Most students tend to work freelance and part time jobs in an effort to earn money while they study, though they might not know the market rates for the jobs they’re doing.
But, that does not mean that people should take advantage of them.
A Malaysian student, 小心生意片子 (Beware of business videos), took to XiaoHongShu to share how she was only paid around RM15 per video, to edit videos for a local influencer. The local influencer also allegedly paid the student RM100 to edit a number of videos.
She wrote, “This internet celebrity, I’m now afraid of you. RM15 for 1 video. She gave me RM100 to edit a lot of videos. Ask your own conscience, do you pay others a fair wage if they help you do your job ethically?”
“I finished my work seriously, it’s that you did not, at all, follow what is written in your hiring post, RM20 to RM30 per video. And you’re asking for a lot.”
The student shared multiple posts featuring WhatsApp conversations with the influencer.
In one of the conversations, the influencer told the student that she likes her attitude as she is very patient while editing her videos as she can ask for multiple edits and the student would still be okay with it.
But when she asked for her payment, the influencer informed her that she was getting paid RM15 for 2 videos.
Shocked by the lowly amount, the student then asked for an additional RM10, to which the influencer complied.
Following that, the student told the influencer that she would no longer work for her and later shared her experience on XiaoHongShu to prevent others from enduring the same thing.
“I planned to say this, mainly so that students who want to earn for their living expenses and do not know the market rates can avoid being taken advantage of. We students just want to earn a little more pocket money, and you used our ignorance as a tool,” she added.
You can check out her posts here.
Do you have a similar experience with an influencer? Do feel free to share your experiences in the comment section.
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