u/cat_attack666

I failed uni due to a huge struggle in mental health and addiction, I left with a degree thats essentially an A level in animation. I've worked so hard to better myself and I've found a new path for me to take, getting my masters. I want to go to Bristol uni and get my masters and live the life I originally wanted to live. Please show me your portfolios and showreels that helped you achieve this, I really need some inspiration and something to aim for. I only have access to 2D software at home

Hello! I'm from the UK and want to visit some friends in America in the near future (planning on staying for a week or two), what are some things I should consider other than the tipping culture?

I've already looked into flights, travel insurance etc, I'm just wondering what are some of the things that most people forget about? How much should I have saved up to travel to a different state with my friends? How much should I have in emergency funds? Will there be any dietary problems I should consider and be prepared for?

For context, my friends drive and have their own place I can stay at (they live in Louisiana) but I want to make sure I'm paying for petrol and have enough to treat my friends and just generally have a good time :) really looking forward to my visit and experiencing what America has to offer!

Hope I added the right tag. So I got a bartending job recently, I've been in bar work for a long time but I haven't experienced anything like this before. Firstly, they pay me cash in hand which is fine but they aren't being clear on whether or not they declare my income to HMRC, so I've just been assuming that it's on me to declare it. Only problem with this is that I have no idea if I'm on their books, am I technically a freelancer? I've never had a job be so secretive about these kinds of things. When I ask about it I get super vague answers. The only thing I've signed is the safety training, no real contract and I don't get Payslips emailed to me.

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Secondly, very early in I was asked if I wanted supervisor training. Since I've been a bartender for a few years I didn't see this as odd but how they've gone about it is screaming alarm bells. I was suddenly left alone to manage the teenagers and close (my boss just said he wanted the day off and left me to it). I had no idea how to issue refunds on their tills, there was no alarm codes I was told about and I still didn't even know most of their cocktails and drinks deals and more importantly, I've never been a supervisor or manager or been left alone to do these things.

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The close was fine and I sent the teens home before 11 since I wasn't sure what time we're legally allowed to keep under 18s but they were scheduled for the close which goes on until midnight. The next day I was given a key and was informed that on my next shift I'll be managing completely alone all day. I'm frustrated by this because they haven't even discussed with me if I'll be getting a pay rise for doing supervisor/management activities or if I've been promoted or not. As far as I'm aware I'm just a bartender in supervisor training. Again, I'm given very vague answers that don't really answer my questions.

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Lastly, I was told that I'll be getting paid weekly. They didn't say what days, only that I'm getting weekly pay cash in hand. When it came to my first paycheck 2 weeks into the job they forgot to pay me on multiple days. I live paycheck to paycheck and had to go without food until I'd been paid.

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if I'm technically a freelancer should I raise the idea of them signing a contract with me? The way the business is run is so frustrating. Basic bar things are being overlooked, they don't know that certain mix needs to be refrigerated once opened, the glass wash needs salt and has to be deep cleaned regularly to run effectively, I had to buy soap so bar staff can wash their hands, cut fruit needs to be dated so we know when to change it, stock isn't being looked at regularly enough to make sure things are in date and everything leaks.

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The owners own several other bars across the UK that are successful and have good reviews so I'm not sure what's going on?

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I'm in no position to leave so suddenly without another job lined up and it took me around 2 months to get this job since the job market has been awful. I'm so worried that during the time that I'll be looking for another place that something huge will happen and they'll put the blame on me to avoid any consequences that they'll have to face as owners. How do I protect myself in this situation?