Facing up to reality

Well, I guess I have to start looking for a job, bugger.

Before I get to it I’d like to explode this myth about myspace being a place where musical talent will out. My karaoke video has been up on my page for a week now and no offers have come rolling in. Given my talents with the maracas, harmonica and my superb dancing skills surely I’m the type of unsigned star who is supposed to succeed via that particular medium and not have to worry about finding a normal job?

On a more serious note, I’ll give someone a plug. I met this guy on a bus from Porto to Salamanca – I was meant to go watch him play but managed to fall asleep. I checked out his page when I got home and I think he’s quite good, well worth a few minutes effort.

At least the intention was there…

So, for the first time since Christmas, I managed to haul myself out of bed before midday. I shaved off the beard I’ve spent a few weeks cultivating, dressed smartly and headed down to town with the intention of signing up with a couple of temping agencies and earning a little bit of money before leaving the country.

My route to town took me down a cobbled street, I stepped on a cobblestone which turned out to be loose, the next thing I know is that I have mud all over my face, arms and jacket as the pressure exerted by my foot had the effect of squeezing a load of mud out from under the cobblestone and having it squirt all over me.

I thought it best not to turn up looking like that when trying to pursue work, maybe I’ll try again next week….

Decisions, decisions…..

I think I have two real options for my time while waiting for my visa to arrive (and it’s going to be Australia by the way, the Canada thing went a bit tits-up).

Option 1 – Go into town, register with some employment agencies and get some temping work pending my departure.

Option 2 – Sit on my arse all day doing nothing.

I know what I should do, but I also have a feeling that I know what I’m going to do, I bet you all can’t guess what that is……..

It’ll be a lovely day tomorrow…..

About this time on a Monday I’d be at work, fighting to stay awake and wondering just how much more fun it would be to climb onto the windowsill and hurl myself 50 feet to the ground, rather than sit there and continue to do my job. Thankfully Friday saw it all come to an end, my glorious five year spell as a civil servant is over – I was planning on writing a critique of Her Majesties Revenue and Customs, but now I’ve gone I just don’t want to waste my energy on the place. I’ll miss some of the people I’ve worked with, everything else about it can go to hell.

So tomorrow I set off to Madrid, easyjet flight 7101 from Liverpool at 1315 will speed me off to, well who knows, a new life possibly, a new career maybe – I’m happy to just relax for a bit and see what happens and how things pan out.

On Friday I head off to take part in Pueblo Inglés, literally English village, where I will basically spend the week interacting with, and talking to Spaniards in English, with the intention of improving their grasp of the language and getting to hear it as it is really spoken. They, or their employers, apparently pay thousands for these courses, I’ll get a hotel room and meals for a week out of it, not to mention some experience and the chance to make a few contacts. While it isn’t explicitly teaching English it should give me a bit of an insight into the process of teaching non-English speakers the language, and help me decide if it is a career route I can go down.

After that I’ll be travelling around Spain and Portugal for a couple of weeks – a weekend in Valencia (Levante v Atlético Madrid) is first up, then Lisbon, Porto, Castilla y Leon, and possibly the Basque country are all on the agenda before heading back to Madrid for two or three weeks, watching some football and trying to see if teaching is a goer. I’ve made a few contacts over there and they are all being more than helpful to ensure that I will get some experience of actually being involved in, and taking, lessons so I can get a true grasp of what it entails and see if it’s for me – it’s not all about what others are going to do for me though – I’ll also be going over armed with my walking shoes, C.V. and lesson plans that I’ve put together with the aim of picking up some freelance classes filling in here and there. Of course my exploits will be fully blogged, for your viewing pleasure!

I fly back from Barcelona on December 21 (Barcelona v Atlético on the 20th) and then, taking on board what has happened over these six weeks or so, it will be time to make some real decisions. Whatever happens, it will be more fun than sitting behind that desk day in, day out and nowhere near as soul-destroying.

An act of intolerable cruelty

I have now worked for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, or it’s forerunner, for just under five years.

Now, after suffering from sub-standard snacking options for all that time and with just 42 hours and 29 working minutes left of my time there, the vending machines are being stocked with various flavours of Seabrook Crisps, the Bradford produced best snack in the world. It’s almost as if they are taunting me.

It’s almost enough to make me rip up my resignation letter.*

* (ok thats probably the biggest lie I’ve ever told)

The Great Escape

You may, or may not, want to hum the theme tune, or play it in your head when reading this, I’ll leave it entirely up to you .

I handed my notice in today, which was probably the most therapeutic experience of my life, I’d say it was also the happiest moment of my life, but then you’d quite rightly question what I’ve been doing for the last 26 and a half years, so I won’t quite go that far. The assasination of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom (Inland Revenue as was) will have to wait until I have actually left the building as well. Still, thats in only 23 working days time, on Friday November 3rd.

So what next? Well it may not suprise most to hear that I’m heading to Madrid. Back in the heady days of July on here I mentioned the Pueblo Inglés programme that I am taking part in, and I’m giving myself six weeks to do that, a little travelling in Northern Spain and then trying to source some English teaching work in Madrid itself, while taking in a few Atlético matches. I have a basic TEFL certificate and I’ve made a few contacts in my past trips and over the internet that should help me do that. Firstly, I need to get a few lessons on a casual basis, so I can find out if I am cut out for a career doing it or not – only time will tell.

After those six weeks I’ll head back home for Xmas and take stock of the situation, if teaching is looking promising and work seems forthcoming I’ll head back to Madrid and do some more in-depth teacher training. If not, who knows, I have enough money saved/borrowed to get me through a few months and the world is my oyster, I’ve got many alternatives in mind, but I’m yet to formulate an official plan B, and probably won’t until the day before it has to kick into operation.

Having left just about as solid a job as you are likely to get (even in the current climate of civil service cuts) and one which now, by virtue of 5 years service, pays a reasonable salary for what I do I won’t deny I am a little worried about what sort of future I have in store for myself when I get back to Blighty, whether that be in 3 weeks, months or years after my departure. Still, I’m young enough and have few commitments so getting myself back on my feet long term shouldn’t pose too many problems, and if it does, so what? I’m only going to live once.

All I have to do is try and keep my sanity for those last 23 days now……