Dirty secret about an industry that you have worked in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP about childcare. I was the lead teacher in a kindergarten classroom. It was a daycare as well. I was there during the academic part of the day. Basically 8:30 until 12:30. I also worked with licensing for several years and did inspections. I'm not going to share stories because I would just be accused of being a troll. But I swore I would never put my child in a daycare center after seeing what goes on even in the very best.

It gets better when kids become more verbal. At least then they can tell you what happens.

Yep. I've worked in NAEYC accredited, reputable programs, and I still have horror stories.

Let's just say I spent A LOT of time picking my child's center, and then I basically lived there his first month, and still keep his days very short.

I kept him home as long as possible (8 mos.) and then I actually quit my ft job to work pt when it was time for him to start child care.

What would be some horror story type incidents? Are the kids hurt?

I'm the PP with the dim ex-Montessori teacher friend. Yes, there was a specific incident when a child was hurt on the playground under her watch (and the watch of another teacher although they sort of pointed fingers). She was put on probation during the investigation. I don't think there was a lawsuit but she might not have known if one did exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP about childcare. I was the lead teacher in a kindergarten classroom. It was a daycare as well. I was there during the academic part of the day. Basically 8:30 until 12:30. I also worked with licensing for several years and did inspections. I'm not going to share stories because I would just be accused of being a troll. But I swore I would never put my child in a daycare center after seeing what goes on even in the very best.

It gets better when kids become more verbal. At least then they can tell you what happens.

Yep. I've worked in NAEYC accredited, reputable programs, and I still have horror stories.

Let's just say I spent A LOT of time picking my child's center, and then I basically lived there his first month, and still keep his days very short.

I kept him home as long as possible (8 mos.) and then I actually quit my ft job to work pt when it was time for him to start child care.

What would be some horror story type incidents? Are the kids hurt?

Sometimes. I've had to report staff to DSS on more than one occasion.
One teacher used to pop kids' knuckles because it scared them but didn't leave marks.
Dislocating a shoulder by pulling on kids' arms.
Leaving kids in dirty diapers all day until just before pick-up time.
Laughing at children who are fighting.
Encouraging children to hurt each other.
Keeping the heat off except at drop off and pick up.
Teachers physically fighting in the classroom.
Teachers passing out drunk on the playground.
Teachers eating most of the kids' lunches.
Children leaving the classroom and nobody noticing.
Holding kids down at nap time...

Good lord. I could not go back to that type of work, that's for sure. It's just... well... the pay is super low, and there are few entry requirements, so let's start there. I always suggest parents find out about teacher pay & benefits before choosing a center. It's often used a proxy for quality in research.

[Anonymous]

Government Consulting

Think most people know this but

Contracts are almost always about who you know, who works where vs the best solution
Revolving door between gov and industry including former employees who become govies favor a firm and vice versa with promise of jobs for each other
Upper management does absolutely nothing
Only idiots work on proposals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP about childcare. I was the lead teacher in a kindergarten classroom. It was a daycare as well. I was there during the academic part of the day. Basically 8:30 until 12:30. I also worked with licensing for several years and did inspections. I'm not going to share stories because I would just be accused of being a troll. But I swore I would never put my child in a daycare center after seeing what goes on even in the very best.

It gets better when kids become more verbal. At least then they can tell you what happens.

Yep. I've worked in NAEYC accredited, reputable programs, and I still have horror stories.

Let's just say I spent A LOT of time picking my child's center, and then I basically lived there his first month, and still keep his days very short.

I kept him home as long as possible (8 mos.) and then I actually quit my ft job to work pt when it was time for him to start child care.

What would be some horror story type incidents? Are the kids hurt?

Sometimes. I've had to report staff to DSS on more than one occasion.
One teacher used to pop kids' knuckles because it scared them but didn't leave marks.
Dislocating a shoulder by pulling on kids' arms.
Leaving kids in dirty diapers all day until just before pick-up time.
Laughing at children who are fighting.
Encouraging children to hurt each other.
Keeping the heat off except at drop off and pick up.
Teachers physically fighting in the classroom.
Teachers passing out drunk on the playground.
Teachers eating most of the kids' lunches.
Children leaving the classroom and nobody noticing.
Holding kids down at nap time...

