On Monday 09 May 2011 21:51:32 Rebecca King wrote: > *We’re Sidekick – And We’re looking to hire 3 Developers…* > > We're a social innovation organisation - we develop web and mobile tools to > tackle social issues and public services in a different way
You can say that again! > * * > > We have 3 different jobs – please take a read and get in touch if the roles > spark interest > > *1 x Mid-weight/senior Ruby on Rails Web Developer * > > Project – “Flamingo” > > *Key Info:* > > · 6 – 8 weeks contract with further work likely > > · 3-5 years Ruby on Rails experience > > · Client project > > · Working alongside a senior mobile developer and a senior UX designer > > · Experience deploying onto cloud based platforms e.g. Heroku.com > desirable > > · Based at Sidekick studios, London Bridge > > *2 x Creative technical leads / senior developers * > > Project – “SS3” > This is the one I'm pissed off about. First of all, I wouldn't say "hire" as that implies the full obligations of actually employing someone in what we boring old bastards call a "job". It would be more like "offer you a suspiciously undetermined sum of money for three whole months to set up from scratch a new business and major software development project that we may terminate without notice or reason given". Further, this project has to be non-profit for *us*, while as far as I can see it's for-profit for *you*. Sidekick Studios is a commercial company, which has a contract from the DBIS UK Tech Strategy Board to do this and is being paid with your income tax. The three projects in SS3 are all required to be non-profit making. > *Key info: * > > · 3 month contract – maybe more > > · Social innovation projects > > a) Social Care Swap “wife swap for your gran” > words fail me at the trivialisation of a really serious job that is actually safety-critical and the underlying contempt for the (usually) black, (always) working-class (usually) women who do it. "Wife Swap for your gran". You ought to be ashamed. > b) Youth Justice Game Project “4 square for criminals” > did you actually subcontract this to Nathan Barley's firm? > · Experienced and creative developer to build proof of concept for an > innovative social project > > · Start up experience preferred > > · No language preference – but solid front and back end web-dev skills > required - whatever environment you’re used to > > · Work in small dynamic team > > · Based at Sidekick studios, London Bridge > > · Read more hear http://sidekickstudios.net/ss3/ > Yes, do read more "hear" and protect your interests by keeping well away from this ill-thought-out, exploitative, cynical exercise in volunteer-mining. What gets me is the *asymmetry* - you demand a ferocious amount of commitment and offer absolutely zero in return. And the expectations! 4 years' professional experience! Enterpreneurs who are also activists and software engineers! And you're offering, well, chump change and a slice of pizza. > "How much will I get paid? > Good question. And we're going to duck it. Sort of. > Can I do it part-time? > Definitely not. Full-time. 100 MPH. Absolutely committed. As if your life depended on this. Well at least, your financial security. Because it does." Putting acid-coloured big Helvetica titles on the website does not make you a decent person. Also, the Guardian article you mention on your website is well worth reading but not for the reasons you suggest: http://www.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2011/apr/15/talent-social- action-sector It makes it very clear that your original plan was to basically try to sign up people fired from the public sector because they wouldn't have any options. As volunteers, so they'd be cheap, and somehow would *waive their civil service redundancy payout*! > Over the past year, in the face of chaotic reorganisations and relentless manager bashing from politicians, we've seen many of them decide to take up generous redundancy packages, in some cases over a year of full pay....Aside from the huge drop in productivity during the prolonged reorganisation, this mass firing and re-hiring carries huge risks for costs going forward. The same manager is thinking of moving on to work for an international research agency. If the GP consortia wants her unique skills and community relationships in twelve months time, they'll find her charged out to clients at £1000 a day. Also, it's not really a "Guardian article", as in "something that appears in the newspaper of that name, under the authority of its editor" is it? It's a "Guardian Professional" article, which is their pay-for-play advertorial operation. (http://guardianprofessional.co.uk/Whoweare/) -- The only thing worse than e-mail disclaimers...is people who send e-mail to lists complaining about them
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