Vocal Voices

I was sitting at 02:30 on Thursday having just finished fixing the printer so I could print out my interview notes. I went to bed, up again at 07:30 and ready for the flight to East Midlands from Limoges.

My parents picked me up, brought me back to Lincoln and I picked up my bike and rode to Stevenage. Stevenage is only 27 minutes from Kings Cross and the interview was close to Russell Square. I arrived early enough to go to the 4pm interview but it was good to get the extra hour.

Checking the tunnel I found that the motorcycle tickets had rocketed from a max of 35 pounds, in the late evening, to 87. Ferries were equally stupid (yes they are cartelling no matter what they tell the EU), so I booked the Portsmouth-lLe Havre ferry at 98 pounds and got a nights sleep in a cabin and bought a meal in the restaurant.

Of course this meant I had to get back to Stevenage, get the bike, get to Portsmouth for the 23:15 ferry. It was a tight timeline given how long it took me to find the options and book them. I wound up racing down the A3 with both time and fuel running out.

However the goal was achieved. Even if I don't get the job I will have the bike back with me and can weld up the swinging arm and get it back to MOT. Something which was never going to happen in my Dad's neighbour's garage.

I'm at Caen now and just heading out towards Tours and home. It'll be another 4-5 hours before I get home. Then the whole merry go round starts again.

If this one doesn't work out I have another interview, telephone this time, with ING in Brussels. The program manager wants me back as they are dismissing someone who can't get the job done (could be my replacement from last year), so they want someone they know who can get the job done.

Personally I'd rather work in London, but, as the saying goes, a bird in the hand.....

Helicopter for Suff!!!

You know it makes sense.

Good luck with the interviews. If it comes down to Hobson's you are at least keeping the wolves from the door.

Hope the right job finds you soon.

It did, I won this one..

But at £30 per day less than the initially discussed rate..

I'll accept on Monday if I can organise accommodation at the right price.

Well done hope you get things sorted to stay

That's good news Suff, good luck with finding accommodation!

I'm confused. Which job won?

Thanks all for you congrats.

Weka,

University of London, User Identity and Access Management migration. The agency only told me afterwards that they had sent in anther candidate with experience working in the Uni and the right skills... Honestly if I had known that I probably would not have gone and would have wound up in Brussels.

well done! Is home easier to reach from London than Brussels as long as the Eurostar is reasonable?
Sounds an interesting project, what technology are they using?

Hi Weka,

They're changing from IBM TIM/TAM to Microsoft MIM. Should be interesting.

Well it can be easier or more difficult. I have options to fly to Bordeaux and bike or Paris and take the train. Eurostar is possible but not when they're charging 3 times the price of everyone else. I also have Southampton to Limoges and I have the ferry and bike but that can be really time consuming and Flybe have a thing about earlier flights which would force me to leave work mid day on the Friday.

Brussels was generally easier although I did need to ride my bike to Lille to make it easier.

Well see how it works out.