Case Study Review: Educating Essex

Picture from C4

I don't often feel moved to publicly review a piece of television- it generally just excites controversy (whatever your opinion might have been) and I rarely have anything to say that is worth that much personal exertion.
Educating Essex however has become the recent notable exception to this policy; aside from being a stellar piece of documentary it is a program I consider to be of use and relevance to the aspiring teachers among you.
You probably have seen it but in case you haven't: educating essex is a documentary on c4 about a school in harlow, it's staff  and some of its more... colourful students. Perhaps its most revolutionary aspect is that in the era of big brother, jeremy Kyle and paparazzi hatchet jobs, the program has not been prejudically edited to present the school- and by extension the state education system- as either miraculous or hellish. Instead it is simply a warm, humorous and occasionally sad look at the lives of the staff and students that make up the school. It brilliantly shows the stresses and frustrations felt on both sides of the desk and skillfully uses a series of interviews to allow the inimitable Mr drew to paint a picture of the education system as it is, revealing to the world the problems that teachers have always known but that the government never seems to appreciate.
As a pgce or gtp student this programme could practically serve as a training video on what you'll be faced with in the state education system: the uniform adherence (or lack thereof), the complexity of dealing with claims of bullying, the difficulty of parental intervention and above all the task of keeping kids engaged with the lesson.
Obviously all schools are different, but Passmore's provides a valuable guide to the average school that you are likely to end up at as an NQT- not ghetto, not grammar just a regular school with regular pupils. It is to Passmores' credit then that they have managed to achieve an outstanding ofsted report- an achievement that is no doubt due in no small part to the efforts and presence of head teacher Mr Goddard who's brand of highly involved senior management is one of the school's most unique features.
The only criticisms of the programme that could be made is that there is little footage of actual lessons taking place and none of any lessons being conducted effectively. Clearly a school does not get an outstanding ofsted report without excellent teaching and its a shame that the talents of a broader range of the teaching staff aren't better showcased. That being said I'd take a clip of a heavily made up girl exclaiming 'What...is..pie? Where does it come from?" over one of a teenager accurately calculating the diameter of a circle in terms of entertainment.
So to all you trainee/wannabe educators out there I highly reccommend that you get yourselves caught up on the happenings at Passmores and settle in for the long haul; you could and should learn a few things.

Job vs Career: the changing face of graduate employment

A Dog walker for life? Or just for Christmas?

I am now four weeks into my first job after university: four weeks of Ups, downs stresses and triumphs. For the first time in four years I am getting a monthly income that is taking me out of debt rather than into it, and I am beginning to make some friends. I see all this as an achievement in and of itself but increasingly I'm finding that other people don't see it that way. Countless times over the past few weeks I have been asked what my plans are for the future, what I'm going to do next, what I want to do with my life...

Obviously my current position is not one I will continue in beyond this year- the spiritual rewards not being able to compensate for the lack of remuneration. However, that doesn't mean that after this year I will have planned out a career path into which I can transition smoothly nor that I necessarily should have.

With the latest figures indicating that the pension age will be rising to an eventual limit of 75, this generation's graduates are looking at a working life of about 50 years at least. When once it made sense to pick a career and stick with it, in the modern job market it just seems unrealistic and a little foolish.

Of course there are people whose degree will have led them into a career- medical students, law students, vet-meds for example and some of the more dedicated scientists but many of the rest will end up in a job only somewhat tangentially related to their degree if that and will probably not pick a ‘career’ as such right off the bat.

The modern graduate is most concerned with two things: making some money and gaining some experience. This can mean choosing ‘jobs’- which I define as positions accepted due to the specific nature of the role rather than ‘careers’- taking a position in a company or field with a view to advancement within it. This is partly due to the modern job market and partly due to the differing temperament and social expectations of today’s graduates. The traditional transition into a stable family situation with a long term partner is being pushed back later and later by young people therefore it follows that their need for the financial stability and job security afforded by taking a position with long term goals is greatly reduced. From my own experience I know that I find great comfort in the fact that I am bound by a one year contract only after which I am free to pursue a completely new line of work altogether if I so choose. I am more scared by the notion of a ‘permanent’ job that I can’t see the end of than I am of financial instability.

Today one also has to bear in mind the rapidity with which job descriptions can change and the hovering danger of last-in first-out job cuts resulting from the recession. People who chose careers in the past and have worked exclusively in one field can often find that their job is written out of existence due to financial cutbacks or technological advancement and they are not equipped to transfer into another line of work because their skills have become so specialised.

