Unemployed

You may be aware, from other posts, that I have lost my job.

The county council closed a whole swathe of Middle School, ostensibly to improve pupils' education, but the evidence used was interpreted spuriously, because the real motive was to save money; they've removed a whole layer of management-level wages, admin staff, support staff, and even the teaching staff.

Anyhoo, the upshot is that I was made redundant - career-wise, I fall between two stools, being too expensive to compete with NQTs, yet too inexperienced at KS4/KS5 to compete with more expensive time-served teachers.

So...

I'm out of work.

And, oddly, I'm quite enjoying it.

Last time I was out of work, it was incredibly stressful - zero income, we lost the house and it took a complete career-change to get me back into work. I ended up in a very dark place.

This time, though...

My wife's job is safe, and is enough for a living wage. I have a lump of cash in the bank that will tide us over "in the manner to which we have become accustomed" at least until Christmas, longer if I'm careful.

During the day, kids at school, on my own, home is a very different place. It's quiet, I don't get uninterrupted. I potter around, keeping up to date with the house work, finally starting to beat the garden into submission (although the pond liner has perished and sprung numerous leaks, so I need to replace that soon), and I'm being far more productive on Instructables. I'm confident of beating my personal target of "publish more projects than Christy" well before the end of October (she's currently on 133, I'm on 130, so as long as she doesn't have a publishing flurry...).

Life is good.

I've decided, though, that it can't go on (unemployment, I mean. Life can. I'm quite keen on Life.).

So, I'm looking for work, and I've decided to have another career change and I can afford, for the moment, to be choosy about which jobs I go for.

I'm still going to teach, but I want to switch subjects. I want to switch to Technology ("shop", to our colonial cousins), specifically "Resistant Materials" (although I'm not averse to Textiles or Food Tech...).

I spent a day in a high school RM department before the Summer, and the staff there said I had a "natural touch" for the subject, and a suitable vacancy has just come up.

Fingers crossed.

(That was a bit of a ramble, wasn't it? I think I need to get back to work to talk to real flesh-and-blood humans more...)

"Work"?

Two stories caught my eye today.

Firstly, there has apparently been a 40% fall in child employment in the last five years. Hypotheses abound, including competition from cheap migrant labour eating into the number of jobs available.

More likely, to me, though is:

"Children today are priceless possessions whose wants and needs are attended to. Because they can obtain pocket money from parents, they can by and large enjoy drifting around in society. You have to actually exercise some responsibility and initiative in order to get a job."

Health and safety scares, tabloid obsessions with child snatchers, and just plain old poor parenting have robbed generations of children of the gumption to get up and do something of actual value for themselves.

The second story to catch my eye, minutes later, backs me up:

Andrew Croskery, from County Down, applied for a judicial review of the [2:2] grade he received from Queen's University in Belfast.

Mr Croskery claimed if he had received better supervision he would have obtained a 2:1, the High Court was told on Monday.

What he means is, "I didn't get the grades because you didn't tell me to do the work"!

Try getting over yourself Mister Croskery - you missed out on a 2:1 because you needed to be watched. You failed to earn a 2:1 because you did not motivate yourself to earn the rewards you knew were available.

According to his Lawyer (and who is paying for that?):

"He avers his employment prospects have been jeopardised... in this competitive job market,"

I'll tell you what, I aver that Mister Croskery's employment prospects have been jeopardised far more by this open declaration that he cannot perform to his full abilities unless closely supervised.

Why couldn't he just suck in his result, and either work the job market harder or, if he has parents who can afford a lawyer for this expensive childish strop, why can't they fund another year at university so he can try again for the grades he claims he deserves?

I've been on both sides of the interview desk over the years, and I'd be a damn site more likely to hire a kid who bollixed a few points on his degree because he had a social life, knew it, and was ready to get back on track than some whining priceless possession who would take me to court if he missed out on a pay-rise because I didn't stand over him and force him to work.

Take heed, children of the 21st Century.

You don't need skills or aptitude to get on in life, just a lawyer good enough to sue the people who refused to spoon-feed you for the first thirty years of your life.