I totally agree. My gut tells me this guy likes to tap young women for the “honor” or working with him. It sounds to me like he’s trying to manipulate you. And it’s not as if you are unemployed and looking for something to fill your time. You have an excellent job. And as someone upthread mentioned, the executives you are working with now also have many connections. Do not leave your job.
I’m your peer. I graduated in May of 2013. You’d be dumb to take this “offer.” He is scamming you if he expects you to work for free when he has the means to pay you. And your friends are just as dumb and short-sighted if they want you to take an unpaid offer.
Do yourself and your parents, who are graciously letting you mooch off of them despite being in a position to support yourself, and say “thanks but no thanks”
And the mayor he is consulting with may not be mayor in a year.
Agree that if he was offering you stock in his company (whatever it is) or some other potential future compensation, the way some start-ups are, it might be worth thinking about it for 3 milliseconds. But if he is a multi-millionaire and is providing angel funding but offering you NOTHING but the potential to meet influential people, he is blowing a lot of exciting looking smoke in your face.
How did he become your “mentor” if he is from your HS and what does this responsibility entail?
Tell him you are flattered that he feels so positively about your skills and to keep you in ind when a paid opportunity surfaces with his organization.
I graduated in 2013 as well (so am also your peer), and I also think you’d be silly to quit your job for this “opportunity.”
First of all, it sounds like a non-option since you wouldn’t be able to support yourself with an unpaid internship without the generous support of your parents, who are (for good reason!) against you quitting your job. It seems pretty ungrateful to quit your good job that you could support yourself with and rely on your parents to support you during an unpaid internship. Second of all, the internship really doesn’t seem worth it. He can still be your mentor without you taking the internship. Your current job will allow you to make many great connections and will look great on your resume. I’m not quite sure what this internship has to offer you besides the opportunity to work on these non-specific “projects.” For no pay. And it’s not like it’s that hard to turn down–just say that you appreciate the offer but you can’t afford to do an unpaid internship right now. On the other hand, quitting your job so soon after you started could burn some bridges that might hurt you if you decide to stay in this field.
If it helps, a family member once quit his full-time job to work with a consultant (who had been his old boss) on a new project. He moved across the country to do so, and the project fell through about a week after he started working there. The BIG difference was that this was a paid opportunity (he never would have quit his job for an unpaid opportunity), and he didn’t particularly like his old job. He did get paid for his time there, had help with his expenses, and was given a severance package when he was let go, but he still had to move back home and was jobless. He got another job quickly (he works in a relatively high-demand field), but you can imagine what could happen in a different situation when you give up a sure-thing for a very risky opportunity. Have you considered what you would do if you quit your job and nothing valuable comes out of this unpaid internship?
As others have pointed out, unless he’s giving you credit through your college (and you said you’ve graduated, so it’s unlikely this qualifies as an internship), he must pay you minimum wage, or $200/wk. Governments can ‘hire’ interns, but even then you’d get some tangible benefits like health insurance or credit toward retirement.
Don’t start off your career doing something illegal. Just don’t.
typo
should be: keep you in mind. Sticky keyboard. But more sticky situation. He is your mentor-- is this a volunteer position? What affiliation does he have with the station? Did the station assign him as your mentor? Would they appreciate his stealing away fresh talent?
Right now, the answer is: thanks, but no thanks.
Just say no.
But nicely. This is someone you will continue to have contact with, right? Just say that you appreciate the offer, but that it doesn’t work for you financially or that you would rather stay where you are and gain more experience. Make your reason for saying no about you rather than him.
Change of scenario…what if they are offering to fly me to a dif city and pay for apt for 6 months but still no salary?
Still no. In fact, to me, it sounds even less legitimate now than it did yesterday.
I agree with Marian. The new scenario sounds like a really bad idea. No money for food or other things - at least in your current location your parents could pay for those things. It also takes you away from your support network which would be able to help you when things go south.
Run, don’t walk away from this. I wouldn’t worry about saying no nicely.
You have NO reason to look any further into a non-paid position when you are sitting is an selective, paid job with plenty of opportunities itself. This “mentor” is giving me the willies.
Quick additional thought- this guy is trying to fill a need of his own- now a benefit or need for YOU. He isn’t looking out for you- he is looking out for himself. Anyone with that wealth could afford to pay you. He probably has good salesman skills, and can try to sell you on the potential (POTENTIAL) benefits of meeting a few influential people. Big deal. This is high risk with little benefit for you. He is being selfish. And probably violating some policy as a mentor. Be polite but clear that this isn’t an option for you.
Sending the thanks but no thanks email soon…
Not really sure it’s a generational divide. I wouldn’t leave a full time position with the opportunity of mobility to work for a mentor who seems to be focused more on his interests over your growth and development.
This offer started out odd and has now turned creepy. A short, polite rejection is definitely a good idea.
This has all the makings of Lifetime movie.
The answer is definitively NO.
Nope.
This sounds illegal and unethical.
Someone who wants to mentor you should know you need an income. Presuming this mentor’s worth is what you think, there’s no reason he shouldn’t offer you compensation for your contribution. Sounds like the mentor is stingy/cheap–not IMO a good sign. Keep your day job, thank him, and move on,