Back in June I wrote a post about the changes I anticipated coming to my life with my new job. While "more money" and "less free time" were definitely on my list, I have to admit that I didn't quite anticipate just how profound these change would feel to me ( Read more... )

I keep meaning to write - to show that I'm still alive if nothing else - but working life is just too busy. I still haven't finished the last assignment for my business admin course, which is really stupid of me because it's the LAST ONE for Christ's sake, but the last couple of weekends I've just been so knackered and in desperate need of ( Read more... )

I've only been working at my new job for a little over a week, but as it happens today was already my first pay day. I obviously got less than a full monthly salary, but still more than I expected, as they seem to be paying me a little in advance, up until the end of the month (or so it seems). Either way it's still more than I would've earned in a ( Read more... )

Long-time readers of this blog might remember that I had quite a bit of trouble with opening a bank account in the UK shortly after my move here. The advice I got at the time mostly came down to "If HSBC are treating you badly, just go to another bank!", which is fair, but since I'm lazy and was already annoyed with all the hassle, the last thing I ( Read more... )

Apparently I logged forty-nine hours of volunteer work this month - not too shabby. I'm still surprised that I can enjoy working without getting paid this much. Those months of unemployment have really given me a new appreciation for the value of being able to make a useful contribution to society. Not to mention that all my preconceptions about ( Read more... )

After my application for job seeker's allowance got rejected, I called my mother in Austria and let her know about my money problems. She liquidated the last couple of gold coins that we had stashed away in a bank safe somewhere (and which were technically supposed to be "mine" anyway) and wired me the money she got from that. So now I still don't ( Read more... )

Today I had to report back to the job centre for the first time to show them records of what I'd been doing to find a job in the past two weeks. For the national insurance stamp thingie ( Read more... )

( How to waste a lot of time for no benefit )

I can honestly say that I've been good this week, and by good I mean productive.

First off, I started the free training programme I mentioned in this post. It's a thirteen-week programme supposed to help you get back into work with things like advice on your CV, interview practice and if possible even a work placement ( Read more... )

Today was a big day for me: I finally got my bank card!!!!1 ( Read more... )