The Why Don't You Get a Job Thread

[Keith Houchen]

So, just about to head off for my appointment and the phone rings, it's a Manchester number so I think it's the agency making sure I was attending.  It was a company that I'd sent my CV to on spec after a former colleague told me they might be hiring in similar roles to what I was doing.  They liked my CV and have asked me in for an interview on Monday.  It's all coming up Houchen!!

 

Went well at the agency too, they had a few things lined up that they're going to send my CV off to.  Thanks for all the advice, chaps.

[Slapnut]

Best of luck Houchey baby.

 

I've just applied to do a masters in scriptwriting at the University of South Wales.  I have no idea if it's a good idea or not, but I've been writing shitty old scripts for years and I've got a bunch of them hanging around so it seems like something I'd enjoy.  Plus, Cardiff is a massive BBC hub at the moment and even more offices are opening up within the next few years, so it seems the work will be there.

[Briefcase]

Funny enough after saying I wanted to leave its quite possible I might be losing my job, so at least that should encourage me to sort a new job out if nothing else, I have a few contacts and places that have made me offers before so will look into them options. 

[SpursRiot2012]

Having said LinkedIn is a load of shit for years and years, I had someone message me about a job on there today. I guess my profile still said I was working as a subtitler and they're looking for subtitlers. That was unexpected.

[SuperBacon]

Having said LinkedIn is a load of shit for years and years, I had someone message me about a job on there today. I guess my profile still said I was working as a subtitler and they're looking for subtitlers. That was unexpected.

Good work. It's a decent site if used for the right things. Not the motivational wank and fucking Wolf of Wall Streer memes that most people put up though. Best of luck

[SpursRiot2012]

I don't really want to be a subtitler again but it'd be decent money while I'm studying.

[bAzTNM#1]

Is it harder to get a college course interview as you get older? I've been noticing this. Kind of out of order really as my qualifications more than meet the requirements.

Edited April 15, 2016 by bAzTNM#1

[Grecian]

Slapnut:

Regarding your MA - if your heart is in Drama, then apply for those courses. Don't do an MA in something because you think it's what you might enjoy or it'll get you out of your job, do it because you are genuinely passionate about it. I work in university admissions, and the people who apply for stuff on a whim or come to us through Clearing are always the ones who drop out quickest. If one Drama course has turned you down, keep applying, and don't be afraid to ask for feedback why you were unsuccessful.

I don't know if you know, the Student Loans company have brought in post-graduate student loans, but you can only get one. If you have one for something you don't care hugely about, you won't then get funded to do something else that you do want to do further down the line.

 

Baz:

Colleges and Universities have to abide by age discrimination laws and shouldn't take your age into account at all. If the colleges aren't giving you an interview, and can't give a justified reason why, they should have an 'Admissions Appeals' procedure. If not, contact whomever is in charge of admissions and mention discrimination. Most places will then give you an interview if they think they could get in any kind of legal grief.

[bAzTNM#1]

I've been applying for college courses in Glasgow for the last couple of Septembers now. I either get the "course is full" (in January!?!?) or I'm stuck on the "waiting list" and they will "notify" me if a place becomes available, which never happens. Getting fed up with it. I might email a few of them citing discrimination now. Thanks!

Edited April 15, 2016 by bAzTNM#1

[Grecian]

I've been applying for college courses in Glasgow for the last couple of Septembers now. I either get the "course is full" (in January!?!?) or I'm stuck on the "waiting list" and they will "notify" me if a place becomes available, which never happens. Getting fed up with it. I might email a few of them citing discrimination now. Thanks!

 

Ask to defer your application to the following September, so that you have a guaranteed place. Most places will offer deferrals if it means getting a guaranteed student in the future.

 

Alternatively, ask when applications for the course open, and make sure you get in quickly. Some of our post-grad courses fill up 6 months before the course starts, so do check the dates.

[SteelEdge]

So this week I scored my first full time permanent job in 8 years! Been surviving on either part time or temp stuff since then so this is a massive deal for me. I shall be manager at a Cancer Research charity shop. I started volunteering at my local one back in 2014 and moved up to Sunday Manager (paid one day a week) and in the last 6-8 months I've been a kinda unofficial relief manager covering other shops in the area when managers have days off/holiday and no one at that shop can fill in, but that was unsteady as some weeks I'd have 3-4 days work and others I'd have none. But now I have my very own shop. Money ain't great but I barely care about that cos just buzzing to be earning full time again. Finish at my current shop on 2nd May, then 2 weeks training in another shop before taking over at my new home. Yay! And thanks to the peeps who helped me with an application form question a few weeks back in this thread, as you can see it's had a good result! 

[SpursRiot2012]

Grecian, I had no idea they were offering postgrad loans now. That's something for me to think about.

[Grecian]

Yup. There are some critieria to them - you can't have one if you already hold an MA, and you'll only get funding for 1 (hence my advice to Slapnut about being certain what he wants to do), but anyone under 60 can have one.

 

More details here:

 

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=22757-Postgraduate-Loan

 

In a nutshell - you can get up to £10,000, it's repaid after you graduate and are earning a certain amount, but you do repay alongside any undergraduate repayments, so you'll be paying back both at the same time. No restrictions on age (apart from being under 60), which MA course you do, or University.

 

if you're thinking of doing an MA, it's well worth looking into.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Grecian

[SpursRiot2012]

I'm just heading into the second year of my BA. So a long time to decide on something like that.

[Slapnut]

Slapnut:

Regarding your MA - if your heart is in Drama, then apply for those courses. Don't do an MA in something because you think it's what you might enjoy or it'll get you out of your job, do it because you are genuinely passionate about it. I work in university admissions, and the people who apply for stuff on a whim or come to us through Clearing are always the ones who drop out quickest. If one Drama course has turned you down, keep applying, and don't be afraid to ask for feedback why you were unsuccessful.

I don't know if you know, the Student Loans company have brought in post-graduate student loans, but you can only get one. If you have one for something you don't care hugely about, you won't then get funded to do something else that you do want to do further down the line.

The problem with applying with any other decent acting MA is that they are based in cities where I simply can't afford to live. I have no idea how people go to drama school in London unless Mam and Dad are fucking loaded. The benefit of going to the Royal Welsh College is that I could have lived at home and saved a shit load of cash on rent etc.

 

Plus, the way the industry is today means that you either have to a) be rich, b) have supermodel looks or c) know people high up in the industry to make a living from it. None of those points apply to be, and the only way to make point C happen is by going to a good drama school. Catch 22.

 

Writing your own shit is one of the best ways to get ahead in the industry today. You're much more likely to make contacts by sending decent scripts off rather than pointless acting CVs that say nothing but "I can do an Irish accent and I was an extra in Casualty the other week".

 

It's something I've wanted to do for years and it was more or less a toss up between that and acting for my degree, and the latter won. Having a BA in one and an MA in the other can only be a good thing.