I received an unexpected email from my boss asking about my first shift as a substitute counselor for the Parks & Rec summer camp program. This caught me completely off guard because I thought I hadn’t been hired for the position. I had applied to be a lead counselor this year, but due to a family trip to Europe that would make me miss the mandatory in-person training, I reached out to my boss beforehand to clarify my eligibility. She indicated that missing the training would disqualify me, so I decided to apply as an on-call substitute instead, thinking it would be a safer bet given my situation. After applying, my boss confirmed my application as a substitute, but I never received any official job offer or paperwork, which led me to believe I hadn’t gotten the job. I even moved on and found another summer job, assuming my application was a no-go. I continued to receive automated emails about the program, which I thought were just leftover notifications since I didn’t think I was hired. Now, while I’m enjoying my trip in Europe (despite a nasty sunburn), I’m faced with this email about my first shift. I’m planning to be honest with my boss and explain that I never received an official offer, so I didn’t attend any training sessions. I want to clarify my situation without sounding like I’m making excuses for not fulfilling responsibilities for a job I didn’t know I had. It’s a bit of a wild situation, but I’m hoping my experience will still count for something, even if I missed the training.