Thursday 6 September 2012

Finding a Job

Finding a job is a strange, bizarre, weird process. (Yes I did just use three synonyms in a row).

Well, for me at least.

I began my job search as soon as my 'A' levels had finished, taking about a month's break in order to take a part in a play at my local theatre and also due to some personal issues. 

I heard back from 3 institutes, resulting in 1 failed interview. This is out of at least 100 applications, that had been carefully crafted and selected from over 300 job listings. 

Then suddenly, during the run of the play, I get chatting to one of theatre friends, who puts me on to a position within the theatre itself, as a classroom assistant in their weekend youth theatre classes for ages 5-17. I was aware of the position, but assumed it to still be voluntary, but she corrected me. However, we both believed the position would already be filled as it was less than a month until classes started.

Boy was I wrong. After a few rounds of email tennis, a quick chat about what the job entails and the sending of the relevant information, I've got myself the job. Sure, it's not perfect, it's only around ten hours a week...but it's a start. And for now, at least I can say I am officially employed for the first time in my life. 

As I was having the "chat" (as opposed to a formal interview), I felt like I was being party to some form of strange nepotism, where the people involved aren't related, but have been in loco parentis for you for many years (I've been a part of this theatre since I was 10...), but when I was talking to my boyfriend about it later, he pointed out it was quite the opposite. I've been interviewing for the job for the last 8 years of my life. Everything I've ever said to them, everything I've ever done in front of them has impressed them enough to want to employ me without the relevant qualifications or work experience. Which was quite the confidence boost, really. :-) 

My Read & Watched List: GAP YAH

Nb: Different from my read in 2012 list on goodreads, as I am counting from the beginning of my gap year (05/09/2012)

TV
1. Downton Abbey Series 2
2. Arrested Development Series 1
3. Arrested Development Series 2
4. How I Met Your Mother Series 1
5. How I Met Your Mother Series 2
6. How I Met Your Mother Series 3
7. Arrested Development Series 3
8. How I Met Your Mother Series 4
9. How I Met Your Mother Series 5
10. How I Met Your Mother Series 6
11. How I Met Your Mother Series 7
12. Waterloo Road Series 8 Part 1 & 2
13. Downton Abbey Series 3
14. Friday Night Dinner Series 1
15. The Paradise 
16. Cuckoo
17. Fresh Meat Series 1
18. Hebburn
19. Me and Mrs Jones
20. Secret Diary of a Call Girl Series 1
21. 30 Rock Series 1
22. 30 Rock Series 2
23. 30 Rock Series 3
24. 30 Rock Series 4
25. 30 Rock Series 5
26.  Pramface Series 2
27. 30 Rock Series 6
28. Way to Go
29. Lost in Austen
30. Call the Midwife Series 2
31. Todd Margaret Series 1
32. Todd Margeret Series 2
33. 30 Rock Series 7
34. Secret Diary of a Call Girl Series 2
35. Secret Diary of a Call Girl Series 3
36. Secret Diary of a Call Girl Series 4
37. United States of Tara Series 1
38. United States of Tara Series 2
39. United States of Tara Series 3
40. 2 Broke Girls Series 1
41. Modern Family Series 1
42. Modern Family Series 2
43. Heading Out Series 1 

Film
1. American Reunion
2. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
3. Anna Karenina
4. Glorious 39
5. One Day
6. Going the Distance
7. Horrible Bosses
8. Eat Pray Love
9. Looper
10. Liberal Arts
11. Skyfall
12. Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog
13. Mulan
14. Groundhog Day
15. Rust and Bone
16. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
17. The Artist
18. My Fake Fiancé
19. My Year Without Sex
20. The Back Up Plan
21. Love Actually
22. Secretary
23. Silver Linings Playbook
24. Back to the Future Part III
25. Jesus Christ Superstar Live Arena Tour 2012
26. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
27. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
28. Quartet
29. Les Misérables
30. Shame
31. Wedding Daze
32. Rock of Ages
33. Knocked Up
34. Mona Lisa Smile
35. I Give it a Year
36.This Is 40
37. American Beauty
38. The Room
39. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
40. When Harry Met Sally
41. Submarine
42. The Five-Year Engagement
43. Magic Mike
44. The Lorax
45. Dan in Real Life
46. Dr Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
47. Before Sunset
48. Take This Waltz
49. Last Chance Harvey
50. Pretty Woman
51. Rock of Ages
52. Goodbye Lenin
53. Monster's University
54. Monster's Inc
55. Now You See Me
56. The World's End
57. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
58. Cléo de 5 a 7
59. Rent

