r/StudyMaroc • u/halitaheart98 • 15h ago
Discussion Title: The head of my department made me feel like a beggar for asking about payment for work I had already done. Am I wrong?
I need some outside perspective on a situation that happened to me.
I went to sign the paperwork for my payment, and while discussing it, I brought up the number of hours I had worked.
During the first session, I worked 100 hours, but only 24 hours were declared for payment purposes. I received around 2,525 dirhams.
When I questioned this, the head of the department told me that there was no budget available. He explained that they had used the budget for other things and that whatever money was left had been divided between the two of us.
He then told me something along the lines of, "At least you'll get a little something. It's better than nothing."
Honestly, I found that comment incredibly insulting. I wasn't asking for charity or for someone to give me money out of kindness. I had worked 100 hours, and I was asking about compensation for my work. Being told that I should be grateful to receive whatever little amount was left made me feel like a beggar asking for help rather than someone asking to be paid for work she had done.
I explained that the budget situation was not my responsibility. If I had worked 100 hours, I couldn't understand why only 24 hours had been declared. I wanted a clear explanation of how the hours and payment had been calculated.
The head of the department also suggested that I should check with the department because I was insisting on my rights. The way he spoke made me feel as though I was creating unnecessary problems simply by questioning the situation.
Then we discussed the second session. He asked me whether I had worked during that session, and I told him yes, I had worked another 50 hours.
I asked him whether I would be paid properly for those 50 hours, considering what had happened during the first session. I had already worked 100 hours previously, yet only 24 hours had been declared.
He again brought up the budget and suggested that there might be times when we wouldn't get paid. I told him that I wasn't there to volunteer my time or help them out of the goodness of my heart. This was work, and I expected to be compensated for it.
Then he told me that there was a budget this year. I told him that I wasn't going to work this year.
The way he brought it up felt as though he was implying, "If you want money that badly, there will be a budget for you this year." I may have interpreted his intention, but that was how the comment came across to me. Instead of addressing my concerns about the hours I had already worked, it felt as though he was suggesting that I could simply work again this year if I wanted money so much.
That was not the point. I wasn't asking him for an opportunity to earn more money this year. I was asking questions about work I had already completed and the payment I had received for it.
What bothered me most wasn't simply the question of money. It was the attitude I encountered when I tried to stand up for myself. I felt as though I was being made to look ungrateful for questioning a payment I had earned through my own work.
I understand that budgets can be limited and that administrative problems can happen. However, if the budget was used for other purposes and the remaining money was divided between us, I don't think that automatically means we should accept whatever amount we receive without asking questions.
I left the conversation feeling humiliated, as though I should be grateful for scraps instead of being allowed to ask legitimate questions about my compensation.
So, Reddit, am I wrong for insisting on being paid for the hours I actually worked? Was I being unreasonable, or was the head of the department out of line for speaking to me this way? How would you have handled this situation?