone i have put my all into to,but at the end of the day you still have to live.
Attention all kind souls. My Bathroom and Garden need doing. Get round here sharp and put your back where your heart is ;)
To be serious, I have done voluntary work and enjoyed helping people with various problems. I would probably still be there if it were not for the fact that management ordered me to stop helping a client. The reasons for withdrawing the help were:-
1. Client was an alcoholic
2. Client was a "pain in the arse"
Not valid enough reasons for me, so I did a "Sandy Lyle"
Yes, I have worked more for free than pay. It was the most rewarding.
I'm still at it, and it's the greatest pleasure.
Trinkie
I don't have a problem with working for free or as a volunteer if there is something I think I can help with.........even if it isn't something I think I would enjoy...though that is easy to say when I am not acquaint much locally (and have never noticed anyone wanting anyone to do something)........and don't drive.
Re the thread which sparked this one............my D-I-L and grand-daughter have a horse and two ponies........and youngsters who don't have/can't afford to keep horses are falling over themselves to look after, ride or show them, particularly during school holidays and weekends.
In Nairnshire, the hand offering the chance to pretend a horse was yours, even for a few hours a week, would be bitten off with alacrity.......and any training would be a bonus.
Appaloosamare
20-Jul-08, 18:06
Very interesting - majority of folk would and do work for free for a variety of reasons.....
Even more interesting is the fact that the person who originally said they would not and their children would not work for free has actually responded to his saying they do .....
I have worked for free for the benefit of others and often would do it happily for nothing but you always get a reward in the end - like others say - for skills, experience or indeed as part of Maslow's hierachy right at the top - self fullfillment!!
Now I'm retired I do it all the time. Different things for different organisations. Sorry, must dash, lots to do ......:D
Appaloosamare
20-Jul-08, 18:51
In Nairnshire, the hand offering the chance to pretend a horse was yours, even for a few hours a week, would be bitten off with alacrity.......and any training would be a bonus.
Never a truer word.....
connieb19
20-Jul-08, 19:19
On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.
[quote=connieb19;409304]On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.[/quote
classic example as to how Anti. some orgers can be.
connieb19
20-Jul-08, 19:44
[quote=connieb19;409304]On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.[/quote
classic example as to how Anti. some orgers can be.If the cap fits!!
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.
Your damn right they should! Why should we all be paying for their families and lifestyles?
On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.
Connie are you really that narrow minded? I admit some people on benefits are as you so eloquently put it "scroungers" but not all. As you may be aware from recent news items. Some people are better of on benefits as the cost of childcare is so high that they would be paying more childcare than the money that would be earned.
I have worked on community councils for free. I became the secretary and at the time I was not aware that a stipend was offered and as I have 3 children would it of been stupid of me to refuse the amount they offered me. I did not do the work because I would be paid, I did it because I wanted to help my community. I have done other charity work beyond this because I chose to.
Let those who are without sin cast the first stone....!!!!
connieb19
20-Jul-08, 20:21
Connie are you really that narrow minded? I admit some people on benefits are as you so eloquently put it "scroungers" but not all. As you may be aware from recent news items. Some people are better of on benefits as the cost of childcare is so high that they would be paying more childcare than the money that would be earned.
I have worked on community councils for free. I became the secretary and at the time I was not aware that a stipend was offered and as I have 3 children would it of been stupid of me to refuse the amount they offered me. I did not do the work because I would be paid, I did it because I wanted to help my community. I have done other charity work beyond this because I chose to.
Let those who are without sin cast the first stone....!!!!I dont see how a coupke who are both able bodied and fit for work could use the excuse of childcare for not working. Surely one of them could stay at home and watch the kids whilst the other went to work? It's people like this I am speaking about. :confused
On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.
Good grief, connieb19......if you were offered a job which, by the time you had to factor in council tax/rent/child care/transport to work etc would leave you worse off than on benefits.................would you take it..................honestly, now...............not theoretically, but as a real option.
Sure as hell I wouldn't have!
Until the powers that be stop paying people to have children, and thus increasing their benefit income to, in some cases, silly money, there is absolutely no incentive whatsoever to work.
I have always been of the opinion that every person claiming benefits should get just under minimum 40 hour wage and be taxed on it, if single, or be able to claim just under minimum tax benefits for any family if appropriate.