Plays
1. Daisy Pulls It Off
2. The Railway Children
3. Aladdin
4. Maurice
5. God of Carnage
6. A Midsummer Night's Dream
7. Duet for One
8. Airswimming
9. Calendar Girls
10. Pink String and Sealing Wax
11. Rope 

Books
1. French Letters and the English Canon - Mark Daniel    
2. Macbett - Eugène Ionesco  
3. Thérèse Raquin - Émile Zola
4. Playhouse Creatures - April de Angelis 
5. 100 - Christopher Heimann
6. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
7. Bad Behaviour - Mary Gaitskill  
8. A Desirable Residence - Sophie Kinsella  
9. The Complete IBS Health and Diet Guide - Maitreyi Raman
10. The Pleasures of Men - Kate Williams
11. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
12. Eigengrau - Penelope Skinner
13. Paper Towns - John Green
14. Married by Christmas - Scarlett Bailey
15. Macbeth - Shakespeare
16. The Exam - Andy Hamilton
17. The Story of English in 100 Words - David Crystal
18. Wuthering Heights - Lucy Gough
19. How to Be a Woman - Caitlin Moran
20. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
21. Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
22. The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Jenny Coglan
23. The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl - Belle de Jour
24. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
25. Why We Broke Up - Daniel Hadler
26. The Perks of Being Wallpaper - Stephen Chbosky
27. Starter for Ten - David  Nicholls
28. No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday - Tracy Bloom
29. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John  Green, David Levithan
30. The Graduate - Charles Webb
31. West End Girls - Jenny Coglan
32. You Had Me at Hello - Mhairi McFarlane 

Gap Year Goals

Nb: this is not a complete and absolute list! It's a work in progress :-)

1. Find a job
2. Find some voluntary work
3. Re-apply for Cambridge (and get in!)
4. Learn life skills (cooking, ironing, cleaning, etc)
5. Teach myself basic Gaelic (Scottish)
6. Teach myself some Spanish 
7. Read 50 books over the year
8. Read a whole book in French
9. Read a whole book in German
10. Do some travelling.
11. Make myself a tartan gymslip and a cream floral dress
12. Learn to play the piano (well this time)
13. Participate in Nanowrimo 2012
14. Write more poetry
15. Re-write my novel from Nanowrimo 2010
16. Visit all the churches in Norwich
17. Find some classes I am interested in (potentially BSL) and do them for fun. (A radical concept for the wannabe Cambs student, I know.)
18. Find relevant work experience
19. Save up some money towards uni
20. Catch up on all the TV I've missed! 
21. Read half of the books on my To Read shelf
22. Participate in plays at Sewell Barn and Maddermarket Theatre
23. Have a board games night
24. Repair Pooh Bear and Surpo
25. Try rock climbing
26. Try fencing
27. Learn to drive
28. Make a Youtube video on English-German loan words
29. Ride a bike again 
30. Do things that frighten me (see 3, 4, 10, 22, 25, 26, 29.) 

Gap Yah! An Introduction

I suppose I owe myself an explanation...

I'm Verity, I'm 18 years old, I'm on a gap year.

Why I am on a gap year?

Not for the traditional reasons (to earn money, to get drunk, because I can't make decisions, to gain life experience, because I didn't get the grades I needed, because I want to travel...)

I am on a gap year because...sometimes I make spontaneous decisions. One night, several months ago, shortly after I had selected a firm and insurance choice on my UCAS application, but long before I had actually sat any of the exams that would later determine my fate...as I was desperately trying to force my tired, over-worked, hyperactive brain to switch itself off and let me sleep, I realised something.

I was not happy with my choices. I was not over Cambridge (long story) and I wanted to work hard and give it another go. I didn't want to go all the way to Scotland, because it was too far away (*cough*frommyboyfriend*cough*).

So here I am. My name is Verity...and I am a Cambridge hopeful. *Breathes* It feels good to be able to say that again.

So why am I writing a blog?

Um, well mostly for myself to be honest. It'll be nice to have something to look back on at the year, and maybe to turn into a scrapbook (if it turns out as well as I hope) If not...it'll be nice to have something to delete in order to give some closure on what could be the shittiest year of my life ;-D (no pressure). And...if anyone happens to stumble upon this along the way and finds it useful in their pursuit of Cambridge/university/A levels/a gap year, then that would be ok too. :-)

Anyway, it was nice to meet y'all and I'll see you again soon!

(Well...not actually see because..that'd be weird...I mean, I'd have to be stalking you or something for that)