Paid Members Maverick Posted October 7, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 7, 2013 Good luck with it! England seems to have 10x the jobs going in the field than over here, something to think about I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Do the NCTJ, it's a prerequisite, but it's about building contacts and writing well in that order. Jason Burt is a terrible writer but his contacts are so good he gets football stories cold that others don't get. PM me and I'll ask my friend Iain, who's a former UKFFer, to get in touch. He's risen fairly fast in sports journalism, his girlfriend is a local news editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I forgot to post here that I am, for the first time in over seven years, officially unemployed. I've mentioned before the numerous problems with the managing director of the company and they've made me redundant. Sort of. I spoke to ACAS, a friend who is a former CAB advisor and the recruitment consultant who got me the job and all to some extent reckon that this whole situation has been mishandled. To some degree they think I have a case for wrongful dismissal based on mishandling the redundancy. I'm off to see the South West London Law Centre this evening to discuss my options but this fucks everything up. I was trying to get through to December so my wife and I can go away, now that's up in the air. Just it's very frustrating as I always seem to attract dysfunction at work into my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Fatty Facesitter Posted October 8, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks Mikey, will drop you a line at some point tomorrow or thursday once I've sorted out getting to Wimbledon and back. Having a quick chat with the chap on the phone, the building is actually next to a college by the sounds of it, and many of their staff either come straight from there once completing their studies, or go there to do part-time brush up sessions for things like Shorthand, so maybe I can do both of those there as well which would be magic. Â It's just down the road from the Centre Court shopping centre by the looks of it. Do you know Wimbledon well? It seems nice enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Maverick Posted October 8, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 8, 2013 If you want to know more about Wimbledon there's a great documentary about life there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCf_PpDUTdA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Thanks Mikey, will drop you a line at some point tomorrow or thursday once I've sorted out getting to Wimbledon and back. Having a quick chat with the chap on the phone, the building is actually next to a college by the sounds of it, and many of their staff either come straight from there once completing their studies, or go there to do part-time brush up sessions for things like Shorthand, so maybe I can do both of those there as well which would be magic. Â It's just down the road from the Centre Court shopping centre by the looks of it. Do you know Wimbledon well? It seems nice enough. Â Was in Wimbledon last night seeing the employment law advisor (I can do nothing, all I can do is try and get a full month's notice in money out of them) and Wimbledon's one of the few places outside central London, probably along with Richmond out that way, where it doesn't feel like the suburbs but a city centre in its own right. Wimbledon station can be unpleasant to commute through due to the sheer mass of humanity but it's full of decent-sized companies, lots of young people and a few students. It can be pricey for food and drink, Wimbledon Common is one of the honeypots for the rich in South West London, but I think it's one of the more pleasant places to work and study in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Fatty Facesitter Posted October 10, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 10, 2013 If you want to know more about Wimbledon there's a great documentary about life there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCf_PpDUTdA Â Hook. Line. Sinker! Â Job interview went well on my part, I think, but it sounds like an absolutely massive leap up from what I'm doing now and if I'm being 100% truthful with myself, I honestly don't know if I have it in me at this stage in my career, having not actually nailed down a proper journalsim job yet and being thrown straight in at the deep end, knowing a single fuck up could be finish me off there before I've even really started. The bosses there seem pretty ruthless and I get the impression they wouldn't want to spend much time training someone when they're already training students as it is. Â Plus points, they were pleased with my past work, what I knew, liked the feedback I gave them on their video work and I spent an hour putting together something for them on some editing software I already knew pretty well. Self-doubt/Hassle of a massive re-location and vibe of some of the people working there aside, it ticked a lot fo boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Surf Digby Posted October 16, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 16, 2013 Had a meeting with the boss yesterday. Still happy with my performance, blah blah blah, giving me some extra duties, and so on. Â Today I get home to a voicemail saying as of thirty minutes previously, I'm "being released from my assignment". Â Dumped by voicemail. Harsh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted October 16, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 16, 2013 Got a job last week (I use the term loosely) working for a small cafe stand thing. I'm working about 5 hours this week in 1 hour 15 minute shifts just unpacking and packing up the stand. I'm grateful for the small amount of cash it'll bring but I'm still not entirely sure why they've hired me. They already have like 8 or 9 members of staff who could do what I do during the start/end of their shift. It's all very confusing as they talk to me like I'm a full-time member of staff, they're all dead nice and the manager is cool with me, but I feel like a spare part they've got in for a laugh but only I'm aware of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Surf Digby Posted October 16, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 16, 2013 Could be some workfare type scheme, where they're getting subsidised to let you "learn some essential skills". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I start my job as a Postie on Monday. It's fixed term on a 6 month contract and who knows what will be happening with Royal Mail in 6 months but for the first time in nearly 12 months I have a proper job. The hours are sweet and at a base rate of 25 it'll allow me to have a great work/life balance and the early starts and finishes mean that the wife won't be as inflexible with what type of work/education she pursues when the baba is a bit older. Don't get me wrong, I've seen too many cynical postmen to go in to this full of sunshine but having worked in retail, construction and agency dogsbody work it's certainly a step up and if the Royall Mail do make changes that worsen the job it'll be a job I never knew in the first place. Any other Posties around here ? Tips and advice would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted October 18, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 18, 2013 I remember, when I went to a Royal Mail interview, some guy didn't take too kindly to failing his numeracy test. He stormed out and tried to kick off with the other people when they were leaving. He must have been 50+. Quite an odd, scary situation really. I only managed to get out of it by hopping on a random bus going along the street. He lost the plot big time. My abiding memory of Royal Mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Duke Posted October 19, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 19, 2013 Just found out I've got a job working for the ehad of public policy at mastercard. It's only a temp contract, but a huge step up for me and an amazing opportunity. Properly excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Fatty Facesitter Posted October 19, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 19, 2013 (edited) Happy days Duke! I'll sign up to Mastercard if you make it public policy to put lots of money in it for me. Â I didn't get the job in Wimbledon in the end, but got some great feedback and we've exchanged contact details. As their video department expands or if they get anything near my way, they said they'd be in touch. So even though I didn't get the job, I still got something out of it. Â Now trying to save up to buy the NCTJ bits and pieces. Wish they'd take payments in installments though! Edited October 19, 2013 by Fatty Facesitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Maverick Posted October 19, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 19, 2013 Where are you doing it Nick, from home? My whole NCTJ course has cost me a tenner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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