17 Jobs People Are Tired Of Being Asked To Do For Free

Sorry, I will not be watching your children without getting paid.

Recently, Reddit user u/Pibs693 asked people to share something they get asked to do for free because other people assume it's easy. The responses were fascinating, as people from a wide array of occupations came out of the woodwork to voice their frustrations.

JG Wentworth

Here are some tasks and jobs people frequently get asked to perform without pay:

1. Babysitting

FOX / Via giphy.com

"I used to work from home and so many people assumed because I was home and able to watch my own kids, I'd be down to watch theirs too. Nope."

–Subwaypossum

2. Knitting

CBS / Via giphy.com

"First off, if you want wool or a natural fiber, that's $250+ in yarn. Then the gazillion hours to knit it..."

–knotpolkadottie

3. Car Repairs

BBC / Via giphy.com

"People assume that cars are still the same as in the '70s and that you can diagnose and fix an issue by looking at the motor with the hood up and 'tweaking a couple screws on the carb.' I have to explain to people that most modern cars have multiple computers in them and an unrelated module can cause an issue with a system it isn't even directly connected to. It can take hours just to diagnose tricky issues and people expect you to come fix their car for free cause you knew them in high school."

–Colossus7174

4. Internet Installation

SVT / Via media.giphy.com

"I mean, I do it for a living. But I’m not fishing cable through your walls and getting fiberglass lungs from crawling around in your attic for beer."

–rhymes_with_chicken

5. Hemming/Sewing

MTV / Via giphy.com

"Mending clothing sucks. Unpicking seams is so laborious — even with an unpick tool. When people think about the time spent on sewing, they usually just think about the bits where you're using a sewing machine. Cutting cloth is WAY more work than the actual sewing machine bits."

–TwirlyShirley8

6. Medical Advice

ABC / Via giphy.com

"'My son has blood in his stool, what should I do?' Yeah, I’m a pediatric nurse, but that isn’t something I can diagnose and treat over the phone. You’re going to need to go to the doctor’s and probably provide a stool sample. He’ll need an exam and a full medical history, which I am not doing over Facebook messenger with a Karen I went to junior high with and haven’t seen in 16 years."

–ronsinblush

7. Editing Papers

Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

"I've lost track of how many times I've been asked to 'proofread' when what they meant was 'turn my dumpster fire first draft into a well-written essay.'"

–pie12345678

8. Tech Support

NBCUniversal / Via giphy.com

"'You know computers, can you take a look at mine?' My degree wasn't free. Pay me if you want a programmer to fix your viral laden porn machine..."

–not_an_Alien_Robot

9. Photography

A24 / Via giphy.com

"My god. I just had a kid and thought maybe I'd get a nice camera so we could document family memories. It’s been six weeks and already two relatives who came to visit the baby wanted pics for LinkedIn and a passport."

–Alt_aholic

10. Drawing

PBS / Via giphy.com

"Never, ever admit to being an artist, because nine out of 10 times they'll want either a tattoo design on the spot or a copycat of something they saw online. And when I tell them the price or I won't steal from another artist, they get mad and tell me it's so easy and won't waste much of my time. What I don't understand is, if it's so damn quick and easy, why they don't do it themselves and cut the middleman out?"

–Care-Spirited

11. Website Design

Channel 4 / Via giphy.com

"I doubt people understand how much work really goes into it and they always scoff, even when I say it will only be $500 or something."

–112thThrowaway

12. Cooking

Netflix / Via giphy.com

"Yeah, cooking for a family of four is fine and dandy, but making a catering order for a group of 250 people is much more complicated."

–PhreedomPhighter

13. Live Event Production

The Barn Theatre / Via giphy.com

"Run lights, sound, camera, etc. for free at their church, film shoot, concert, music gig, etc. Nope, this is how I make my living, and I don't need the 'exposure.'"

–dkstr419

14. Therapy

Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

"Give them 'advice' or diagnose them, as I am a mental health therapist."

–Gandhi09

"Hell, just a bachelor's in psych will make your friends all dump their woes on you at every given opportunity with the expectation that you’ll fix them."

–an_ineffable_plan

15. DJ'ing

E Network / Via giphy.com

"The amount of time getting the music and setting up the gear is a lot of work. It’s not worth doing a gig for a friend who wants a DJ for a bonfire party for free."

–TrystenConn

16. Hair Cutting

20th Century Fox / Via giphy.com

"I took the course 16 years ago, paid almost $20,000 and never worked in a salon because I hated the profession halfway through the course. I hate doing hair and have had BOTH wrists operated on for carpal tunnel and tendinitis, but you want me to come do yours for free??? Only my parents, S.O., and kids get free haircuts!"

–vgallant

17. Taxes

NBCUniversal / Via giphy.com

"I’m an accountant and I get asked to do people’s taxes for free all the time. I’m not even a tax accountant. Y’all can do it for free online."

–JamieLLong

Let us know about any tasks you're tired of getting asked to do for free in the comments below!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.