End of contract

I was taken on by a local college as a distance learning tutor in January. Although I was given some students originally, most of them didn't stay the course (there are massive retention problems in this type of learning environment) and the college soon stopped sending them to me. It turned out that the college had run into a funding crisis.

The expected letter arrived this morning. End of contract. I've been invited to a meeting with them next week - I've set it up for Thursday. I've been told that I can bring someone in with me - a colleague from college or a trade union rep. In fact I have no-one.

I think my teaching career ends here. Another college offered me work in the autumn but it was only four hours work - not enough for me to base a career round it - so I ended up turning it down.

It looks like I will be developing a different career, and going the self-employment route.

Sorry to read your news. It's diabolical!

Maybe we should all go into crooked accounting in the corporate sector since that seems to be the true growth industry globally these days.

Or there's always politics, that way we can personally profit when looting education budgets to purchase domestic security measures for five times their value that have no possible chance of success.

nihilistically,
don

Dear Northerner, I am very sorry to hear about your job ending. It is so disappointing when it is something you enjoy doing. You have to stay positive and look forward. If you accept what has happened and see what you are drawn to next, it may be teaching again, or something else which appeals to you, life has a way of working out alright in the end.

I had a job I really enjoyed and then I had an accident which badly damaged my spine in three places. I was in so much pain that I had to retire early - just after my 50th birthday. I had all kinds of treatments which didn't seem to work, and then I decided to try an aromatherapy massage. It really helped me manage the pain.

About three years later I suddenly thought that I would like to train to be an aromatherapist as it had helped me so much. I wasn't sure whether I could stand the pain of sitting in a classroom situation all day, or whether I would be able to apply myself to studying again at my age,but decided to give it a go. During one of the massage classes we practiced on each other and while I was being massaged, there was a very loud crack and the two vertebrae and disc in the middle of my spine went back into place and have not hurt since. So my investment in course fees was already repaid. I found the course very interesting as I have always been interested in plants and their medicinal uses, and biology was one of my best subjects at school, so I found the anatomy and physiology fascinating too. Its amazing what stays in your head from school, even though it was over 30 years since I took my G.C.E. O Levels. I enjoyed the studying and passed all the exams with pretty good marks. I am now a fully qualified aromatherapist and have my own business, and a few months after I had completed the course received a prize from the school and was awarded student of the year which was totally unexpected. It has taken seven years, but my spine is now back to normal. I manipulated the prolapsed disc in my neck back myself last year, and this year I had a fall which knocked the remaining mis-placed bit of my spine back into place. I'm not religious, but it does feel that someone if looking out for me.

I'm sorry to go on a bit, but I would like you to feel that eventhough one thing hasn't worked out, it may be giving you an opportunity to do something else which you may enjoy just as much, if not more. If you are willing to take a chance and just go with the flow life usually does work out OK.

Best wishes,
Pat

Things take a long time to work out Pat. I retired early from a career in librarianship thanks to a bout of post viral fatigue. That was almost twenty years ago in 1986 (I was only 35). It's about time I was working again!

I'm sorry to hear that you had some tough breaks too but glad that things are now working out for you.

Oh Diane, how heartbreaking, after all the work you have put into it in good faith! Is there a chance that something positive could come out of this meeting? With your skills and natural talent I should think you would be in demand! Do let us know how the meeting goes.
Doris

Thank you Doris, but no I can't think of anything much that can come out of it. I don't believe that there's a career for me in teaching. Maybe the odd hour here and there but I can't afford to live on only an hour or two. I had the opportunity to do four hours' work at another college in the autumn but ended up turning it down because it was too little. I would have had to do a teaching course with it and this wouldn't have left me with enough time to look for other work to pay my household bills. I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't have got a full-time career out of it. The colleges just use you. I haven't even been paid yet for the work that I did in the spring.

The colleges have no belief in me at all. They just look at my CV and see I haven't worked in a long time. And of course I've had illness and that goes down on my application forms to. The colleges just don't see me as a good investment.

