Working Eight to Four

Am sitting here, vodka cranberry in hand, recovering from a hard week (okay two days) at work! Yes folks, this week, I started my new job at one of Brrringland's biggest Banks, but what a palava it has been to get here and it's still not over yet.

When I was over at Christmas, I signed up with two recruitment agencies to talk to them about job opportunities. I wanted to make sure that I was marketable enough to easily get work. Both consultants assured me that I had the right experience as a PA and were sure that they could place me.

A few weeks before I came, one of them contacted me about a position at the Bank and once I arrived, she arranged for me to have a telephone interview. Everything went well and I was invited for a face-to-face. This session went on for almost three hours and the next day, I was offered a job as the PA to one of the Directors.

By now, I had registered with quite a few other agencies and had been for several interviews. On the same day that the Bank offered me a position, a property investment company also asked me to join them. I turned down that job and informed all the agencies that I had found work.

I was happy and looking forward to starting. What I was didn't realize is that in this country, the "Credit Check" is the Almighty. All companies do this to ensure that you have no bad credit, which I certainly do not have. I submitted all the necessary documentation over three weeks ago and was told, "The reference and credit checks should take five days but could be longer, so the target start date is 28 April to give them two weeks."

My new boss was very keen to get the ball rolling, as I was too. There are only so many talk shows a person can watch. The days are very loooooooooong when one doesn't have much to do. The irony is that while you're not in the office, you have so much time on your hands. But there is no money coming in, so you can't travel and go crazy with the spending! I had also been on holiday for two months and that was enough of a break.

The Friday before I was supposed to start, the company called me and said that my credit check was STILL not done! That meant that I couldn't go to work the following Monday as scheduled. I was disappointed but decided to give them a bit of leeway.

However, after three more days of this, I had had enough. I want to buy an apartment here next year and I'm not going to be able to achieve that goal by sitting on my scrawny a** at home! I knew it wasn't the fault of my new boss as she also didn't understand where the delay was. It was the process that was taking so long. My recruiter was also frustrated as if I didn't sign a contract, she wouldn't be earning her commission.

I emailed the recruiter and told her that if I didn't have a start date by the end of the day, that I would be contacting all the other agencies and re-starting my job search. I didn't want to do it, but felt that I had no choice as I wasn't willing to wait around endlessly. At least while I was interviewing, there was some structure and purpose to my life. That galvanized them into action and the bank arranged for me to start work the next morning, with the understanding that my credit check report still hadn't been obtained by the Bank.

So on 1 May (ironically Labour Day but not a public holiday in Brringland), I walked into my new office. The first two days were a bit chaotic, but my new boss bought me breakfast on Friday, which set us off on the right footing!

I ran into my landlady on Friday after work (ah, that just sounds so good!) and told her what was going on. She was flabbergasted. It was then that I remembered I already have had another credit check done. Before P and I could sign the lease for this house, we had to pay for checks for both him and myself. These were completed within a week. I guess the difference is that the real estate had money and a client to lose, while the Bank doesn't so they don't feel the need to hurry.

Anyway, the important thing is that things are moving along. So far, everyone at the office has been welcoming and helpful. Working just makes the weekend so much more enjoyable! P and I have Monday off so we'll be going roller blading/cycling tomorrow if the weather holds.