My parents have me to work for their business but won’t pay me hourly
Since I was 16 I’ve had a hard time keeping jobs. Partly because I have autism and ADHD, I don’t get along with people such as coworkers. They say I’m too stiff, I stare too much. I make people generally uncomfortable, but the people in my life say I’m fine. I’ve got a group of 4-5 friends that hang out with me weekly who have no issues with my mannerisms or my quirks, so even if I was to try to “work” on myself, I wouldn’t even know how to correct it. I’ve worked every job in my town and have gotten fired from all of them, either for poor time management or a general lack of enthusiasm for small talk over and over. It leaves me limited in my opportunities of employment.
As a result, my parents let me work in their taxi. It’s easy because I am obsessed with cars. I love driving them and staring at them when I drive by. People get a little leery of me but I play music and drive incredibly safe so they don’t care as long as I don’t do something reckless (which admittedly happens sometimes because I get distracted or brake too hard when I get shaky if something scary happens). They pay me half of what the person pays me, which is usually between $10-25 (we live in a rural area so if someone’s calling us it’s because it’s too far distance wise to walk). I go home sometimes with no more than $100 on the weekends and $45-50 during the weekday if it’s busy. I do not have a schedule, most of the time I have to rush from my house without eating (I forget and naturally get hungry in the afternoons). So by 7pm I’ve made $100 that half automatically goes to gas and maintenance of the vehicle I have to use. They have decals on their cars so it’s not like I can just use mine. I usually work from 2pm to 7pm but most of the time they’re not busy, so if there’s no calls I make $0.
I am currently $1500 behind on rent because of this. This war killed gas prices and tourism that were already going bad, so spring break has been a bust of people going to the bar and calling us to avoid DUIs. My landlord served an eviction notice today saying we either have 30 days to come up with the money or he’s filing paperwork and I’m sobbing because I’ve been trying since January 12 (the last time I paid rent, which was due on the first), but all my mom tells me is to just work harder. All I do is sit at her house and she comments on my life, saying she wouldn’t be caught dead in the position I’m in . But if I ask for better conditions then I’m being “greedy” because the business can’t afford it. But this is basically slave labor at this point. I watch the phones so they can sit around and play on their phones, while I watch the time tick by and cry because there’s nothing I can do. It’s not like I can stand by the side of the road and have a giant signs that says “open to take jobs”.
Please… I’m so desperate. I don’t know what to do that isn’t drastic. I want out of this so bad.
Posted Mar 14, 2026, 7:02 AM UTC