The Job Hunt Continues

There are a number of things that are making me slightly stressed at the moment. I can't say that my life is particularly stressed in comparison to others but there are still a couple of things which drift through my head at night. I'm going to share them with you now if you don't mind. 

1. Having £0.00

 I'm very poor. I have no money. That's stressful because when I go to the pub I can't get a round in and that's something I like doing. So that's sad.

2. Flying

I'm going to Norway next week and I haven't flown since I was 16. This ones more apprehension than stress. I used to fly quite often by myself when I was younger so I know I can do it and the rational part of my brain is telling me to stop being a bloody idiot, of course I won't get lost. But then the part of my brain that knows what I'm like keeps whispering that if there's someone who can get so lost they miss their plane, it's me. I'm hoping she's not right. 

3. Finding a bloody work placement. 

My university year is over and I found out about half an hour ago that I finished the year with a 2:1. Hurrah. Fantastic news and I must say, I'm pretty pleased. There were times this year when I was sure I was bound to fail. But no! T'was not to be and here I am. 

My course requires me to do a 40 week placement and this is proving impossible to find.

As mentioned in previous posts, I live in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere is a lovely place to live; it's very calm and quiet and not a whole lot happens. So although it is a wonderful place to be, it isn't exactly the hub of PR activity. That would be London. Another fun fact? London is expensive. Now, I'm perfectly willing to move to do my placement - it's actually preferable - but to find a placement which is 40 weeks in length and pays enough so I can actually afford to live...the struggle is real, children. 

It's actually becoming a real struggle to stay positive about my whole placement issue. 

Let me run you through the process that I have gone through about 80,794 times. 

• I find a job description which - wow! - fulfils all my needs. I'm totally suitable. These jobs are usually super interesting and the companies seem perfect for me. This is exciting! What's that over there, people? It's hope! 
• I spend an age researching said company to get to know more about them, find out what kinds of things they do, what kind of people work there etc. 
• I write a cover letter. I have a number of friends who have a generic cover letter that they just enter the right name into and then send. But nope, I spend a while crafting the perfect cover letter and selling myself. How could they not want me? I tick all of the boxes. This is sure to be the one! I'm gonna get a job!
• I sent my cover letter and CV.
• I wait.
• I wait. 
• I wait. 
• [repeat]

You see, the really annoying thing about applying for internships - and I am sure that all of you who have tried to find one  share my frustrations - is that they very seldom reply. Do you know how annoying that is?!? I am fully aware the companies are extremely busy. I don't expect continuing correspondence or an in-depth analysis of why I am not suitable for the advertised job. I know many places receive a lot of applications and it's just not practical. But being on this side of it, it's so disheartening to know that every application I send off will, more than likely, never receive anything back. 

Weep. 

I have until mid-December to find an internship. I'm not entirely sure what will happen if I don't find one because apparently that has never happened before. But there's always a first time for everything and I'm starting to feel more and more that I may be that first time. Many of the people on my course have already got placements and a lot of them have actually already been there working for weeks. I'm really happy for them - and I don't say that in a completely bitter way because they're my friends and I really am very happy for them because they're not in my situation. Many of them have their dream jobs and that must be the best feeling in the world. But it's making Facebook a no-go area, with posts of people flying here and there, living the dream, #LovingLife. Alright, alright. 

I just want to be happy too, goddammit!

So, in closing, if you're reading this and think that you might fancy taking on a very desperate intern, go ahead! I'm right here! Put me out of my misery, people. 

I'll work super hard and I can make good tea and I understand computer'y things and I can use all those analytical tools and and and... 

pretty please? 

M x 

Goodbye, Devon. Hello, Bournemouth.

I've not blogged a lot this Summer. Why? Well, I've been pretty bloody busy. I can't say that anything extremely eventful has happened to me, but I have been kept sufficiently occupied to seemingly abandon this little blog of mine. Well do you know what I say? No more! It's time to dust off the interweby cobwebs and bring out the cyber vacuum cleaner.

And now, for those that care, here's a post on what I've been up to in the Summer of 2013.

Work

As previously mentioned, I worked in a fish and chip shop for the summer. Lovely. That beautiful heatwave we had? Yeah, I didn't see any of it because I was working every day in an absolutely horrifically hot kitchen. It's safe to say that the boss really doesn't give a damn about his workers and point blank refused to get any form of air conditioning. Charming. I previously wrote about how I was head of house. In theory, it was a very good job. I got a pay rise, I got three days off a week and I didn't have to do half the amount of work that I was required to do as a waitress. Reality? The pay rise was by 75p, I worked at my other job 2 out of the 3 days I had off and usually ended up waitressing for my remaining day off and I ended up doing far more work than I was supposed to be doing which I really wouldn't have minded doing, except I was pretty much just doing my old job with a whole load more crap to do. Also, my discovery of the summer was tourists are jackasses. Yes, I understand that you're on holiday and are out looking for a nice evening/time. No, that does not mean that you have to be an absolute jerk to anyone that you come into contact with. People can be downright rude and by the end, I had simply had enough of it. So if you were one of the customers that were screaming in my face (especially the particularly charming woman from Essex) then I have this to say to you; badly done. 