Good lord. I could not go back to that type of work, that's for sure. It's just... well... the pay is super low, and there are few entry requirements, so let's start there. I always suggest parents find out about teacher pay & benefits before choosing a center. It's often used a proxy for quality in research.

Before I was born, my mom got work at a daycare (she was in school for a master's in education). Apparently she left on her lunch hour and didn't go back - when my dad got home he found her in bed crying. She said the other teachers hit the babies that pooped and wouldn't change their diapers, and screamed in their faces, and she was told not to pick up any of the "bad" babies (ones who cried).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in Accounting and I've worked at two places with... questionable practices.

One place was a family owned business and the owner had two of his teen kid's on payroll. Both came into the office pretty frequently to use the amazing gym facilities we had, but neither actually worked there. Every so often you'd see one of them making a copy for the boss or couriering a contract over to another office. Also, the owner's adult kid's and some of their spouses worked at the office and all of their cars were paid for by the company. Not only the monthly payments, but they each had $100/week gas cards and all routine maintenance was charged to the company.

The other place did a LOT of padding the books, so to speak. It was my first job out of college and when I told my mom (CPA) some of what was going on, she told me to start looking ASAP.

Were the cars/gas/maintenance in lieu of a salary or maybe they just got part a portion of the salary - referring to the owner's adult kids' spouses who worked there.

There's a reason why you never mix family and business together.

[Anonymous]

Give me a break with the daycare stories. The teachers at our center send their own kids there. Explain that?

[Anonymous]

Television production is just about the worst, nastiest industry out there. Pay is all over the place with no backup for who makes what, nepotism is huge, no one cares about anything but ratings – people are literally killing themselves on TV and producers are sitting there watching and cheering because it makes for a good show. Companies work hard not to give benefits or hire people longer than they need to.

Luckily this industry is going down the tubes. Ask anyone who worked at Discovery or in any form of television in NYC and they can back this stuff up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Television production is just about the worst, nastiest industry out there. Pay is all over the place with no backup for who makes what, nepotism is huge, no one cares about anything but ratings – people are literally killing themselves on TV and producers are sitting there watching and cheering because it makes for a good show. Companies work hard not to give benefits or hire people longer than they need to.

Luckily this industry is going down the tubes. Ask anyone who worked at Discovery or in any form of television in NYC and they can back this stuff up.

What is this "TV" you speak of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break with the daycare stories. The teachers at our center send their own kids there. Explain that?

And I bet their kids get better care than yours.

[Anonymous]

I worked for a security alarm company in the VA area.

They would deluge the review sites (angies list, yelp, toptenreviews, etc.) with positive reviews...like hundreds and hundreds of fake ones to make their service and product look great compared to the other ones.

Meanwhile it was a turn and burn environment inside.

[Anonymous]

Feds don't hire the best and brightest. They hire people who are willing to wait 3+ months after an interview for a job offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break with the daycare stories. The teachers at our center send their own kids there. Explain that?

Discounted tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break with the daycare stories. The teachers at our center send their own kids there. Explain that?

And I bet their kids get better care than yours.

Yep.

Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing centers and some fen more amazing teachers. It's just that they're the minority and the cost is prohibitive for most middle income families.

I've got my fair share of public school horror stories, too...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feds don't hire the best and brightest. They hire people who are willing to wait 3+ months after an interview for a job offer.

LOL, yup. It's also so freaking hard to get fired. Same for state government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break with the daycare stories. The teachers at our center send their own kids there. Explain that?

And I bet their kids get better care than yours.

Of course they do. But if you think that people would send their children into the care of women who crack kids knuckles or leave them in a dirty diaper all day you're insane. Ours teachers amazingly - has great benefits, gives them baby showers etc. etc. and they have very little turnover. But I'm sure you'll say I'm delusional and of course there are bad places ( just like there are abusive nannies and abusive parents) but the idea that every daycare center is some kind of Little Orphan Annie abusive situation is just ridiculous.