My savings are going down. I can't really afford to do more formal courses at college. I don't see the 9-5 route working for me. I'm doing the odd performing arts course now. I'll head for the self-employment route instead. Pity I can't be a web designer but the bottom's fallen out of the market.

There's something out there Diane for you, you might not see what it is at the moment, but I'm a great believer in 'karma'. I've seen it time and time again, things happen (however horrible) for a reason.

It must be worrying though when you can see your savings vanishing like that, and very frustrating too, knowing you have the experience and expertise , but getting others to give you a chance.

Does keeping in with the other story-tellers help to open any doors?

Hello Sueone, yes, it's very important to know other story-tellers. Essential really as they give me tips. Although there are tips on various websites you can't beat personal experience. Their friendship and support also gives me encouragement to keep on going. And once I have a bigger repertoire (and am at the stage of starting to trade) I may get work through some of them. When a typical professional storyteller is offered work but is unable to take it (usually through a prior commitment) they usually give the name of another teller who would do a good job of the work.

This is very enlightening! the New Year is almost here and hopefully this will be a big turn about in your life!

Thank you Doris.

Northerner, I have just found your thread. I hope things are going OK for you.

Can I just mention what my daughter does? She is looking after children with mental problems, many with autism and related illnesses. She started with the resident care, where the children need to be looked after out of school in the nearby accommodation. There was not a lot of hard work to do, many children were old enough to be supervised to do much of it. She found it very rewarding, and they get trips out too.

A vacancy arose at the 'teaching' school, she applied and got the job. No qualifications are necessary other than a caring and understanding nature, and NVQs are done. She looks after a girl one to one, and is very attached to her, they go home in the holidays so you get a good break. The pay is also quite good, she is on around £8 an hour and gets paid breaks. You could perhaps look into this avenue, being self employed is admirable but can be very risky and stressful if that is your only source of income. Stress I think you need to avoid!
The people she works with are a great bunch, I think you would fit in well, and I wish you well and hopefully success,

janet

Thank you Wallaby. I'm pleased that your daughter has found work that is so rewarding for her. I'm afraid it doesn't sound like my cup of tea at all though. It simply isn't my field. My background is in librarianship and teaching; I have extensive qualifications.

My career problems arise from health issues that I had earlier in my life. Sadly, people who have had major health problems, like myself, have serious difficulties returning to the work environment. Your daughters' employers wouldn't be interested in someone like me; as soon as they saw that I had had illness any application form would promptly go in the bin. I am also slightly visually impaired. My only real way forward is to go the self-employment route.

Thank you for your concern.
Diane

Now Diane you just don't know, here you are running yourself down! They have all sorts of 'well qualified' people working for them, people like yourself who have fallen foul of the system, and don't we all just hate the way the 'system' works? Pat yourself on the back, pluck up courage and give it a go!

I once applied for the same type of job, after being in an accident, and was about to go for an interview. I had the impression they would have been pleased to take me on. Unfortunately I didn't go, as i have a nerve injury on the shoulder which affects much more, and really knew I couldn't have coped. They are looking for people like yourself.

Best Wishes

janet

Thank you Janet. I'm sorry but this just doesn't interest me. It's not me. The pay is also too poor. I'd lose my home if I went in that direction. Fine for a married lady, perhaps, who has a breadwinning husband. I actually turned down work (teaching work) in the autumn that paid twice that rate - because the hours were insufficient, and I didn't see it leading to full-time work. I'm very sorry but I have no interest in this field of work.

I'm an excellent storyteller. I've been seen by some of the top storytellers in the UK and they've told me I'm good. Can you really blame me for following my heart? Yes, it's a gamble and I may lose. But all the other options are pretty much dead-ends so the gamble is worth a shot.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I attended the meeting at college. As I expected, my contract was not renewed. The Personnel Officer there suggested that I might look for a "little part-time job in a supermarket". If I took her suggestion on board I'd lose my home! Part-time supermarket jobs are for married ladies (with breadwinning husbands), not people like myself who need a full income coming in.

