A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after recounting an experience she had working as a tutor for wealthy families. The experiences she had, she says, led her to “[stop] comparing myself to rich people.”
In a video with over 6.3 million views as of Sunday, TikTok user Antoinette (@amoneymoves) recalls a specific incident in which her car broke down on the way to work, which was at the time a tutoring session for a “rich” child. Unable to pay the $1,500 to fix it, she called her employer and said that she would not be able to come to work due to her broken car. The family answered that she should come in anyway and that they would assist her with her issue.
“Once I finally got there, she sat me down and looked me in the eyes and said, ‘I’m going to give you an advance because my son will not pass the eighth grade without you,’” she explains. “Which was true. They kept going on international vacations. And I was writing all his essays and submitting all these final projects.”
“She wrote me a check for $1,500, gave me a referral to her husband’s mechanic, [and] said that he would give me a discount because they referred me,” Antoinette continues. “And this whole time, I’m so grateful.”
However, this is where things took a turn.
“She turns to her son and says, ‘You see, son? This is why we need to help people like her. This is why we have money. Some people can’t even afford to fix their cars, and you should be grateful that you are as privileged as you are,’” Antoinette shares. “And they both turned and gave me such a look of pity that I had to excuse myself and go cry in the restroom because this car was my livelihood.”
Antoinette later reveals that this $1,500 was not a gift, but an amount that was taken out of subsequent paychecks.
“She was only helping me because she needed me to tutor her son to pass the eighth grade,” Antoinette states. “And then she used me as this real-life example of, ‘look at the poors, so helpless and fragile.’”
Antoinette concludes by noting that the family did not send her her last paycheck.
“This is also why I don’t listen to career or financial advice from rich people who have always been rich, because they just don’t know and they never will, even if it’s right in front of them,” she declares.
@amoneymoves #stitch with @louie ✨ Pls don’t compare yourself to rich people bc I promise you they’re not as benevolent or thrifty as we think they are. Their actions are self-serving, and that’s how they get and stay rich. #storytime #richpeoplebelike #richpeoplestories ♬ original sound – Antoinette
In the comments section, users shared their own stories about dealing with wealthy people.
“I delivered for Amazon and the ‘hood’ customers would give me water & Gatorade during the heat wave,” shared a user. “The millionaires wouldn’t even say thanks.”
“Yes rich people are soooo greedy like 1,500 makes no dent in your account. One time a lady gave me a coupon book for Christmas,” recounted another.
“Yup! They will only do things for you if it serves them. The minute you don’t they don’t know who you are,” stated a third.
“I had a billionaire boss that would frequently forget to reimburse me business expenses,” remembered a further TikToker. “Yes, I need this $200. It’s not nothing to me.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Antoinette via Instagram direct message.
