(Analyse, Despise and Scrutinise)

I've just taken this screenshot.
( Read more... )I'll explain why later...

the letter I got from ATA...

I had addressed my letter to the HR Manager. And it turns out she passed it straight to her boss, who is the Ops Director (Northern Division), and presumably a busy man.


( However he wrote )
I think I'm pleased with that :)

start Wednesday :-)

I'm pleased I start wednesday, because it means I claim job seekers' up until tomorrow, which in turn means I get to extort a further £21.30 from the NHS in prescription charges.

and also I can breathe, while I find a permanent job.

I just wanted to gloat and say that I'm going to see the Original Pentangle tonight.

I don't think many people will have heard of them, so I'm doing my bit to spread the musical vibe with an embed from c.1970. Point is they hadn't played together since 1973, until earlier this year (the percussionist has been running a restaurant in Majorca for the last 20 years). And not having been born until 9 years after they split up, obviously I've never seen them live, so I'm quite excited :)

I stayed over at my parents' the other night, and since Tuesday was (what turned out to be) the hottest day of the year so far, I thought rather than getting the metro from Newcastle to Gateshead (where I live), I would walk from the centre of Newcastle (It's about 2 miles). The sun was boiling, and I had my ipod for company, and it made me realise that it's ages since I just walked, for the sake of walking. I loved it. I suppose it made me realise how fast and hectic life is when you work full time. Everything revolves around the fastest way to get to work so you don't waste any work time, and the fastest way to get home so that you don't waste any non-work time.

It was nice just to be able to spend a couple of hours getting from A to B.

It was also the first time in about 10 years I've walked over the Tyne Bridge (well that's not true, I did so about a month ago but it was 3am and it was dark and I was drunk, so it doesn't count).

I took some photos on my pathetic excuse for a camera phone, which I would like to preserve here for posterity:

As we more or less expected, nothing came of the interest from the other company, and so we spent yesterday morning filling in forms under the guidance of the administrators. I was technically made redundant yesterday.

On the plus side,

I am going to get paid for outstanding wages owed, from National Insurance funds. Up to a maximum of £310 per week. I'm owed about £945 for 3 weeks and 3 days work, so the fact that the allowance will be capped at £930 , doesn't bother me that much.

I'm also eligible for compensation for lack of notice given, which (given I was only there 9 weeks) will be another £310.

I'm also eligible for payment in lieu of holiday owed, which will come to about £140.

Of course Mr Brown and his darling Mr Darling will probably leave me with, oh about 50% of that, but it's still better than nothing. A LOT better than nothing.

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I also signed on this morning, for Job Seekers' Allowance. I've never done that before (I've been somewhat lucky I suppose). No idea what that's worth yet, but I have a work-based interview at the job centre tomorrow morning where they will hopefully tell me. I'm also eligible for housing benefit which will pay (some of?) my rent since I was made redundant.

The guy I spoke to asked at some point if I needed any advice on how to look for jobs. I laughed.

Hopefully in a month's time I will have earned back all the NI contributions I have made in the last 4 years. So no I'm not feeling the least bit guilty at letting the state give me financial support, given that this is my reward for paying my taxes and NI.

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In terms of the work search, I still don't know what I want to do, but I'm at least FEELING brighter. I think psychologically, having had a conclusion to the QGS thing, is contributing to that.

Long may it last

So where the fuck am I at the moment?

Unemployed. Terrified. Depressed. Terrified.

<ramble mode on>

When the news broke on Thursday, we all sort of sat around for half an hour staring at space. Then everybody started looking for other jobs, online, via paper, via personal contacts, you name it.

All apart from me. I'm still sort of heading down, mentally, hoping that I'm going to bounce by tomorrow and be able to get on with things. But my first thought on Thursday was along the lines of  "This job is/was the only stable thing in my life right now". I don't do change very well, at all, and I'd only just settled here, got a new job, new flat, new friends. I'd only just sorted personal/medical issues into a manageable routine which suited me and my employer. Not to mention the basic 9-5 monday-friday routine which I NEED.

So the simplest thing you might say, is to find a job ASAP.

Yeah. Apart from the fact I'm sitting absolutely terrified at the prospect. Full on crippling, nightmare-inducing fear at having lost control of life.

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I have no idea if I want to stay in recruitment. In fact I'm pretty sure I don't. I didn't apply for the job I got, but I knew when they contacted me first off that there was something about the company which was different to the other recruitment companies I worked in and/or been interviewed by. And it is different. I was totally floored in training when the Operations Director started discussing "The ethical nature of recruitment and the moral obligations we have to candidates", and I thought yes, this is my type of company, because I'm not a salesman, and I'm not in this business for the money.

So I'm not holding much hope for finding a similar company, and I don't want to go back to a large scale national rec company.

I kinda fancy going into HR, as a longer-term, more stable career. But I would need/need to do a CIPD qualification to actually earn a decent amount there.

And then there's the small matter of rent to be paid. I can afford this month, but as things stand, I can't afford next month. But that's another story...

A local SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) Recruitment company has expressed some interest in QGS. The founder of our company actually looked at buying this other company a couple of years back, the attraction being that the two companies have shared values (e.g. they give a shit, and aren't *just* in it for the money). Furthermore Jeff (MD) has been placed twice in the past by this company and has good relationships with its CEO.