Diane, I think you were just insulted by that personnel idiot! Supermarket indeed!

Thank you Doris! Yes, I've never felt more humiliated in my life! I was and still am very angry over her comment. It was an extremely unhappy meeting for me. I don't know how some of these people get to be in their jobs, I really don't. If I'd been interested in going into the retail trade I'd have opened a business myself. I wouldn't have been a checkout girl but its owner. Still could maybe if I really wanted to, as I still have enough in the way of savings left to buy into a small franchise. However, the retail trade really doesn't appeal to me very much.

The to-do at college left me feeling very frustrated and down. I had a good few days in the run-up to Christmas, going to parties and telling one of my stories, but once that passed I felt quite low again. Anyway, I'm off to Newcastle tomorrow. Just for one night, to tell a story at the storytelling circle there.

Looking forward to spring and better weather! A few days of sunshine will perk me up!

This message was edited Jan 5, 2006 5:22 AM

Diane, I do understand you wanting to follow your heart, and I am sure you have what it takes to make yourself known in your chosen circle. There is nothing like a personal passion to make things happen. I am intrigued by your storytelling, can you enlighten us a little more as to the type of storytelling you are involved in? I really have no knowledge of the opportunities available in this field, I can imagine you reciting like Charles Dickens did all those years ago! What a change that would be to the standard forms we are used to today. There is nothing like a personal touch to a story, to take the listener into another realm.

I understand your feelings of the 'little---job--', I once took on a refreshment course in typrewriting, although I had not done it at school as a subject for examination, I was in the 'A' class, and we were given a year of limited lessons. I didn't bother with the exam, my feelings were that I would not be a secretary to someone else, I would however be capable of running the business! No slur intended on anyone who is a secretary, but just not me. I remember when at school, we had one very limited and inadequate session with a so-called 'careers' advisor, who had visited the school. It was not like you hear of now, the assessments etc., but he asked what I was good at....I was getting 100% in maths, also liked physics, and his short and insulting suggestion was 'you should work in an office as a typist'. I don't think that man had been trained! I must have kept the insult close to my heart!
I always too have had the artistic flair, always topping the class in the subject, but the two just don't marry. Flailing somewhere between the two leaves one confused. One thing I often felt I would like to do was to put my art into photography, the 'lazy artist', and since I have had a digital camera this has given me my desire! Making it into a commercial option is another matter!

Yes you are totally right in following your heart's desire, you will be the same age as me, 1951? A good vintage year! You are sure to turn that vintage into a well mellowed delight.

Take care,
Janet

Thank you Janet! Yes, 1951 it is! I specialise in oral storytelling, telling folk tales that are hundreds of years old. Hmm, probably not Charles Dickens; Hans Christian Anderson would be nearer the mark, though I tell traditional tales, not my own material (yet).

Do you have a career currently? If not, you could pick up and refresh your old skills. I went back to uni and retrained in computing and achieved an M.Sc. in Computing back in 2004. Looked for work and couldn't see very much. A year after graduating I decided to draw a line under the computing experience and move on with my life. I'm still available for computing work at the moment (for the next 6 months or so) if any decent jobs do turn up. The computing market is dead though. It was time to think of something else.

I did start at the Lincoln uni when it first opened in 1996, the range of courses was a bit limited then, I had thought of computing, but saw a lot doing it, and the old science/maths versus artistic rose its head. I thought Tourism would be fun, and give me the oportunity to travel, splitting my time between Australia and here, I had huge ambitions. By the Xmas period I was nearly dead! At that time I still didn't know what my health problem was, no help from anyone, and a rest and warm weather would make me not necessarily feel better but certainly improved. I got so I couldn't move, the inflammation travels from head to toe, and blood flow is affected. So, it has taken a few years, but I have learnt how to manage it, and feel relatively 'normal'. No career though, bummer as they say (hate that word but it puts it perfectly!). I have gone crazy with my camera, and STILL had thoughts I could approach a card company or something like that, who knows. Maybe I will get noticed? Life in me yet.

