SURELY I will hear something positive this week. That email which FINALLY tells me, "Yes we HAVE received your contract and we are now sending you the visa papers to be filled in".
Because once I get THAT then I KNOW it will be just over a week till I am FINALLY on that plane.
How so? Well, quite simply, I have to fill in the visa forms, send them to the agent who then, so I'm told, will get it processed in around six days.
Having achieved THAT, it will all be done and they will then book my flight, send me the ticket, and I WILL BE OFF!
So my estimate is that as soon as the visa forms arrive in my hand then it will be around ten days (at the most conservative estimate) before I'm going.
"Oi!", shouts Pessimist Pete from the armchair. "Ten days?? Nahh, no way! Why are you suddenly THAT optimistic when they've kept you waiting over a week more than they should have??".
I try to ignore him and turn to face Ollie the Optimist. Hmm strange ..... his image is kind of translucent. I know he's there but I can't quite see him properly. I know he's there and I CAN see him but I can also see right through him.
The fact is this: I've realised now that in every week I start there is only a three-day "window" where things can happen - namely Monday (today), Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursdays and Fridays are obviously Islamic weekend days and Saturday and Sunday are our own UK weekend days. Therefore nothing is likely to happen at those times - well MAYBE on Saturdays if the UK side of the team are at work (which I doubt).
With THAT thought in mind, the mood darkens. Monday is as good as gone since it is 9.30pm as I sit here writing this blog entry. Nothing happened today. Ahh actually something DID happen today, but more on THAT later. And Ahh (2) - I had another phone interview on Saturday afternoon relating to a job app which I thought was long since dead. More too on THAT a little later on.
OK OK so I got nothing else to write so here goes with the two Ahh's above:
Firstly the shorter Ahh. And actually I've had two the same so this is in fact a double-Ahh or maybe a kind of twin-Ahh. Had an email yesterday to do with another Saudi job I'd applied to on tefl.com. Was short and sweet and flatly rejected my application based on the fact that .... well, that my CV wasn't good enough. And I had another email like that some time before.
Made me realise one important thing - I am just DAMN LUCKY to be in this position I'm in as regards actually being IN the application process for THIS job out in Riyadh. they're very choosy you see are the Saudis and you have to have the right things on paper first. They seem to insist you have a BA degree (an arts degree for those of you not familiar with UK university terminology, and that includes languages). I have a science degree and only obtained, as we say in (ex) student land, a "desmond". Ohh must I explain that?? OK then - my degree class was 2:2. Desmond Tutu was for many years the archbishop of one of the South African churches and a very famous man worldwide. You gotta think phonetically!! GET IT??
Anyway I digress horribly. My point is that I now feel very privileged that I was both short-listed and now am indeed on the point of GOING THERE! AND it would now seem to me that I would have less of a chance of getting any other Saudi job due to their insistance on what you must have on paper. Yes, they want experience too which I DO have a-plenty. But I don't have the "right things".
Actually, thinking back to that telephone interview I had way back in late November. I really thought I'd blown it and didn't have much of a chance. Too many of their questions I had to answer with NO or a not-so-positive answer. Had I done much IELTS? No but I know what it involves. Had I lived in a Middle East country before? No. Had I taught in a university environment before? No. Did I know this coursebook that they use? No. Pretty fundamental things were missing from my TEFL life. And when they told me I'd have to contact them in January because they were full back then in November, I actually thought I wouldn't bother because I was surely not up to standard.
This also makes me think about how long to give it out there. It may be that there are few other real employment chances in Saudi Arabia for me. OK, doesn't have to be Saudi next time, but they DO pay the best. So maybe I shouldn't be so hasty in any decisions I come to at end of June. Not that I'm thinking THAT far ahead just yet!! Hey - I haven't even got THIS one in the bag yet!! C'mon!!
OK, on to Ahh Number Two. It was Saturday morning at about 8.30am. My mobile phone rang. At first I thought it was an alarm call (yes, my ringtone and alarm tones ARE the same!!). So I reached over to get the phone and saw a number. It WAS RINGING. A number I didn't recognise which began +96 which I thought might be somewhere out in that region. I answered and it was an Indian-sounding lady who gave her name and said she was calling from Oman. I didn't quite register that for a moment, but then I remembered that ages ago I HAD indeed been interested in a job in that country. Anyway, she said, would I be ready for an interview at about 11am UK time? Indeed I would! Then I remembered that the last time I had had any info about that Oman job, I'd been told there had been no response from the people involved. And HERE suddenly there was something happening. Was there an email I hadn't read? Only if it had come that morning early (checked later but was nothing).
I had to quickly revise what I knew about this job, which wasn't much at all. No time to prepare any meaningful questions. And anyway - was I REALLY interested now? After all, they'd take another month to get THEIR papers ready which would be too late.
Had the interview anyway. Wasn't impressed. The phone kept beeping at their end together with loud noises which sounded like they were at war. And the guy I spoke to didn't know anything about any contract details. He didn't advertise it well either saying that the students weren't that motivated anyway as they "had it all" in life. OK, fine!
Anyway my impression wasn't good, but I sent them the reference they asked for just to "show willing". I trust my instinct now, and my instinct was worried
This will be for backup purposes only. Yes, it maybe IS a nicer country and yes, I WOULD be closer to the sea and yes, maybe the food promises to be nicer. BUT I'm going out there for financial reasons first and foremost and I want to be sure of WHERE I'm going. It's a long way to go to then find out it's a disorganised shambles. So I'm not too worried about it.
OK, now I'm about to do two things that I will FOR SURE not be able to do out in that region. I'm gonna have a beer and have sausages for dinner. Mmmm .... enjoy while I can!! See you!!!
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