I recently accepted an internship at a venture capital boutique (very small team). When I went in for the initial training, I expected to sign an official work agreement stating my hours, salary, etc, but my boss and I only discussed it briefly, although he did state the correct hourly salary that was stated in the initial job posting, and specifically mentioned that for the first few weeks, which I'm working remotely, he would expect that i'm working the normal # of hours, and he would pay me the corresponding hourly salary. I felt like that was enough validation.
A few days afterwards, I read reviews on Glassdoor for a startup he had founded and managed years back. I read some pretty horrendous reviews, and a couple ex-employees reported that they hadn't been paid for their last month of work. I am now worried that I'll become a victim as well, especially since I am working remotely right now. Is it too late to ask for everything in writing? Or should I wait until he comes back in town and see if he sends me a paycheck?
I wouldn't make it obvious, probably just sending an email confirming the figures and set number of months you were to work. That should be alright, as I've never signed work agreements for small internships. Maybe send an email confirming dates of payment or something and add just to confirm, hourly rate of XYZ for 3 months.
OP Have you read this article? --
https://medium.com/startup-grind/i-got-scammed-by-a-silicon-valley-star…
No, I haven't seen that article before. Sounds like a nightmare. It's definitely not that bad though, at least not yet. I guess I'll finish this project to see how he handles it, then if I see any red flags, I'll take action
I don't know if you managed to solve your problem, but just in case you haven't or in case it is useful to other forum readers I'll leave a few points for you, as I was caught out myself as a student many years ago. It is still relevant for any small business where cash flow may be tight, as even the business owner could be caught out by a bank unexpectedly cutting off credit.
I would send an email asking for your contract to be finalised, state the main details and once you have the paperwork, arrange to have the agreement executed by both parties ASAP. Also, make sure that you maintain records of all correspondence and discussions on the topic.
As a note, if you do need to take your case to the relevant authorities, you will have to prove the hours and days you worked. So maintain a work diary and keep records of your work such as drafts and emails sent.
If anyone does find themselves in a situation that seems fishy, the earlier you deal with the issue the better you will be protected and sometimes you just need to accept that walking away is the best option if they're obviously untrustworthy. Contact me if things start going south and you need advice on more "rigorous" methods of collecting evidence.
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