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Experience as a landscaper is not necessary, we can train - but you must speak Spanish. (English is nice but not required.)
Pay starts at $11.50/hr, with prompt raises for demonstrated experience. The position is full time - well, more than full time, really, as we are very busy and generally work 10 hour days. If you need the day off work, that's usually okay, but if you come in you'll need to stay until we're done, usually about 6pm.
We start in Seattle at 7:30am. You will need to bring your lunch already packed. We drive company trucks to the clients, so your own vehicle or drivers license is not required. The work will initially include the basic tools of lawn care (mowers, edgers and blowers) but would eventually evolve into plant care, container work and fine pruning.
After 90 days, you accrue 6 paid sick days a year, per Seattle city law. All federal holidays except Columbus Day are paid days off (usually that's 9 a year.) Overtime is paid at time and half, and we are always in overtime. (So a 50 hour work week is normal, but pays 55 hours.) The work is very physical and you must be able to lift 50 lbs.
We work year round with no layoffs. We don't work Saturdays or Sundays. We're not looking for a part timer or someone just for the summer - ideally you will dive in and be part of our close-knit crew, every day, for years to come.
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I don't have the luxury of escaping to return to another country with a lower standard of payment after working in in the US for some years and saving up my wages to elope.
My English skills and my gardening skills are very good indeed. My Espanol is not so great. For this job? I'm out. Unemployed.
You can't compete with what, the Spanish speaking part? There are a number of jobs in various career fields that require the potential candidate to speak a foreign language. I am not sure I understand what your point is.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I can understand their requirement. When working with dangerous power tools/equipment, it's important to be able to communicate with the other workers. If the others all speak Spanish, and little/no English, there is risk to the employees and liability if someone is hired that doesn't speak the same language. My suggestion is to either find a place that needs one full-time gardener or start your own business working for people in the affluent suburbs.
You can't compete with what, the Spanish speaking part? There are a number of jobs in various career fields that require the potential candidate to speak a foreign language. I am not sure I understand what your point is.
For $11.50 an hour I'm required the ability to speak a foreign language? That's barely above minimum wage in Seattle.
I can get along with all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I don't speak German either. Or dozens of other languages.
Kindly notice they don't care for job qualifications of any kind, except the ability to speak Spanish.
But I can do a cracking good job at taking care of plants. Plants don't care what language I speak.
The job duties I am fully capable of. But they're not looking for plant-keepers, they're looking for immigrant workers in what is now a low wage industry staffed with workers who aren't even required to have any relevant skills.
Growing plants and caring for landscape are not necessarily linked to speaking Spanish.
For $11.50 an hour I'm required the ability to speak a foreign language? That's barely above minimum wage in Seattle.
I can get along with all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I don't speak German either. Or dozens of other languages.
Kindly notice they don't care for job qualifications of any kind, except the ability to speak Spanish.
But I can do a cracking good job at taking care of plants. Plants don't care what language I speak.
So if the pay was 5x that, it would be okay then?
Not sure what the issue here is other than the fact that you simply aren't what they are looking for. It's not a foreign concept that businesses have specific requirements.
For $11.50 an hour I'm required the ability to speak a foreign language? That's barely above minimum wage in Seattle.
I can get along with all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I don't speak German either. Or dozens of other languages.
Kindly notice they don't care for job qualifications of any kind, except the ability to speak Spanish.
But I can do a cracking good job at taking care of plants. Plants don't care what language I speak.
The job duties I am fully capable of. But they're not looking for plant-keepers, they're looking for immigrant workers in what is now a low wage industry staffed with workers who aren't even required to have any relevant skills.
Growing plants and caring for landscape are not necessarily linked to speaking Spanish.
The job you posted looks like an entry level job, ie no experience required. Why would you with 10 years exp even be considering something like that?
Not every person is the right candidate for every job. I'm not really sure what you want. Should every employer have jobs available to people just like you, whatever that happens to be?
For $11.50 an hour I'm required the ability to speak a foreign language? That's barely above minimum wage in Seattle.
I can get along with all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I don't speak German either. Or dozens of other languages.
Okay, so you don't want the entry level $11.50 job anyway, since it's "barely above minimum wage in Seattle".
It does not matter then WHAT language is required as the pay for that job with that company is too low.
Find another job or start your own company.
Well I think it's the principle of the thing the OP is unhappy about.
I suppose he has a point.
For a job like that, why should a candidate be required to speak a non English language as a primary requirement?
I can see such a requirement for specific jobs such as teaching a foreign language or a class full of kids who speak only that language, or a translator, or things of that sort.
But for a job and payscale like that, which should be open to all applicants (Americans), shouldn't all applicants be able to speak the language of the country they reside in? Doesn't matter if it's Spanish or any other language.
Yes I know the employer can do what they want, but still.
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