BEFORE YOU SIGN On The Dotted Line.

ONE OF THE most satisfying experiences the proud new owner of a liberal arts degree can have is signing that very first contract. One of the biggest mistakes the new graduate can make, however, is neglecting to thoroughly examine what is in the contract--and what is not.

Case in point: After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree, I found myself with very few long-term prospects, because most universities don't do much hiring midyear. I found myself working in a coffee shop for little more than minimum wage as my first post-MFA job. Imagine my relief when two universities and one professional company offered me jobs. I had my choice of positions--but none began until the following August. I decided to fill in the employment gap with a summer camp gig.

Shortly after applying, I was offered a dance director job at what was supposed be one of the premier camps in the country. (This camp will hereafter be referred to as "XXX Camp.") After a telephone interview with camp directors, I received a contract, and after careful perusal, I signed, sealed, and delivered the document. Goodbye, coffee shop!

LESSON ONE: WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

Let me make one thing, the main thing, perfectly clear: a contract does not necessarily tell you anything about what the actual job entails. Nor is the contract generally created for the purpose of protecting the prospective employee. The contract protects the employer, and, in defense of most employers, not without good reason.

LESSON TWO: READ YOUR CONTRACT

Don't just skim the fine print--really read it. I was told verbally that as a director, I wouldn't have to live in a cabin with the campers. But when I received the contract, I found that item five stipulated that "(the) Counselor agrees to supervise and live with a group of campers as assigned, and to perform any and all duties to which he or she may be assigned." I signed the contract, having first attached a signed memo--and, yes, keep a copy of both the memo and the contract for your records--stating that everything looked agreeable except the living conditions. (Another way to disagree with a specific item in a contract is to line out that item and initial the lined-out portion before signing and returning the contract.) When I arrived at the camp, I was given living quarters separate from the children. Had I not attached that memo, and had the camp found itself one cabin counselor short, I could have been contractually required to be a live-in counselor.

LESSON THREE: BE DILIGENT ABOUT EVERY CLARIFICATION

Fair contracts will clearly state exactly what employees are being hired to accomplish. Unfair contracts state almost nothing of the kind. Items one and two of my summer camp contract stated that "XXX Camp, Inc. agrees to employ Mariah Malec as a Dance Director at XXX Camp. The counselor accepts said employment for the season of 1999 to begin on or about June xx, 1999 and to end on or about August xx, 1999." Item two described the payment schedule and days off. That was it. The rest of the contract items pertained to the camp's rules and regulations.

What the camp, and the contract, did not say was that as dance director, I was also expected to serve as the aerobics director, the fitness director, and the cheerleading director. While I was preparing for the job, I received two daily teaching schedules: "Dance and Aerobics" and "Cheerleading and Fitness." I have no cheerleading experience! When I called the camp in a panic, I was reassured that I would oversee the cheerleading and fitness departments, but that I would not be directly responsible for them. I wound up having to find people with aerobics, cheerleading, and weightlifting experience, schedule all of those classes, and hunt down all those teachers whenever there was a schedule change, which was often. I also naively assumed that the schedules would help instructors plan classes for the various age groups. Up to three minutes before a class designed for, say, first graders, I could wind up with seventh graders. I expressed my misgivings at such a convoluted method of keeping youngsters entertained. But I was told to "get used to it." The best plan would have been to arrive equipped with numerous generic lesson plans. I chose not to, because camp directors told me that campers had specific requests about what they wanted to be taught, so I couldn't plan until I arrived. I was also told, repeatedly, that I would have sufficient planning time upon arrival. The reality was that the only planning time allocated to me was during sleep hours. The final humiliation was finding out that I, as dance director, would be required to sling hash.

My advice is this: Get as detailed a job description as you can before signing a contract. Find out the organization's mission statement or philosophy, and make sure you agree with it. I found out too late that part of the XXX Camp Philosophy was that the children are the only priority.

LESSON FOUR: STAND UP FOR YOURSELF

Did I have to accept all the duties I was asked to perform? In a word, no. I did agree contractually to "perform any and all duties" to which I was assigned. However, I took it upon myself to verbally inquire what duties I was actually responsible for after I signed that contract, and the camp directors misrepresented or omitted many of those duties in more than one conversation. This is perhaps the most important lesson of all: It is perfectly acceptable for you as an employee to say no. I didn't exercise that option, because I didn't want to alienate my fellow directors and counselors by appearing insubordinate. As a result, I found my integrity was being compromised beyond what I felt was fair. After one week on the job, I quit.

LESSON FIVE: DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES

Quitting this job was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I am not a quitter, and quitting ensured that I was not going to get paid for my work. I wasn't looking forward to explaining myself to every professional contact, friend, and relative who knew about the job, either. I could have refused to participate in all the unspecified activities that I was asked to perform, although doing so most likely would have gotten me fired. Was it right for me to run out on my contract? Maybe not, but I believe that it was my last recourse, as I had made several attempts to voice my concerns. In addition, the directors of the camp broke the verbal contract (which is legally binding, if difficult to prove) that they made with me.

This article isn't meant to discourage anyone from trusting a prospective employer. There are wonderful people and organizations to work for out there; there are, however, those who will take advantage of youth, inexperience, and a drive to achieve. So find out what you need to know, sign the contract, and launch your career. But protect yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.

Mariah Malec recently served as temporary Dance Program Director at Maryland's Salisbury State University.