In the second week of the new year, I applied for a behavior technician position on Indeed. The company was called Behavior Frontiers. Since I had experience working with autistic kids, I thought I would try and see what this company had to offer.
The recruiter from the company responded back and we had a short conversation on the phone. Things went pretty smoothly. Then he said he would like to go to the next step and have someone conduct a remote interview with me. I was excited and a week later, the guy contacted me via Google Meet. The app wasn't working very well on my computer, so he called me via video chat on his phone.
The interview wasn't that difficult and the guy was really energetic and positive. I got hired! It was my first job in America since 2003! I had a good impression of the company and went through the typical pre-hiring process of filling out and signing documents.
However, the next step was a bit rough. The new hires (including myself) had to watch 5-6 hours of training videos per day in one week. On top of that, the four of us had to meet with our trainer via video call. It seemed fairly useful, but it definitely wasn't as effective as having the training done in person. Nevertheless, the training was helpful and I was ready to get started with field training.
My first day of field training was planned by my scheduling coordinator. I was to go to a home in Simi Valley (24 miles and about 40 minutes from Santa Paula) and a trainer would conduct the first lesson. While she was doing the lesson, I would watch the trainer and take notes. I would also check off to see what was being done and ask questions if I had any. I was supposed to be at the home by 9:00am to begin my field training.
I overestimated the time a bit because I left at 7:30am and arrived at a shopping center near the home at 8:15am. I prayed, tried to get myself to relax, and played a game on my phone. Then when it was about 8:45am, I drove to the home. Then it got a bit confusing. The home was an apartment, but it looked like only tenants could park in the parking lot of the apartment complex. I couldn't find where guests could park, so I parked across the street from the apartment complex. When it was all said and done, it was 8:55am when I was on my way to the front door of the home.
After I rang the doorbell, a woman peeked out and looked very surprised. A Vietnamese woman opened the door and she told me that she had canceled the lesson because her daughter went to the doctor's office. At that point, I didn't know what to do because it was my first day and it was totally unexpected. I told the mother that I would figure it out and that she didn't need to worry. I called my training coordinator while outside the mother's front door, but she didn't answer the phone. I called the main office, and the man from the main office said that I was indeed scheduled to be there by 9:00am. He said he would call me back in a few minutes. A few minutes passed while I was outside the home, and he finally called me back. He said that the mother DID call and cancel the session and he apologized. I realized that I had driven all the way to Simi Valley for nothing.
The shocking thing for me was that the scheduling coordinator didn't call me back even after I arrived back home at 12:00pm. I got the hint that this company wasn't the best fit for me. In fact, it was probably more suitable for younger people that are looking for experience and will do anything to get a paycheck. Think about it: You get paid $20/hour (not horrible) but have to drive to 1-2 homes to teach an autistic child for 2-3 hours. Not only do you have to teach that child, but you have to correct their behaviors, take data (behavior and learning data), and you have to do it with the parent watching you or at least in the home with you. I came to the conclusion that I needed to quit and sent in my resignation letter. And of course, the scheduling coordinator immediately responded back. It was ironic, to say the least.
Scott Worden
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy
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