Salting gap year job

[cluelesspremed123]

I am currently trying to decide what to do on a gap year and had a question.

For those who might not be aware, "salting" is a tactic union organizers use. Essentially, you go undercover and work for a non-union employer with the goal of organizing/recruiting the workers. A friend of mine who graduated a year ago and who is now working for a large national union reached out to me and said he could get me a job salting if I was interested in it.

Assuming the rest of my app is solid, would a job like this be seen poorly or too political for med schools? This is something I am passionate about but I am worried it may come across poorly. Worse comes to worst, I can simply list my "undercover job" as my real job -- would you consider this dishonest? I would be working full time for full time pay.

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[Sheiko]

I dont know how an adcom would view this butbit is certainly interesting. What will your "undercover" job be?

FWIW I talked about political activism and advocacy in my application and have received a few interviews so it's not going to sink your app.

Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

 

[cluelesspremed123]

I dont know how an adcom would view this butbit is certainly interesting. What will your "undercover" job be?

FWIW I talked about political activism and advocacy in my application and have received a few interviews so it's not going to sink your app.

Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

I would be working for a major industrial factory in my hometown. I want to keep it at least a little vague for privacy (though I doubt many premeds are working for unions). It is quite a plausible job for me anyway because I come from a very working class background (EO1) and do need to make money to fund my application cycle.

 

[OddNath]

I would just list the “undercover job” as your real job— I don’t think this is dishonest.

You’ll want your interviews and essays to be focused on why you are a strong candidate, and your clinical/volunteering experiences...not explaining “salting” to all of your physician interviewers (who have probably never heard the term). I think this would just end up being a distraction.

 

[libertyyne]

do you get double paid? Paid by the company and the union?

 

[drducky.]

I saw a documentary on this. They exploit poor workers (mostly immigrants) by providing transport to large corporations and take a large cut of their salary for doing so and mistreat them. Workers are scared to speak up because it's often their only way of transportation. The corporation benefits because they don't have to pay for any hurt workers because technically they're hired by the agency and they can employ these workers as "part time" even though they work 60+ hour weeks.

I think the OP knows that this isn't ethical, which is the reason for this thread. And if I were an adcom and I'm aware of what this job entails, I would throw OP's app in the dumpster for exploiting his fellow men.

 

[libertyyne]

I saw a documentary on this. They exploit poor workers (mostly immigrants) by providing transport to large corporations and take a large cut of their salary for doing so and mistreat them. Workers are scared to speak up because it's often their only way of transportation. The corporation benefits because they don't have to pay for any hurt workers because technically they're hired by the agency and they can employ these workers as "part time" even though they work 60+ hour weeks.

I think the OP knows that this isn't ethical, which is the reason for this thread. And if I were an adcom and I'm aware of what this job entails, I would throw OP's app in the dumpster for exploiting his fellow men.

 

[cluelesspremed123]

do you get double paid? Paid by the company and the union?

Nah, union gives me a modest stipend while I apply for my job and to get on my feet, then I'm on my own.

 

[863168]

@cluelesspremed123 Count me in. I always knew my hard work was being exploited by SDN forums.

 

[puahate]

This is a great diversity essay.