So the Chief Executive and Senior Consultant from this vompany came to see us. They met with all the staff individually, interview-style. I wasn't really sure what they were looking for, but they asked me how I got to this point (what I'd done in the past) and why I chose to work for QGS. They asked a bit about work methods/techniques etc, and what sort of sectors I've covered.. Also how far did I feel I was the finished article in terms of being a fully-fledged consultant (I'm still a trainee, and my probation isn't up for 3 months or so).

I answered as truthfully as I could to everything; rather than trying to impress them I was just honest in what I told them. Given that I don't know what they want, nor do I know what I want to do next in my career, it seemed best.

Apparently they were impressed, overall, by the quality of staff we have, and are in discussion as to what, if any, parts of QGS would benefit them.

There is a briefing tomorrow at 10am.

I suppose a longer version of what happened on thursday...

There was a company meeting scheduled for Thursday 10:30am.

At 9:30am on Thursday, Jeff goes with Chris (Senior Consultant) to meet a client. Chris said yesterday that the whole way there and back Jeff was relaxed, normal and "making his Jeff jokes".

So the meeting starts normally enough, its an interim performance review, with normal graphs and so on,

...blah blah blah...And then goes on to explain that due to historical debt inherited from QGS Synergy - the training company from which Jeff acquired QGS Recruitment - the company is, as it stands, insolvent, and that unless it is sold by Tuesday, then the administrators come in. And that he had meetings with potential buyers over the next 3 days, but that as things stood there was a meeting scheduled on Tuesday am where the administrators would come in and [read us our rights].

There were then questions, and in the course of those it became clear that Jeff hadn't been paid in 2 months...and that nobody would be paid this month. Had Jeff tried to keep going in the hope that things would improve, then he would be - at this moment in time - guilty of trading an insolvent company, and be prosecuted accordingly.

Things wound up by about 11:15; Jeff went to met a potential buyer at 12pm. I sat around until 2pm when Jeff got back, then made my excuses (my CV was on my laptop) and left, buying a bottle of wine on the way home.

Got a phonecall from Jeff at 4pm, thanking me for my support on thursday and (hopefully) goig forward. I'm more than happy to support Jeff and the company, because of the type of company it is. If it had neeb NRG (my last job), I'd have left the moment they told me I wasn't getting paid.

Got another phonecall from my immediate manager at 5pm, saying that a potential buyer was coming in on Friday at 8:30 to meet with Jeff, and meet the staff on a 1 to 1 basis, interview-style, so to come suited and booted.

So..we'll find out on monday if people want to buy the company.

Meantime everybody else is applying for jobs. I'm not (to be continued?)

Actually I'm feeling very redundant.

The company I work for has gone into liquidation.

I swear it's not my fault.

It's 19 June, and we aren't getting paid for the last 19 days' work. That sounds shitty  and it is, but the fact is there isn't any money in the business to pay us. As the MD put it, it's not like [he's] taking the profits and buying a BMW on the way home. There was an interim performance review this morning and the guy was close to tears. Unless a buyer is found by Tuesday, we're out of a job. And that's not likely, so basically we're out of a job. Either way [the MD] has lost an awful lot of his own money, and will walk away with nothing even if a buyer is found. He won't even have a job.

I asked at the meeting "so should we start looking for jobs now?" and he replied "I can't answer that for you, but, I'm looking for jobs, if that helps?".

Fuck.

I love my job. I love the people and love the place. It is absolutely fucking unique as a company because it gives a shit about its clientelle and employees. I didn't particularly want the job, and had looked at the same job at other companies, but I ewnt for this one because of the company, and I love it.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck

On a funnier note, I looked at Facebook earlier, and status updates for people at work were:

"Claire is being made redundant"

"Chris needs a paddle" [up shit creek?]

and

"Matt is fucked"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7455301.stm

I have to say, respect to the guy for staying up there for three days. I'd like to think I'd be willing to do the same in his position.

Still no idea how he managed to get up there though...

So my 27 year-old sister has just moved into a flat with her boyfriend of, say 5 years.

My mum told her mum, yesterday.

My Grandma is proper old skool Catholic, still believes in Hell etc etc, and probably only just believes sex before marriage is possible, let alone allowed.

To cut a long story short, she's extremely upset. We're talking tears here. And then obviously my mum's upset, partly out of frustration but partly out of the fact she's likely to be made to feel guilty about being ok with my sister's cohabiting.

I told my mum not to worry, and said I was looking on the bright side because "at least there'll be more inheritence for me now."

My mum gave me a look which coiuld kill, and said not to joke because she "wouldn't put it past her"

ah, family politics, you gotta love it.

I think I might tell her I'm gay tomorrow. I'll phone the undertakers first, mind you.

I'm quite pleased about this:

Attempts to cut the 24-week upper limit for abortions to within the first 20 or 22 weeks of a pregnancy have been rejected by MPs.

and I say that as somebody whose cousin had a baby at 23 weeks last November.


I am way more pleased about the following though:

MPs have voted to scrap laws forcing clinics to consider the need for a "father and mother" before allowing women to seek IVF treatment.

A bid to stop parents having "saviour siblings" - babies selected to provide genetic material for seriously ill relatives - has been defeated by MPs.

and fucking ecstatic about the following:

The government has survived two big challenges to its controversial plans to change the law on embryo research for the first time in 20 years. A cross-party attempt to ban hybrid human animal embryos was defeated on a free vote, by 336 to 176.

Stolen from catlover1977

...somewhere, I've no doubt. On Radio 4 we have "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue."


a sort of tribute to Humphrey "Humph" Lyttleton, who died on Friday. Shown below with his band, live with Radiohead.