I'm currently finishing up my outdoor instructor course, and I found a sea kayak guiding job opportunity for the summer (I live in the southern hemisphere). I had an informal phone interview with a guy who seemed to like me and my qualifications/certificates. He suggested that I go to the location of the sea kayak business. At first, I was hesitant because it's a 4-hour drive from where I am. The purpose of this trip was for him to see how I perform on the water. I assured him of my full competence and mentioned it shouldn't be necessary, but he stressed that it would enhance my chances of getting the job. Despite my reservations, I accepted because I was quite keen on the position, its location, and the benefits.
I made the 4-hour drive, which cost me a tank of fuel (about $100 NZD) and took up 8 hours of my time. I arrived at the staff accommodation, which is one of the benefits, providing subsidized rent. Afterward, I went out on the water and had a great time giving safety briefs and establishing good rapport with the clients. The trip went really well, and the instructor I worked with was super happy with me; no issues at all. At this moment, I was feeling pretty hopeful. However, the manager suggested that I stay for a couple more sessions on Saturday, a whole extra day, to really gauge my capabilities.
The original plan was to go down on Thursday morning, do the afternoon session, and then on Friday morning, do another session and head home in the afternoon. Unfortunately, this plan fell through because the weather took a turn on Friday, making it unsafe to operate. I was initially told that one session would be sufficient, but the manager then urged me to stay until Saturday night for additional sessions. I had already informed him that I couldn't stay until Saturday due to prior commitments. He made me feel guilty for not staying until Saturday, citing how 'it would have been ideal to see more of you; other candidates stayed longer.' This was puzzling since he had initially said that one session would be fine, given my performance.
Regardless, I headed home, and the manager bid me farewell, saying, 'I'll talk to you soon. You did a great job. See you soon.' However, I later received an email from him stating that I didn't get the job. He explained that he had asked all the staff who worked for him last summer to return, and every single one of them did, leaving no vacancies. I had no prior knowledge of this. It was a complete waste of my time.
I'm considering sending this guy an invoice for the time I worked for free and the fuel I spent. What are your thoughts?