Hello all! Sorry it's been so long since our last post...truth is, we haven't stopped for a second in the past month! Our typical evening, after a full work day, is centered around the Job Hunt. We've discovered a few things during this process...most importantly, that August seems to be the most popular month for the British to take their vacations, so many of the employers and contacts have been away from the office for the past few weeks (many of whom seem to be vacationing in the U.S.). Nevertheless, we've been applying to jobs basically non-stop, now making weekly phone calls to contacts in the UK. We've discovered that the typical British job description runs about 10 pages...and so does the typical application, which has contributed to many long, dry-eyed nights in front of the computer! But, to bring some light humor to The Hunt, here are a few of the rather comical comments we've received, or descriptions we've read along the way....
-"However, I must advise you that for UK Civil Service employment purposes you are classified as an Alien (which I appreciate is a rather unfortunate term)."
- "There will be a certain degree of autonomy in this role, so this person must be punchy enough to ask when they need support."
-"Minimum 27 days annual leave plus public holidays."
-"The average age of retirement is 65, so we hire up to age 64.5"
And, the #1 question from our seemingly perplexed potential employers, in its variety of forms:
- "Interesting - Tell me, why would anyone leave the semi paradise of La Jolla for wet and cold London?"
-"You're leaving sunny San Diego for rainy London??"
Regardless of how The Hunt plays out in the next month or so, one thing remains certain - we are definitely going! We booked our flights last weekend, and will be leaving San Francisco on October 14! After HOURS (spread out over weeks) of searching flight deals, we finally made a decision to commit to a departure date (and of course, end Brandina's minor phase of insanity, brought about by watching flight deals surface, disappear, increase in price, decrease in price...you know how it goes!).
Our other major accomplishment in recent weeks is a revised timeline, covering the next 6 weeks. Posted on our refrigerator, it serves as a constant reminder of the tasks yet to be accomplished, as well as the fun we have planned with our friends and family before we fly out!
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play." ~Arnold Toynbee
