A. The story
I got 'scammed' on a project. I said yes to a teaching 'volunteer' project, and I started to reflect on the effects of personal branding on the internet.
Somewhat in March, I was contacted by mail. I did not reply ASAP as it was very short and it did not look professional at all. I was active on Instagram most of the time. Then, I checked my DM requests. It turned out someone messaged me. I was doubtful to reply as she just said hi, but I did reply. I found out that she is the same messager. She mentioned that she had a volunteering project offer. Then, she asked for my WhatsApp number so that it is easier to coordinate. She happened to 'pitch' her ideas via phone.
She mentioned that she was from a legit educational foundation based in Semarang. She wanted me to be a teacher for a month to teach English for Indonesia's Public University Admission Test (SNBT-UTBK). I declined the part that it is a month as I need to go to work full-time during weekdays and I need to depart all by myself 30 km away to the east from Solo. To be honest, I like the idea to give back in a place far away from home and teaching for free. I did not mind this at all.
However, I smelt something fishy about the coordinator. First, it was from how she approached me. Her IG account was updated around 5 years ago, I guess. Then, I tried to ask whether the foundation has Instagram or a website for me to see its activities. She said no. I still thought positively that the programmer perhaps was so baby boomer mindset that she did not know how to operate digital footprints and she needs help from a youth energy like me, but she mentioned not to call her 'Mrs' (Ibu) as she is also still young.
Long story short, I said yes to volunteering and negotiated to teach only 4 days during the weekend. It was canceled once by the end of May, so I taught three times meeting around 28 students around Central Java and East Java. I also visited the PIC's home before I started teaching to make sure everything was fine. My heart was heavy to go further as I got to know that no special logo brand on the lanyard she gave me. Secondly, I did not click with the project when the PIC mentioned the school list who signed up, and I judged that they are cool places. I imagined that I would teach remote students who do not have good access to test-taking skills. However, I kept going. I kept thinking positively.
B. Moment of Truth
I began to realize that this was scamming because the students PAID a big amount of money to come to this place, and the students mostly are coming from middle to high-income social status. I tried to ask questions to my students how could they know about this program. They all mentioned that the owner promoted them at their schools. THIS IS A FREAKING CAPITALIST BUSINESS, not a social cause.
Initially, I thought that this was a purely social program that provides access to inclusive education for remote Indonesian students to study SNBT with qualified tutors for free. So, I began to question: why don't they pay me as a teacher if this is a yummy business? Why did they give me a volunteer offer?
By the end of the first day I taught there, I met another 'volunteer' teacher. He asked me privately about my rate card agreement and how I got in touch with the PIC. Wait what? A rate card? I did not know about them before. "I am doing this for free. Just lowkey helping. As if I had known that this was a real business, I would have professionally stated my rate card. Lesson learned." I said.
I come home with a bag of disappointment. This pissed me off as I had exchanged my me time and family time for nothing :( I argued with my mother not to go when I asked for permission. I also did not enjoy the working culture. The owner instructed his customers in high-pitch. On the second and third days, I came there, I planned to downsize drastically my teaching performance. I just wanted to finish and did what I promised myself. Fortunately, this round I met engaging learners who were very curious, dedicated, and willing to speak adequate English. My energy lifted gradually. At least, it was still worth staying longer.
These late students were the ones who found out that this is a fake business. The lie was all revealed just because someone sent an anonymous letter to the camp and a student read it. The letter told us to be careful of the owner as he does not hold any degrees like he always bragged about. Second of all, another 'volunteer' teacher came back to the base camp again to ask for his full payment as he worked under a professional offer. He found nothing, and the owners had already gone away. In the end, he was just paid below half of the offer.
C. My Reflection: How to Choose Promising Professional Opportunities
From this episode of my life, I began to reflect a lot on my online persona. Am I too kind to trick? Am I too hard to say no? Am I too dumb to sense a lie?
I jot down these promises whenever I would like to collaborate in any freelance job or volunteer opportunities again in the future. Here I share online so that you do not have to go through a thing like mine.
If I may take the freelance job again in the future, I will make sure that I...
1. Ask who recommends my service
I will ask who recommends me in the first place. From this, I can crosscheck with the person if this PIC does real business.
If he said that he got to know you from an online post like what happened with me initially, I will ask exactly what posts trigger him to contact me. Thus, I know the values resonate with the future project. This is also a warning for me to be careful about what to share online. Personal branding is cool but do it smartly.
2. Cross-check digital footprint
It is hard to believe that a business or even a small organization nowadays does not have any digital footprint or marketing flyers. Therefore, if there is no digital footprint at all, I will just leave the conversation. If the business is real, it will try to build personal branding.
A digital footprint is the first stop for the freelancers to research the organization before they go through the project deeper.
3. Get the event proposal or any legal document
When I asked for a legal document stating they invite me as a volunteer teacher, they did not give it. At that moment, I felt so weird and I began so doubtful about my decision. I learned that legal document even if I am there for free is still important. It meets professional standards.
4. Meet the coordinators and check the place or virtual room before joining
I did meet the coordinator before D-day. She gave me a lanyard and co-card without any logo or special branding like what I mentioned in the story part. However, when I asked where the classes I would be teaching, she said that you will know by the first day of work. I did not know my battlefield. It was not clear at all. I should have been saying no at this point, right?
5. Consider my professional framework
As much as I love volunteering, I am also aware that I have dedicated my time to gaining a degree and learning the educational industry formally. Thus, I will start to acknowledge 'my value' by now. I will not easily say yes, and I will try to discuss the benefits even more.
Moreover, it does not mean I do not want to do a social project at all, yet, I realize that I should learn more about how to do social projects more professionally and decently. A legal document, cool agreement, established procedure, and good credibility are A MUST to have.
In short, I have learned a lot about transparency in management. A transparent organization will always show you anything even if it is the worst scenario. It will never hide. It will show you the balance of benefits and risks.
Last but not least, I also feel deeply sorry for any students who signed up and other tutors. We're all tricked by a bad-but-well-managed couple's business :(
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