That way, logically, nobody in the UK would be better off on benefits.
I have never understood the logic of remunerating those who sit on their behinds without contributing to their maintenance by paying them to breed.
I dont see how a coupke who are both able bodied and fit for work could use the excuse of childcare for not working. Surely one of them could stay at home and watch the kids whilst the other went to work? It's people like this I am speaking about. :confused
connieb19......have you ever looked into the way the welfare system works?
As long as you have a system which pays you to have children, and adjusts your income depending on the number of offspring you produce, the adjustment of the costs of working for the average family..........council tax/rent/child care/school meals/travel to work etc when applied to the minimum wage doesn't encourage any but those who really don't want to live off the state to do anything about their situation.
Frankly, I can appreciate that most people don't have any enthusiasm for reducing their weekly income on a point of principle.
As someone single who has never lived off the state until a few years ago, I found that there was no way at all I could take a job which wasn't commensurate with my qualifications, which would have produced a decent annual income, and which would leave me with more than I could get on jobseekers after taking off travelling costs.
A job requiring less qualifications and offering minimum wage or just above would have left me a lot worse off than sitting on my bahookey on benefits.
And believe me, I did work out my options.
To be honest.............now I am officially retired, I am much better off than I would ever have been working on minimum wage and a lot better off than I ever was on benefits.
The problem isn't what people can claim......................but what the system allows them to claim..............and who wouldn't if they could?
On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.To quote somebody else who once said exactly the same thing, "Arbeit Macht Frei"!
"Arbeit Macht Frei"!
nazis had that on the gates of their concentration camps that they stuck the jews in and others they didn't think were up to mark
didn't do much for their moral,freedom or liberation.
Would you work for FREE Nazis? Or work for free FOR Nazis? Do NAZIS work for free?
How did we get from free work, to Nazis?
On reading this thread it's not surprising to see it's only the usual scroungers who are against working for free. [disgust] Says it all really.
Able bodied people who refuse to work should be forced into working for their benefits.
well,i for one one can say i pay vat like everyone else,i pay my taxes when they are due and n.i,i even pay community tax.
i have done more than my fare share for this sodden country and i certainly ain't no scrounger.
take your cap connie dry you tears,move on :Razz
stromalassy
21-Jul-08, 21:05
I have also done voluntary work which although was mentaly draining at times i did enjoy it, i also received very good training at no cost to me which has helped me in my work. One of the organisations i helped out with was fantastic, the voluntary workers were amazing, the amount of time, care and work they put into to it would put a lot of payed workers to shame and this is all to help the less fortunate people of this world. All you voluntary workers out there, keep up the good work, you are needed.:)
This thread is really a spin off another thread that a certain individual was mouthing off about working for free.....saying that neither he nor his kids would work for free - no matter how wonderful the opportunity was.
What about everyone else would you work for free?
I have often worked for free to help folk out, to build my experience, use as a stepping stone to other things......
What has anyone else done working for free? I guess saying you wouldn't work for free is to say you would not volunteer to work for a charity or anything......
I hav done the same, for much the same reasons. I would like to work for free in a number of restaurants - Chinese, Italain & Indian - to learn the expert techniques.
nazis had that on the gates of their concentration camps that they stuck the jews in and others they didn't think were up to mark
didn't do much for their moral,freedom or liberation.Quite, but it did mean that nobody could call them "the usual scroungers".
don't you think it was more a case of work or die(the only freedom or liberation they could realy hope for) it was only an incentive to keep them busy in the work houses for the nazi regime, sadly for them it was lie.
they weren't taken there because of what they didn't do it was who they were ie not german was just one of them as you probably already well know
their will always be a price in this life,no one is ever free or liberated ,truly.even if you become a total recluse,there is always be the thing that put you there.the only true freedom we get like the jews ,is death!
Kevin Milkins
23-Jul-08, 00:02
don't you think it was more a case of work or die(the only freedom or liberation they could realy hope for) it was only an incentive to keep them busy in the work houses for the nazi regime, sadly for them it was lie.
their will always be a price in this life,no one is ever free or liberated ,truly.even if you become a total recluse,there is always be the thing that put you there.the only true freedom we get like the jews ,is death!
Cheer us all up ,why dont you.
Sadly router I kinda have to agree with ya but do we really know? ;)
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