Instead of photos...
... I have news for you today.
I've just accepted a new job.
Nope, I don't just mean a new translation assignment. I mean an actual nine-to-five job that involves going to an office five days a week and putting in a diligent, unceasing effort. A job, moreover, that comes with proper promotion and raise prospects and (get this) a company car. If ever I had an incentive to get my driving licence, this would have to be it...
But let me start at the beginning.
While travelling in Australia and spending more money than I could really afford, I did a lot of thinking about my career. On the one hand, I really enjoyed being a literary translator and the freedom that freelancing afforded me; on the other hand, I was becoming increasingly aware of the vulnerability of my position, the fact that I wasn't saving enough money for later, etc. So I felt that upon my return to Holland, I should start looking into other career options. And so I flicked through my newspaper's job section last Tuesday, hoping to find a suitable position with a literary publisher or something of the sort. I didn't. I did, however, come across a job advertisement from a commercial translation agency that was looking for a translator and a translator/editor. The agency wasn't exactly located around the corner (unlike my last office job, which was conveniently located at five minutes' walking distance from my home), but it was in the town where I used to go to school, and for some reason that made me feel good. So I rang them, and the conversation that ensued went so well that the managing director invited me for an interview before he had even checked my CV. That interview took place last Thursday and went even better than the phone interview. I knew within five minutes of arriving at the place that they were going to offer me the job of translator/editor, and within five more minutes I knew I was going to accept it, as the agency seemed a terribly nice and welcoming place to work at and the pay (not to mention the company car) seemed worth giving up my freedom for. And true enough, before half an hour had passed they had made me an offer, which I've just officially accepted. So from July onwards, I'll be a full-time translator/editor at a successful translation agency that ranks major multinationals and ministries among its clients. And not only that -- apparently I'll be trained to become a manager, as well, as my new employers see such organising and executive potential in me that they want me to learn how to run the agency, too. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'm always up for a challenge, so I'll give it a shot...
I'll be working on my current free-lance assignment until the first of July. Once I've submitted that translation, I'll start in my new job. In other words, from 1 July onwards my freedom will be significantly curtailed, but on the plus side, I'll be earning more money and will have a car, a decent pension scheme and other benefits, nice colleagues and way more responsibility than I ever thought I'd have. I may not have as much time to hang out on LJ any more, but at least I'll be earning enough to pay off my debt, buy myself a decent digital SLR and continue travelling to exotic places, which has got to be worth something!
To be continued...