Thursday, April 12, 2007
I have two interviews already!
Ok, so I'm in London. But I'm not just in London. I'm in London with a suit. I'm in London with a haircut. And I'm in London with an interview this afternoon, and another one tomorrow!
Firstly, the suit. I was just walking down Oxford street, stopped to casually look in a shop advertising £100 off Pierre Cardin suits, and spotted one that I liked. Fortunately, it didn't really fit properly. But then they got me another one. But it still wasn't perfect, you know? If you're spending £159 you want to get something you really want. So then they talked about alterations. Taking up the trousers, tapering the trousers, tapering the jacket, letting down the sleeves, taking the total cost to £235. So I said, no, too expensive (phew!). And so the price came down a bit. And I said, look, I can do it for £200. So the price came down to £205. So I said, give me some time to think about it. And viola! The price came down to £199.15! So now I have a perfectly tailored suit, 100% wool, Pierre Cardin, in a dark charcoal gray, for under £200. I told Pascale, and she said: "You bargained in London and won? Unheard of! We're not in Turkey now, you know."
Secondly, the haircut. On my walking around Lewisham, where Paz lives, I noticed a sign in a window asking for hair models. So I went in, organised a time, and this morning got a very decent haircut for £5. And £12.50 is cheap, so I'm pretty pleased with 5.
Thirdly, the interviews. I applied by email for 7 jobs yesterday, and by last night had two replies saying, "We're keen, but we'd like more info," so I sent in more info. I did a test on Microsoft Word and Excel at an agency yesterday, and scored really highly, so the people from the job as an HR assistant are really keen, and I'm going in tomorrow (Friday). The other job is as a recruitment consultant for teachers to work in London schools, has better pay, and they do recruitment drives to Ozzie and New Zealand, so I have inside knowledge. I sent them my CV last night, phoned them this morning, and must have caught them just in time, because I'm going in for 3pm today! So, any teachers who want to work in London, I might soon be your man!
Anyway, in other news, I've been tripping all over the place getting myself set up for London life. I'vc joined a local gym. I've bought a travel card for the trains so I can jump on and off as much as I want. I activated my bank account on Tuesday, and decided on a phone and plan but didn't sign up yet. It's weird, going on a contract for your mobile is MUCH cheaper than prepay here, and people call a lot more than text, and every contract comes with a free phone! I've also made friends with a lovely South African couple who are working as relief teachers here. I have a morning run date with Ben this weekend around Ladywell Park, and his wife Fatima is the only Christian I've met so far out of a whole raft of ba'hai, so we get on well.
Well, I should get sorted for the day, I suppose. I've been organising stuff on Pascali's Mac laptop, and it's taken half the day. Wish me luck for my interview this arvo!
Firstly, the suit. I was just walking down Oxford street, stopped to casually look in a shop advertising £100 off Pierre Cardin suits, and spotted one that I liked. Fortunately, it didn't really fit properly. But then they got me another one. But it still wasn't perfect, you know? If you're spending £159 you want to get something you really want. So then they talked about alterations. Taking up the trousers, tapering the trousers, tapering the jacket, letting down the sleeves, taking the total cost to £235. So I said, no, too expensive (phew!). And so the price came down a bit. And I said, look, I can do it for £200. So the price came down to £205. So I said, give me some time to think about it. And viola! The price came down to £199.15! So now I have a perfectly tailored suit, 100% wool, Pierre Cardin, in a dark charcoal gray, for under £200. I told Pascale, and she said: "You bargained in London and won? Unheard of! We're not in Turkey now, you know."
Secondly, the haircut. On my walking around Lewisham, where Paz lives, I noticed a sign in a window asking for hair models. So I went in, organised a time, and this morning got a very decent haircut for £5. And £12.50 is cheap, so I'm pretty pleased with 5.
Thirdly, the interviews. I applied by email for 7 jobs yesterday, and by last night had two replies saying, "We're keen, but we'd like more info," so I sent in more info. I did a test on Microsoft Word and Excel at an agency yesterday, and scored really highly, so the people from the job as an HR assistant are really keen, and I'm going in tomorrow (Friday). The other job is as a recruitment consultant for teachers to work in London schools, has better pay, and they do recruitment drives to Ozzie and New Zealand, so I have inside knowledge. I sent them my CV last night, phoned them this morning, and must have caught them just in time, because I'm going in for 3pm today! So, any teachers who want to work in London, I might soon be your man!
Anyway, in other news, I've been tripping all over the place getting myself set up for London life. I'vc joined a local gym. I've bought a travel card for the trains so I can jump on and off as much as I want. I activated my bank account on Tuesday, and decided on a phone and plan but didn't sign up yet. It's weird, going on a contract for your mobile is MUCH cheaper than prepay here, and people call a lot more than text, and every contract comes with a free phone! I've also made friends with a lovely South African couple who are working as relief teachers here. I have a morning run date with Ben this weekend around Ladywell Park, and his wife Fatima is the only Christian I've met so far out of a whole raft of ba'hai, so we get on well.
Well, I should get sorted for the day, I suppose. I've been organising stuff on Pascali's Mac laptop, and it's taken half the day. Wish me luck for my interview this arvo!
# posted by Doug @ 10:28 