I did learnt a lot about European history in that short period at uni, it was a very intensive course, not at all like you would expect, economics and you-name-it. I really enjoyed it too, but at heart I am really a lazy artist. We are what we are, and to try to change that is to deny our real self. I have actually thought about writing stories, I started one many years ago but didn't get far, too busy bringing up a family at the time. The kids found it and were impressed, so I suppose they being hard-to-please types when it came to stories were the best judges.

Sorry to hear that like me, you've fought a few health battles. I was ill for much of the 90s with a rare sinus condition (had surgery eventually that resolved it completely).

No harm on playing with your camera. I know a lady. like us, who has had a few health problems but is very keen on using her digicam for wildlife photography. She is selling her photos now. Not enough to give her a full-time career, but a decent and enjoyable part-time one.

You could always try writing again. Though I have to say that the market for children's literature is very competitive and you're unlikely to earn much.

Janet, if you are able to go way back a year or two to read some of Dianes jaunts that she took, along with pictures and such descriptions that you feel you were right there with her. She has a true talent for writing and telling stories. I know she cannot throw herself away on such things like that patronizing fool. Supermarket! (
Do they have discrimination laws in the UK? Really, this is what they are doing to you. You have a wonderful talent for what you are trying to make a living with. Not many people can write the stories of your jaunts the way you do. You have a real feel to the way you describe what you see, and that too carries into your story telling. You are getting to know many others in that field and meeting with experts.
Keep reaching for that dream.

Thank you Doris. I had a bit of a tussle tonight with the MC at the folk club I've just started going to. I told one of my stories there just before Christmas and it went down splendidly. Showed him tonight one that I am proposing to do and he didn't like it. He doesn't understand that I interpret a story, not tell it precisely like it is in a book. He gets up (or rather sits) and reads a monologue (not very well, through badly fitting teeth), looking down at his file. He wanted me to do the same (read funny monologues that is). GRRR!!! Chap doesn't have much in the way of imagination. He told me that my story was too old ("medieval, isn't it?") and said I should I do something more modern with characters that people can relate to. He then showed me his file with a story about William the Conqueror!

I get really irritated seeing people trying to perform with their notes stuck in front of them. There really isn't any excuse for it. I don't perform as often as some of the other performers, partly because I refuse to perform with bits of paper faffing around; I spend time rehearsing my material.

I have a delightful little story about an African lady who discovers the wonders of making pots and neglects her housework. He didn't really get that one either. Can anyone relate to that, he asked me? Anyway, I'll be telling that one fairly soon, at one club or another. It's such a joy reading about this creative lady from another time and place. There's a magical tree in it as well!

Thank you for all the compliments Doris. Tomorrow I'm off up to Newcastle. A jaunt! A jaunt!

Hey that sounds like me and my garden, I also am looked upon as being from another planet! Yes, I can relate to that, very, very easily. How dare this impersonal rat (sorry but the image has conjured up) try to impose his stuffy regime on you? Sounds like a real bore, people who are SO opinionated should go off and keep their opinions to themselves. How on earth has this 'man' got himself into this position? Did you ask him if he has ever heard of the one about the pot calling the kettle black?

Art is surely all about interpretation, surprises make for a much more interesting story, it is a wonder he doesn't send himself to sleep. Gee, it's a good job I wasn't there isn't it????

Diane, you sound excited, the little girl in you is jumping for joy, don't lose it!

Hi Janet! This man has got to be MC by going every week for the last 30 years. Love the "rat" comment! I have a storytelling friend who also had a bit of a tussle with an MC and promptly called him Robert the Rat! This man really isn't a rat; just not terribly too endowed in the brains department. I think he means well really. I don't think he has very much experience of oral storytelling; I'd maybe better break him in gently...