http://glasgowguardian.co.uk/news/students-question-the-american-dream/ Glasgow Guardian Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:44:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://glasgowguardian.co.uk/news/students-question-the-american-dream/#comment-87 Alison Redpath Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:58 +0000 http://www.glasgowguardian.co.uk/?p=3138#comment-87 My daughter went to America to work for Southwestern this summer. I had the natural concerns - ie accommodation, safety, long working hours etc.. I was assured that all arrangements were in place. Very soon after my daughter was placed in her accommodation I was receiving phone calls and text messages from her voicing her concerns about the lady she was staying with ! My daughter was also voicing concerns about Southwestern and their demands that she work 12 hour days, 6 days a week in extreme heat. When she took these concerns to her manager she was told that if she gave up we (her parents) would think her a failure! I was receiving regular text messages and tearful phonecalls in the middle of the night (due to the time difference) telling me she wanted to leave but wasn't able to. There seemed to be no room for compromise with Southwestern - my thoughts were that it would be far more benificial for both the company and my daughter if the hours were flexible - and the students encouraged rather than pressurised into making sales. The worst incident was when the lady my daughter was staying with (organised by Southwestern) phoned the police and told them my daughter was an illegal immigrant! Two police cars arrived to arrest my daughter, but luckily the Chief of Police arrived who was aware of the mental instability of this woman. He commented on the fact that Southwestern had placed students with this lady without doing background checks. This concern was repeated by neighbours - and the lady's husband apologised to my daughter for his wife's behaviour! Eventually, my daughter managed to leave the company, and thanks to her strength of character, and a good friend she met through Southwestern, she stayed in America, working in a bar and travelling, until her flight home. I don't doubt that there is money to be made working for Southwestern, but I think the "managers" need to learn some people management skills and the company need to be far more flexible. On hindsight, my daughter learned a lot from her Southwestern experience, but it was far more traumatic and worrying than I think most students, and their parents, need. My daughter went to America to work for Southwestern this summer. I had the natural concerns – ie accommodation, safety, long working hours etc.. I was assured that all arrangements were in place. Very soon after my daughter was placed in her accommodation I was receiving phone calls and text messages from her voicing her concerns about the lady she was staying with ! My daughter was also voicing concerns about Southwestern and their demands that she work 12 hour days, 6 days a week in extreme heat. When she took these concerns to her manager she was told that if she gave up we (her parents) would think her a failure! I was receiving regular text messages and tearful phonecalls in the middle of the night (due to the time difference) telling me she wanted to leave but wasn't able to. There seemed to be no room for compromise with Southwestern – my thoughts were that it would be far more benificial for both the company and my daughter if the hours were flexible – and the students encouraged rather than pressurised into making sales.
The worst incident was when the lady my daughter was staying with (organised by Southwestern) phoned the police and told them my daughter was an illegal immigrant! Two police cars arrived to arrest my daughter, but luckily the Chief of Police arrived who was aware of the mental instability of this woman. He commented on the fact that Southwestern had placed students with this lady without doing background checks. This concern was repeated by neighbours – and the lady's husband apologised to my daughter for his wife's behaviour!
Eventually, my daughter managed to leave the company, and thanks to her strength of character, and a good friend she met through Southwestern, she stayed in America, working in a bar and travelling, until her flight home.
I don't doubt that there is money to be made working for Southwestern, but I think the "managers" need to learn some people management skills and the company need to be far more flexible.
On hindsight, my daughter learned a lot from her Southwestern experience, but it was far more traumatic and worrying than I think most students, and their parents, need.

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