You might, if you read my blog regularly, have been wondering what I have been doing recently. I haven’t posted for a while, so as you might guess, that answer to your question is "not much".
I haven’t been doing nothing, however. My desk is slowly taking shape, after many trials with the electric jigsaw (the supposed "guide" is surely a misnomer) and the hand saws (one goes straight but takes ages; the other is nice and quick but goes all over the place). I’m now sorting out the keyboard shelf so I shall soon be shouting at the hammer for making such an impression of my thumb, and quite possibly lobbing a few dowels across the room. Then it remains to build the final shelf for the monitor, which could prove the greatest challenge: another job for the electric jigsaw.
I have also applied for a few jobs. I want to start my working life proper somewhere stimulating and exciting: I’ll be damned if I’m forced to make friends with electronic colleagues and a calculator named "Alfred". I still want to be creative and I want to have the opportunity to present myself as an entity rather than as an employee, but chances are getting fewer and I’m looking abroad.
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Another day, another day without a dollar. I had an interview for a job as a Post-16 Tutor at Gosforth High School. I say "interview", there was a challenging ‘carousel’ of activities. Amongst those activities was to present a twenty minute tutorial on revision techniques, have an interview in front of existing post-16 tutors, answer the questions of a student panel, write a reference for a fictional character with some given information, and then to face a formal interview in front of a panel of four senior members of the post-16 team.
The tutorial could have gone better. I had gone into the tutorial with an idea of trying to get the students to talk as much as possible about their experiences of revision so that they can discuss together how they could improve their revision techniques. I managed to make it last the twenty minutes (further than some others had reported) but it became a little fragmented towards the end. The interview in front of the post-16 tutors and the student panel were more fun, and I felt I did well in those. I also did rather well in writing the reference, though I did not manage to finish within the twenty minutes (and I made the schoolboy error of forgetting to write my name on the paper…).
The final interview was also much more relaxed and comfortable than I had anticipated. They gave me scenarios of some things that could happen in the course of the job. I think I coped rather well.
However I did not get any of the jobs that were available. I did well to be in the shortlist of ten from the 111 that applied, but it seems in the end not having school experience was again my downfall: the other candidates apparently had been in positions of similar roles in other schools.
It’s unfortunate. They were quite clear and accepted that many of those applying want to get paid experience in a school in order to eventually become a teacher; and that any decision they would make would not be impacted by my desire to teach in the future. In my feedback I was told I would make a good teacher "without doubt", but it’s looking even further away now.
...with no replies just yet.
I had my hair cut today. It wasn’t something I planned, so I am a little in shock now. This morning I had what appeared to be black hair: the stubborn locks that remained since dying it in December covering what lied beneath. It was also rather long, gathering at the base of my neck and swept across my eyes. Now, it is desperately pale blond, and rather short. I look rather anaemic now.
Beforehand I had been working on some freelance work. It isn’t all that easy. I had been hoping to get it done fairly quickly but the intricacies in the detail are quite amazing. I am, in fact, surprised by the additional research I’ve had to do to get the results that are required. That’ll teach me!
The final thing that affected me this week was being called a coward. It was meant in a light-hearted way and I don’t think there was too much meaning behind it, but it did get me thinking. It followed me saying how I now crave a simple and quiet life: to settle down and knuckle down. I don’t want to be under undue pressure and I don’t want to be in a job that no-one else gives two hoots about. I think I’m in the right, but does it make me a coward?
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Last night, I made my first ever job application. It didn’t go well. I spent quite a long time over it, but I feel that it’s rather weak.
GCHQ are advertising for 13 Mathematicians to fill their posts. Perhaps I should not have applied: I do still have another year beyond this at university, and as such they probably won’t be interested anyway. But seeing as the opportunities have been quite sparse of late, I thought I should give it a go anyway.
And to compound on my misery, it is results day today. Oh joy. It’s probably a good thing that the Maths Crew are celebrating before we get our results…
...with one reply so far.
Uni again tomorrow – oh joy. And this semester I have the added bonus of a four-lecture Monday, spanning from 9am to 6pm.
At least I suppose I should get some work done between times.
...with 2 replies.
Why does it only rain on a Tuesday evening when I’m out? It’s so unfair!
Anyway, the meeting was productive, so that’s good. It means I’ve taken a bit more work on, which is fine, I volunteered myself. But my problem is that I would make that a priority over my university work. I need fewer distractions. It’s not just the Stop AIDS work – it’s just a few things at home that need sorting out.
In that case I don’t think that buying a lot of computer hardware to install was such a good idea. However, some have already arrived. The motherboard and memory have got here safe and sound. Once I get the rest I will probably excitedly install it (and probably find I have an outdated PSU, according to Weiran… Ah well… more money spent I guess…
...with no replies just yet.
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