But the good news is that I am officially finished there. I've handed in my apron (and kept my name badge) and so I now, thankfully, done with working in chip shops. I've done my time. Never again. 

University

This is where things get really exciting. I am finally packing my bags and making my way to university. It's been a long time coming and I really cannot wait now. I'm studying Public Relations at Bournemouth. My A level results turned out to be absolutely shocking and it's something that I will never forgive my school for (see previous post explaining the absolute shambles of my exam day) so well done, Axe Valley. You've managed to mess up every single year of my sixth form education without fail. And yes, I know that I have to take responsibility but the things that have happened just shouldn't have and I can't help but feel incredibly let down. But anyway. Bournemouth accepted me and I, by some miracle, managed to get into the Halls that I wanted to as well. I move on the 15th of September which is hurtling towards me far too quickly, really. I've started (yesterday) sorting out my clothes. This is most definitely the largest item on the agenda but boy oh boy do I hate washing and ironing. Weep. Sob. Expect future posts all about moving in and Freshers. EEP! 

Baby James

I am now an Auntie! The very biggest of congratulations to my brother and his fiancée, Nadine. James William Ruddy was born on the 28th of August and he's absolutely gorgeous. I've been waiting to become an auntie for so long now and it's amazing to finally have a baby in the family. I'm the youngest in my family and so there's never been a baby around for me to see growing up and coerce into being a badass. Honestly, absolutely every little-person thing I've been seeing I've been wanting to buy. The money I've slaved away for is trying to spend itself on every pair of booties, every soft toy, every hat with ears and every rattling, noisy, fluffy, adorable thing that I lay eyes on. Welcome to the World, James. I hope it's kind to you. 

M x 

I Should be Fired.

Just a quick update on the disaster that is... my life.

This week I started a new job. Since I've finished school and am in desperate need of some moneys, I got myself another little job working in a fish and chip shop not too far from me. I swore to myself that I would never work in a chip shop. Snobby? Mayhap. But I really didn't fancy the whole greasy hair/skin situation and stinking of chips and oil. That is no way to attract a life mate. But I have a lot of friends that work in this place and I have two close friends that work there and actually own a flat above it so I have somewhere to spend my breaks. I have plenty of hours there and it's convenient. I'm not in the actual frying part of the shop, more a separate section waitressing so it's not all bad. So here we are. Megan works in a chip shop as well as waitressing in the restaurant that I've worked in since I was 14. Hello Miss Moneybags. The fact that I will probably spend all money that I get the minute I get it is neither here nor there. 

I've finished 5 shifts at Frydays now and holey moley. I am absolutely stunned that I haven't been fired yet. I would have sacked me. Really. I consider myself to be reasonably clever. I can hold an intelligent conversation and I'm not exactly stupid, but anyone that has met me this last week must think that I am the doziest mare around. I've spilt jugs of milk. I've dropped plates of food on floor successfully smashing the plate. I've set three alarms that didn't go off so turned up 2 hours late for work. I've brought drinks to the wrong table. I've rung wrong orders through,  I've filled the salt pots with sugar. I mean, really. I am yet to complete a shift without making a ridiculous mistake that a 19 year old really shouldn't make. I have a feeling that the woman who is in charge is complaining about me to anyone that will listen and I, in all honestly wouldn't blame her. I have been awful. Although I have provided great amusement to my friends that work with me and made them all look like the very best of workers. Fantastic. 

I'm hoping that it's just been a bad week and I get better soon. It would be nice to prove that I'm not a complete clutz. I think that I'm just going to have to concentrate on every tiny movement I make which I've been trying to do but... I don't know. Things can only get better. 

I really enjoy working there so I hope they don't fire me before I get the hang of it! I don't want to hang up my apron and cap (yes, I have to wear a cap. Boo) yet! 

Oh. And there is a set of stairs that I have to walk up and down to collect each order. I am honestly waiting for the day that I fall down/up them. We all know it's coming. 

But at least it's the weekend now! I'm working tomorrow during the day at Frydays and then the evening at my other job. And then? Well. 

Yup. Although it's not good to drink your problems away, that is exactly what I intend to go. Vodka, come at me. Here's to a better week. Cheers. 

M x