Are the Mars Venus Franchise Meanies?

I just had the most astonishing real life experience today that I want to share to offer a heads up to others who might benefit from my experience:

I had been studying a relationship model based on John Gray's Men are From Mars Women are From Venus books.

I applied to be a relationship coach over a month ago. I was then contacted nearly two weeks before the deadline to start a class. I was very interested in participating in a relationship training course and eagerly geared myself up to win their favor.

The coach co-ordinator sent me the first phase of my information packet. During our interview she described the schedule which she volunteered to email me. Yet I failed to recieve a written copy of the basic information of the dates, times, fees, hours etc that I would be working. With an understaning demeanor for her forgetting this, over time I emailed her about three or four times for this information. The coach coordinator, was confused and then insisted we talk on the phone.

The next experiences with this coach set me up to fail multiple times before I even realized it. Via email she set times the night before for the next afternoon without checking with me if I were aware or available at times she wanted to talk. She failed to inform me that she would be contacting me within this time frame and that I must be at my computer at all times to await her response. My only contact information for her was an email address, so I was unable to reach her by phone, something she failed to do with me past our first and only interview. This put me at a disadvantage and left me feeling desparte to achieve the unachievable.

From my first request to get additional information, the coach implied I was uninterested in the position. Then again she did this when I was unable to make her unrealistic unconfirmed phone calls.

Initially what I wondered was why did she have to phone me to tell me the schedule? Why not email me these mundane facts? Was the schedule and such supposed to be a verbal agreement? This began to give me a bad feeling.

A couple days ago I finally did get the supplemental documention which had been delayed due to technical difficulties.

What I wonder about now, is since she had my infomation a month or so ago, why did she wait until it was close to a deadline to start the process, rather than giving ample time to work out normal snafus and for me to read the legal information etc?

Back to the supplemental documentation: it detailed a rigourous schedule (upaid for training and the first six months) which would have been fine. I have worked for free a lot and with great satisfaction.

Also, there were intense legal document signing away my right to offer my opinions in the context of a coach. Thus contract made it my legal responsibiilty to compensate the MarsVenus organization for damages, should I make such an error.

Working for free 20 hours a week for six months and more, enduring what seemed to me disorganized and accusatory behaviour from an organization claiming to be (and regarded by many) world class relationship coaching made me so uneasy. I wrote the coach a letter describing the specifics of my concerns, requesting an apology and two referrals (MarsVenus asked for three of mine) from their coaches on what it was like to work with MarsVenus.

I feel like she waited til the last couple weeks to get me to give in to all their demands and get myself all excited and attached to the notion of being a relationship coach without allowing for the problems that occur when relying entirely on the internet and email to establish a working relationship. Additionally, I felt that the corporate culture at MarsVenus could use some emotional development.

And this is her and the MarsVenus response:

"Thank you for very much for your interest in the Mars Venus coaching position. At this time we do not feel that this position is a good match for you. We appreciate your interest, and wish you the best of luck in your employment search.

Regards,

Mars Venus Coaching

@marsvenus.com"

To me this dismissive email is completely lacking in taking responsibilty for any part of the problems in this process, much less a model for relationships, personal or professional.

I realize this may be something many other people experience on other telephone coaching jobs as well. So I hope you can learn from this and take the best care of yourself!

Best Wishes.