"under the table"

Hello everyone I have a question here which i am concerned about:

I recently graduated from Nursing, RPN. I landed a job last week which is amazing and am very excited to start. But im curious about this:

this is a walkin clinic/ doctors office. during the interview the Doctor said that this is a part-time job and that he can pay me "under the table" for $17 an hour or $20 an hour with the taxes deducted...

Has anyone been in this situation?

I want to keep this job until i find a steady Full-time job with better pay.

Please share your thoughts, and experiences. I am new in this field and have a lot to learn...

Thank you.

Natalie Last edit by natalia13 on Oct 31, '10
Run, do not walk, away from this "opportunity." You're dealing with an MD who is willing to cheat on his taxes. What other cheating/illegal activity is he willing to do?Then there's the little fact that you must pay your own taxes....oh wait, I just realized you're Canadian. So I don't know how that would affect you after all. In the states, in order for your job to be legit, you would be required to make quarterly tax payments, pay your own Social Security taxes, etc.While I realize how excited you must be to have found a job so quickly, if I were you, I'd hold out for a legitimate position, with no 'under the table' offers.

no i have not been in this situation but his offer for paying you under the table would make me question his integrity.

You are better off accepting the $20/hr and pay the taxes, anyone who works under the table in Canada risks being audited, paying a fine and possible jail time http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/lrt/ndrgrnd-eng.html#q4 dishes

The fact that he offered to pay you under the table makes me question his ethics. Run, don't walk, from this "opportunity."

Im thinking that when i start tomorrow that i will have a talk with him and that i dont feel comfortable doing this "under the table" thing and would rather be paid 20/hr... I hope it goes well... but when he was telling me this i got strange vibe that i need to be careful around him. He wants to train me to do pap test, vaccinations, Iv's and such... i read into the CNO and these procedures are safe to perform if i have the right medical order or directive in place, knowledge, skill and judgment to do so, including the ability and resources to manage outcomes. I hope tomorrow goes well and that he agrees.

NO!!! This sounds VERY fishy. RUN!!!! Your gut is telling you already!

Natalia, you can see that we've all been in this field for a long time. PLEASE listen to us!!!!

Quote from ebearNatalia, you can see that we've all been in this field for a long time. PLEASE listen to us!!!!

You've gotten some very sound advice here. If you choose to work for this physician, make sure YOU CARRY YOUR OWN MALPRACTICE INSURANCE because I guarantee you will need it!!!!

in the end you are going to have to make this judgement call.wishing you the best outcome.this job offer may look appealing to you now due to your employnent status, but its a wolf in sheeps clothing.based on the info you shared in your original post, this dr is untrustworthy.i am casting my vote for you keep your license and character safe by saying no to this offer.

Quote from kayernYou've gotten some very sound advice here. If you choose to work for this physician, make sure YOU CARRY YOUR OWN MALPRACTICE INSURANCE because I guarantee you will need it!!!!

I don't know how it is in Canada, but I have worked "under the table" in the US. It seems nice, because you end up making a lot more cash that you actually get to keep. The point isn't to pay "self-employment" taxes, the point is for nobody to pay taxes, at all...Anyway, what I didn't realize is that I was not getting social security credits for the years (yes, years) that I worked this way. I also had no legitimate, verifiable income. I was too young and naive to understand the motivation of the employers who were offering me such a great deal. They weren't necessarily "evil" people, but they weren't doing me any favors, either. This was years ago, before I was a nurse, by the way. I would be super-worried to accept any sort of nursing position where anything illegal was going on.