I kind of feel like a shmuck. I've been looking on the Master's Job posting board over the past several weeks, and a few weeks ago a job caught my eye. It was a "babysitting" job, (actually is a nannying/chauffer job) and they were offering $12/hr. I should've known from that that the job wasn't going to be a piece of cake. Especially since everyone else was offering $8/hr or $10/hr. But the family with the posting didn't say how many children they had or really any details on what was included. So, I contacted them through email this morning, since I have a week to find a job, and the mother of the family calls me about an hour later and asks me to tell her about myself and where I grew up, etc. and then proceeds to tell me about her family. She has 4 kids- a 13year old girl, two 7year old twins, a boy and a girl, and a 5year old girl who goes to the childcare center where my roommate works. She then continues to lay out the list of activities that I would be taking each child to each day and for the ones that don't have activities that day to help them with their homework. I would be using my small, compact car to shuttle these kids here and there everyday for like 3 hours a day. She says that there have been several other people interested in the job, but since I have had the most experience with kids she would like to hire me. I then give her my school schedule with Tuesday's knocked out because of a 3 hour class and she thought that maybe she could hire someone just for Tuesdays. At this point, I am hesitant of wanting the job anymore but she was trying to make it happen for me to work for them. She determines that this Tuesday would be best if I could come over at 8:30pm to meet the kids and husband and see if it would be a fit. I say "sure, I'll see you Tuesday" hang up, and start freaking out. I have a hard time saying no, so if I were to go on Tuesday and they were to want me, I would probably say yes and I do NOT want this job. It reminds me of when I first got my driver's license and my parents and most of my friends wanted rides everywhere. I felt like I was trapped behind the wheel. This would be similar if not a lot worse. My grandma brought up a good point that I would be responsible for toting around those 4 kids. Honestly, that is a lot of responsibility and I don't think I want it. I think I was expecting a lot more time just hanging out at their home, helping with homework and playing games. Not being a personal chauffer for hours upon hours.
So I just emailed the lady back and told her I was really sorry for having to cancel, because that is so not like me, but I needed to, and I wished them the best in hiring one of the other people that was interested. Hopefully she emails me back with a pleasant, "that is perfectly alright, dear", but that might be wishful thinking. I feel bad for leading them on, but honestly, I didn't know that that was the job and I don't want to be freaking out about this for 3 days just to turn them down later. Better to cut it off before they have to keep that time slot open just for me to be turning them down.
I only have one week left at the Y, and my director has already asked me to think about staying. I wish I would've told her that I would stay if I could get paid about $10.50/hr. But I didn't think of that when she was asking me. Honestly, just the afterschool program at the Y wouldn't be that bad. But when the pay is as bad as it is, I can't afford it. I'm debating keeping the job until I find something else first, and then leave because it really isn't smart to leave a job when there is nothing else lined up. Especially when there are bills to pay. But then again, my director is pretty much one of the rudest and not nice people that I have met, so I have many mixed emotions about this job and the money. There are only a handful of kids that I actually like that I would sort of miss, but I would get over it, and I'm definitely not staying just for them.
Sheesh.
Why does just about everything in life have to be so complicated?

I hopefully will be going down to Irvine tonight for a get together thingy at Megan's and then tomorrow be going to the beach to use my new Boogie board!! I lost Megs' address, so I'm waiting to hear from her about that before I'm 100% sure that I'm going down. I'm excited though!!