01 October 2015

September 2015 and long awaited happenings

It is the first of October and I am not late in posting! I had good intentions to write a couple of days ago but they flew out the window at some point. Plus these days I don't have a computer, just a tablet with an awful touch-keyboard thing so typing is hard, I'll keep this short.

I finally got a real job! Not that my current job isn't real, but it isn't permanent so a couple of months ago I applied for the position of science adviser at the Ministry of Primary Industries. I had an interview at the end of August, before I came down to Invers. Then I found out that there would be a permanent place for me in my current team so I wasn't too worried, I had gone from being at risk of being unemployed and poor again, to have a definite permanent job waiting for me. And it had been about three weeks, maybe more since my interview. So I was actually really surprised when I got offered the job. I thought there would be more steps involved, more checks, maybe psychometric testing again. It took about a week to get the contract, read it and fill in the forms and take it back. And that's it, I start on the 19th of October. I'm meeting up with my new boss next week for coffee and a chat.

So this is a permanent job, a junior role in a policy team that will give me opportunities for further courses and training and to work on lots of different projects. I hope to do some writing and project management courses, and in the future just management in general. There will be opportunities to move up, and secondments to other teams, and all the benefits of a permanent government job. Might even go to the expense of getting health insurance and finally going to the dentist. Maybe I'll join the union. I don't know. I did put up my kiwisaver contribution though. Because while it's not a huge pay jump (I was already on good pay for someone from my experience), it's enough that I won't notice that extra percent or two being taken out.

In fact, they say you should blow your first pay check on nice new stuff, but I've been doing quite a bit of shopping lately so I don't think I'll be doing that. I've got new shoes, new dresses, a new trench coat and new fabric! There was a pop-up fabric sale so it was super cheap, nice wools for $5 a metre! I don't sew enough though so my collection just grows.

Anyway that's enough from me, I've still got to get ready for work tomorrow. Two more weeks at my current job, so much to do in that time!