Through most of the year I'm a substitute teacher, but during the summer months I usually need to find a seasonal job that will tide me over until the start of the next school year. For the past 9 weeks, I've been working at a doggy daycare to supplement my income. I am supposed to finish out this week at the daycare, then start a long-term teaching assignment next week. My initial plan was to work at the daycare on certain weekends and holidays during the school year and return there full-time next summer, which the daycare manager was very happy about and agreed to.
However, after finishing the interview process and training, I had a rude awakening when I found out this place is basically running on duct tape and wishes, with a barebones staff of primarily teenagers with autism who are all getting paid close to minimum wage. I had already invested a good chunk of my summer to this business, and it would be difficult to find a different seasonal job and get a decent paycheck halfway through summer break. So, despite all of the red flags, I continued working at the doggy daycare, telling myself it was just until school started up again and then I could quit.
However, I have reached a breaking point. Because we're so understaffed and so overcrowded with daycare & boarding dogs, the work is non-stop – a lot of recent 7/8-hour shifts I have worked, I have not gotten a 30-minute lunch break, let alone a 15-minute break to sit down or use the bathroom. Staff in the play areas are typically monitored via cameras to make sure they are constantly on their feet, and get berated if they sit down for more than a few minutes. I personally have been berated for “upsetting a customer” because I went to the front to tell my supervisor that I had to give a dog a break – a customer overheard this and was apparently apalled at the thought of removing dogs from the general play areas because it's “mean.” I also got berated by the same supervisor for discussing my pay with a trainee, and was told I would get written up if I did it again. Despite only working for this business for a few weeks, they keep giving me trainees and working interviews to show around, explain the job to, and train. Every night we scrub and powerwash most of the facility, and I always go home exhausted, dirty, and wet.
Other people have told me I'm complaining too much, that businesses in my state aren't legally required to give breaks, and that this business is doing no wrong. I have also been told that the work isn't that hard, and that I'm lucky I get to play with dogs all day. I have worked in fast food, in factories, and in early childhood care – I've even worked for GameStop, which was a nightmare – and yet this is the most exhausting, soul-crushing job I've ever had.
I want to quit right now, but I've only got a few days left. And, if I quit with no notice, the people who are going to suffer the most are the kids working for the daycare. I don't know what to do – it's only a few more shifts, but I feel like I might have a mental breakdown if I go back to work tomorrow. What should I do?