Underpaid at camp | Imamother

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:04 pm

Chaya123 wrote:

That's very disappointing and I'm sure you all feel taken advantage of! Not sure what to say except you live and learn. Is there anyone you can speak with about it?

According to everyone on imamother, she should be happy with what she got. As disappointing as it is, there's nothing to do. Now I just have to convert her to this way of thinking, lol

Chaya123

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:09 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

According to everyone on imamother, she should be happy with what she got. As disappointing as it is, there's nothing to do. Now I just have convert her to this way of thinking, lol

It's not a contradiction. She can be upset and frustrated and feel taken advantage of and possibly do something constructive about it such as calling/emailing the one in charge and respectfully requesting more due to hard work and miscommunication.
Once she gets over those feelings, hopefully pretty quickly, she can move on, learn her lesson for the future and enjoy what she has.

amother

Orange

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:24 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

According to everyone on imamother, she should be happy with what she got. As disappointing as it is, there's nothing to do. Now I just have to convert her to this way of thinking, lol

If this is your and her attitude when something goes wrong, I don't think she'll get far in life. This is life, things go wrong. Sometimes it's your mistake and sometimes not. We need to learn to accept disappointment with maturity and grace. Your attitude is rubbing me the wrong way.

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:25 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

For gosh sakes.

Your daughter accepted a job without asking how much she was going to make.

She was paid a salary that, without more details, seems to be commensurate with what camps -- frum or non-frum (you don't think that only frum camps take advantage of the minimum wage exemption, now do you?) -- pay.

And now you're insulting all Jews because of it?

I'm sorry that I said that. I'm sorry to upset anyone who felt insulted by that line. To me, it feels more painful to be underpaid by one of my own than an outsider. Hope I clarified my thought.

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:29 pm

amother [ Orange ] wrote:

How would you have reacted? This summer job is the money you use for any and all extracurricular activities, get togethers with friends, personal presents etc., for the full year 2021.
Editing to add: that was an earnest question above

amother

Orange

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 1:56 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Most teens go to camp for the fun of it and know they won't come home with a lot of money.
The reaction to disappointment depends on the nature of a person. I don't react angry and nasty when something disappointing happens, being such a scenario or other things in life. Sure I'd be upset and really disappointed to get paid less than expected, but I wouldn't be angry and nasty at the camp. Your daughter's reaction is probably reflected by yours. If she see's you so angry, why should she react differently?

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:08 pm

amother [ Orange ] wrote:

Thank you for your response. I have lots of growing to do. I can accept that.
I should have said when seeing the check - "Wow, that's a downer. Gam zu letova."
I'm definitely a very much more down, down to earth than that. I used to be idealistic at 19 myself. Not so much lately.
Ksiva vchasima tova to all - parnasa, shalom and besuros tovos.

amother

Orange

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:13 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

You don't have to just say gam zu and too bad. You're allowed to be upset and disappointed. But not misplaced anger and nastiness.

imorethanamother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:15 pm

I just deleted my last post. I’m sorry, OP. It seems that this is really more than just being upset at the camp. You must be going through a lot, and this is icing on the cake.

I hope you have an amazing year, and your daughter is gbentched with an amazing job!

(Also please tell her to get a degree! And not go into teaching and/or childcare, because there’s more check disappointment down THAT road)

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:21 pm

imorethanamother wrote:

Thank you 😊

amother

Jetblack

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:47 pm

When I was in high school I worked for a local day camp. There was a married counselor in the bunk who was called the morah, then I was the counselor and then there was an 8th grader who was the JC.
When they told me the salary they said it's X amount (I actually don't even remember what it was!) PLUS tips.

On the first day of camp, we found out that our bunk got 2 JC's. They were a little vague about why - they either hired an extra JC by accident or it may have been because we had a kid with some special needs in the bunk.

At the end of camp, the director informed us that it's too much money to ask parents to tip 4 people so for my bunk only (because we had an extra JC), they are splitting the bunk into 3 and each third of the bunk will tip the morah plus either me OR one JC.

I was livid because I literally just lost 2/3 of my pay, plus I had worked super hard that summer and did as much as the morah while the 2 JC's were really just little kids who hardly helped. I stormed into the director's office and told her that I wanted a raise in salary in the amount I was losing in tips and she refused! She claimed that it wasn't up to her, it was an executive decision and I would have to call the Rabbi in charge of the board.

I was too shy to do that and never got the money.

amother

Violet

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:55 pm

I'm beyond confused by this thread.

I never worked in a sleepaway camp so I'll admit I don't know numbers with that.

2000-3000 is so normal for a teen to make, why is everyone bashing OP? I've made anywhere from 2-4500 from when I was 15. When I was 20 and married in Queens I made 5k for being the main counselor.

Numbers aside, it's not strange to call up the employer to clarify things. It seems like everyone is taking the exact numbers that the OP gave personally....

amother

Jade

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 3:01 pm

amother [ Violet ] wrote:

Sure. But let the 19 year old daughter call the camp director. Not her mother.

Also, most 19 years don't rely on camp salaries to fund their spending money for an entire year. Most get a job, even while in college, or at least do odd babysitting jobs around their college schedule.

amother

Goldenrod

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:23 pm

I'm so sorry OP, I wish the camp had been upfront about the salary or at least given a range, what they did left too much room for expectations and disappointment. I felt your post because this happened to me at 16, I agreed to be a mother's helper for a large family and was told I'd be paid at the end of the summer. It was really long hours but every time I'd tell myself to smile and bear it because I'd be compensated at the end of the summer. Well, I got $50 and a gift worth $75 and twenty years later it still stings.

amother

Mustard

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:40 pm

Violet, if you haven’t been to overnight then you wouldn’t understand.
Everyone who works in camps knows there is a difference between day camp and overnight in terms of salary. Day camp is a job, it’s not that much fun. Married and unmarrieds do it mainly for the money. Girls will work for one summer and earn enough for spending money for seminary etc...
overnight is different. Its understood that the experience and going away and being housed and fed etc... is most of the compensation. Your daughter could have gotten a number before camp, but it wouldn’t have made a difference, no one is going to go higher.
Btw this is for married staff as well, many who don’t get paid at all but are grateful for a free summer away

amother

Orange

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:55 pm

amother [ Mustard ] wrote:

This. In many sleepaway camps the pay for married staff is a bungalow and food.

amother

Thu, Sep 17 2020, 10:02 pm

amother [ Jade ] wrote:

Where did you see that I'm involved personally with any of it? I'm venting on an anonymous board, without naming names or calling anyone particular out. Yes, I was upset when I saw the check. The only reason I asked to see the check was because I saw how disappointed my child was. I'm not happy with how I reacted - I was angry. Yes, I was angry in my own kitchen. I was told I have a bad attitude, nasty and a bad example fo my child. Fine. I'd love to learn a better way to respond. Tell me how.