Endgame

Nothing much to report in these past two weeks. I’m still hotly anticipating my new job, counting down the days until I leave Royal Mail. Elsewhere, the football season has started up again and once more Forest get us all hyped up for nothing…

Back to the new job, I gave in my notice last Friday. Seeing as I don’t start at the ILF until Tuesday the 1st, I thought it best to leave the Thursday before, so I have an extended bank holiday break before all the hard work starts.

When I gave in my notice I asked my manager about the possibility of getting the last week off, seeing as I’m leaving anyway it wouldn’t matter if I’m there or not. He told me how you accure days off for every 13 you work and that that would determine how many days I could get off – at this point things began to go over my head, I’m still not entirely sure what he means or how they work it all out.

The hope was I could finish this Friday, giving me a whole week off. The reality is I only get an extra couple of days off. Hopefully I’ll get a bumper last wage slip as I’m owed two weeks holiday! I’m a bit frustrated at not finishing earlier, but I’m keen on leaving Royal Mail on good terms, so I’m not going to kick up a fuss.

I just want to slip away quietly on Tuesday, the people I dislike at that place far outnumber the people I like, so the last thing I want is to be fake with people I’ve never got along with. One other thing is that people forget about you and move on after a day or two, unless you’re a character, which I’m certainly not.

I had to shop for smart clothes for my new job, it’s not a shirt & tie job by any stretch, but for the first few days at least I want to look smart and presentable. When I get more comfortable I’ll turn up in jeans and a t-shirt – few months later some joggers and a crumpled top

Now I have a Monday to Friday job once again, I can watch forest on a more regular basis. Though the way in which they’ve started the season hasn’t exactly filled me with excitement. It’s hopefully a case of getting all the bad results out of the way early on, but two losses and a draw hardly encourages me to spend £30 (!) to watch the reds. I will, however, buy a new Forest top. I’ve seen them in Sports Direct and they look a lot better in person. Plus they’re selling them with sponsors already printed on, despite the club shops insistance that they were the only place to do that.

So, after three long years at Royal Mail, I’ve now entered the endgame. Can’t wait!!

Working 9 till 5!

Circumstances can change ever so quickly…

My last blog post was a moan about how I missed out on a new job by ‘just a few marks’. I’d got over it, contemplating working at Royal Mail for the forseeable, but then I got a call from a withheld number yesterday afternoon.

I was told should any vacancies arise in the next 6 months, I’ll be automatically offered the job – they phoned yesterday to do just that. I was guessing that maybe one of the new recruits who had pipped me to the post last month had maybe dropped out, but it turns out a new area is being created – in a sense a job has been created for me.

My new employers (!) are the ILF – Independent Living Funds (I think!) – they deal with funding for disabled people who choose to live independently. The office is split into regions, different teams working on cases from all over the country. My sister seems to think I’ll be part of a brand new Devon/South West region. Hopefully it will involve regular trips down there…

The job I have is plain and simple. Admin Assistant, otherwise known as the office bitch! I do the menial stuff to help out the other guys in the team. In so many ways this is a step up from my current job and also an actual real office – unlike that godawful box factory office job I had three years ago.

The contract is only for six months (the original job I went for was a year long contract), it could be seen as a bit of a risk to leave a steady job I’ve had at Royal Mail – but I need to escape that place. Sometimes in life you take risks that could pay off, I believe this is one of them. My sister was employed there initially on a four month contract, and is still there a year on, so there is every chance I could get a more long-term contract if I’m good at what I do. Plus, people come and go, vacancies will arise, so I’m not too worried about that.

I’m just pondering who to put forward as references. I hope I can use Royal Mail as one, but how would that look for an employer to receive a request for a reference for someone who is still employed by them? Not sure. I’ve been at Royal Mail long enough to see off many former references. Former managers at Asda and Makro have come and gone. I can only really think that the Playgroup might be my best bet.

The job doesn’t start until the 1st of September, so I’m going to take advantage of that and book some time off, quietly giving in my notice so I don’t have to work my final week.

The deal breaker for me in this job was the opportunity to have my own desk and phone extension! Yeah!