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[Sappho]

A friend of mine has been stuck in a telemarketing job for a while. At first it wasn't so bad, because his sales group was kind of cheating the company, getting their commissions for selling contracts but actually selling existing customers cheaper contracts than they already had (thereby costing the company money). His conscience was clear because the company preys on elderly customers, charging them far higher fees than younger ones and lying to them, saying that they're getting the best possible deal. The company still makes billions of crowns per year in profits and he could pay the rent (and start paying back some of his debts, long story).

But now the company seems to have discovered them, and he'll be forced to either lie to customers or quit his job. He's the most honest person I know and I've seen him in tears over the idea of lying to these people. But he needs to earn enough money to pay back all of his debts. He's getting close, but there's still a ways to go.

Does anyone have any ideas of other careers he could try? Unfortunately there's no such thing as a community college in this country and he never went to University. He went to a sort of vocational high school and his specialization was the sale of electronic equipment - but it made him even more miserable than his current job and he refuses to go back to that. Worse still, he has mild scoliosis and is forbidden by doctor's orders to do any intensive physical activity, so he can't do something like construction or warehouse work.

He does, however, have many skills. Aside from his native Czech, he can speak fluent English (his grammar is not perfect but we're working on it together and he gets better all the time). He has computer skills and is able to use all the standard software like Microsoft Office and is proficient mostly with Macs, but can also use PCs. He is an electronic music composer and knows how to use a lot of advanced musical software. He has loads of experience in sales and customer service and is a very friendly  and trustworthy guy. He is incredibly hard-working and a fast learner, and is willing to do almost anything necessary to get his job done (as long as he can do it honestly).

So does anyone have any ideas for possible careers for this guy? He's my closest friend and it's killing me to see him so miserable. What he really wants to do is work with kids, but he doesn't have any teaching qualifications or even babysitting experience. Most of the usual options are off the table either because they don't pay enough to survive on, let alone pay back debts (working in retail for example), or because he lacks the necessary qualifications and experience. Any unusual jobs you can think of are welcome, though of course normal options we simply haven't thought of are welcome as well. Thanks a lot you guys!

[Knight of Fools]

If his English is good enough, he can take up customer service, if there's anything nearby.  Checking out Embassies or tourist spots could work, too.  I'm not sure on the pay for those jobs, though.  They're definitely not career makers, but a dumpy job is better than no job.  Since he likes music, you might try getting in with some local radio stations to see if he can't get a spot in as a soundboard/technical guy.  If he can sell stuff over the phone, selling his l33t DJ skills to someone would be a cakewalk.  If he's short on ideas, try an aptitude test.  Sometimes you learn stuff about yourself.

If it comes down to it, he should probably stick to the job he has and stay honest to see what happens, while searching for a job in his free time.  He won't have to quit, and he may even keep is job (Or be moved to another department) because of his higher morals.  Companies are funny like that, and if he sticks to his guns someone may notice him and put him in a better position.  Worse comes to worse, he'll be fired and be ahead of his job search, with a resume including how he was fired for being honest to customers.  Someone might like that.

I hope everything works out.  Try thinking outside the box, and definitely encourage him to stick to his moral guns.

[olemars]

Customer service/tech support was going to be my suggestion too.
An alternative to telemarketing could be telesurveying. It's only slightly less reviled than telemarketing, but at least he's no longer scamming little old ladies, only wasting their time.

Beyond that, my best advice would be to look through vacancy databases and see what's available in the Czech republic that could fit his interests and skills. If there isn't a decent domestic service there's always EURes. Says over 16000 registered vacancies in CZR so there should be something.

[Sappho]

Thanks for the responses guys. He's going to find out tomorrow if he'll be able to keep working the way he has been or if he has to change. The problem with being honest in this job is that if he tells them the truth up front, he won't sell anything. And he works entirely on commission, so if he doesn't manage to sell a few contracts per day, he doesn't earn any money. There are two ways to persuade people to get a new contract, assuming they don't hang up on him immediately. The first is to lie to them and push them to accept something by convincing them it's a good deal, even though it's not. The second is to lie to the company and give them better rates than he's really allowed to, which they may be putting a stop to now.

Anyway I've passed these suggestions on to him. If he can keep up what he's been doing, he'll keep his current job for sure, since it pays so well under the circumstances. If they make him change, he will start looking for something new.