Well, I accepted an Americorps VISTA position with a small non-proft organization in Alabama, but I have come to the conclusion that they are probably not an organization that I want to work for.

There is a certain level of chaos that I expect in the non-profit world: funding problems, sometimes fractious volunteer management, and general uncertainty are a part of the deal. But this is a structural problem. The full time employees of the organization do not appear to be particularly well-organized or professional in their dealings with me. Previously they have given me wrong dates, seemed not to be on top of my application, and were difficult to get in touch with. This latest development has pushed me over the hump.

I was assured by my supervisor there that I would be living and working in Birmingham, where she is. Yesterday she called to tell me that she would no longer be working for my agency, effective immediately. They have no other employees or office in B’ham, so I deduced (no one from the agency called or emailed to tell me) that now I am going to be located in Montgomery instead, at the main office. A week ago, I put a $450 deposit on an apartment in B’ham, in good faith, after checking with S., the VISTA supervisor, twice, to be sure that I would be living there. Now I have to get my deposit back.

I emailed the executive director of my agency to ask for clarification of the new situation and explain my predicament and got a one sentence reply which made it clear she did not understand what I said to her. I tried calling before 5pm and got the office answering machine.

In the email, she also asked me if I was “presently working or attending school,” which is somewhat insulting, because Americorps requires that we have no outside commitments…she assumed I lived in Birmingham already and simply did not want to move because of an outside commitment!

The only word I can use here is sketchy! The whole thing is damn sketchy. Getting my deposit back is manageable, I think, but this has eroded my confidence that I will have an overall good experience with their agency. I’m waiting to make a final decision and email the Alabama state VISTA office until tomorrow, when I hopefully will get a further reply from my agency.

I’m also annoyed because I geared up for a move: I told my friends, my landlord and my employers here. I painted my apartment and started boxing books. I fell in love with B’ham and the apartment there. Now I look flaky to half the people I know! And now I have to find something else to do, which is a whole other can of worms.