My personal belief is that I will eventually settle to a regular line of work, as will most graduates, but that will be more likely to be a role you could play in any number of fields rather than a sector within which you might take on a number of roles. The idea of jobs for life is dead and people should be glad to let it go- mobility in the job market benefits everyone at the end of the day as people keep their skills honed and their interest and engagement in their work sustained. The only career that should matter is your personal one, and you should follow it wherever it takes you.

The Guide to Going to Uni Part 2: Friends like These...

 Some of you may have noticed that the update schedule has become a little more erratic recently; this is due to my finding it a lot harder to adapt to a working day than I thought I would. The result of this is that I will now be updating the blog on friday nights or- more likely- saturday afternoon and we may lose the second update a week- it will certainly become more infrequent. I apologise for this but at the moment I just don't have the time or energy that I need to maintain our original schedule. In the meantime keep enjoying our guide to university!

Picture by glennharper via Flickr

The most important thing you take away from university- and the thing you worry most about before you get there- is friends. A good group of friends can make your university experience into the best years of your life and can lead to lifelong bonds, so it is not surprising that one of our biggest worries when starting university is "will I make any friends?".

The answer is almost certainly yes- I don't know of anyone at my university, however bizarre or eccentric they seemed, who wasn't able to find at least one kindred soul to share their time with. That doesn't mean that you wont have to make an effort and it does take some people longer to form bonds or to adapt to socialising in the university environment. It can also take some time for your friendships to solidify- often the problem in freshers week is that you have too many 'friends' and you don't yet know who will be the best fit for you long term. Sooner or later the mass of people will settle into groups to which you will be attached to varying degrees of acquaintance-or friend-ship.
If you are harbouring concerns about making friends however, there are steps you can take to be more active in your socialising which will improve your chances of finding people you click with.

 Accommodation
First year accommodation is randomly assigned at university which can sometimes lead to a 'you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family' type situation. More ususally however you will find your closest friendships develop within the confines of your hall of residence. Nothing brings people closer together like collectively managing to burn pasta, leaving razors in the shower and wandering around in your pyjamas at three in the afternoon, after all.

This means it is worth making an effort to meet your neighbours during the first few days: if at all possible, keep your door propped open (fire safety bedamned) so that you can see people as they pass by- and of course they can see you too. It's also important to remember that the normal rules of British reserve do not apply during the first week of university. So its perfectly ok to knock on people's doors to introduce yourself and ask people to do things with you like walk to lectures or go on a sainsburys run. Make the most of this etiquette amnesty to meet as many people as possible; the more things you have going on and the more people you have around you, the less chance you have to feel lonely or homesick. Also, hang out in communal areas as much as possible- put the TV on in the common room or put your shopping away loudly and slowly in the kitchen. Try and spend as little time as possible in your room on your own in the first week: sleep and solitude are for essay deadlines.

Clubs and Sports
The alternative to finding your friends through proximity (accommodation or lectures) is to search for likeminded souls by joining clubs, societies or sports teams that take your interest. These range from the mainstream (languages, drama and major sports), to the fringe (Sci Fi appreciation, Anime and Ultimate frisbee) to the jokey and bizarre (the naked club, winnie the pooh appreciation, punt jousting). Whatever your fancy you can bet there will be a cavalvade of characters good and bad awaiting you at mixers and practices. It is fun to do this on top of meeting people 'at home' because it a. broadens your pool of potential friendships and b. means you actually leave your halls of residence for reasons other than food and alcohol. It also gives you a chance to meet people from other years, subjects and halls of residence.
There are two important things to remember about meeting friends through clubs and sports: firstly if you do decide to make a commitment stick to it for at least a term unless you are completely miserable. Attend all practices or meetings and socials possible in the first few weeks as this will be the only initial opportunity you have to get to know these people. Its much harder to maintain a friendship based on a mutual interest when one of you is no longer pursuing it.
Secondly, make sure you start seeing people outside of practices; friendship can't really properly blossom once or twice a week. Ask people over for a drink or go out for coffee etc and get to know them outside of the interest you share.

Above all HAVE FUN! Making friends at university is not supposed to be stressful and it won't be if you give people a chance. Good luck to all of you this week and have a great time!

The Guide to Going to Uni part 1: Money Matters

We interrupt our regular programming to bring you a special announcement… its fresher’s week again. Not all at the same time but over the next few weeks, the next generation of drunken slackers bright young minds will be heading off to uni.

Now of course this guide usually focuses on the emergence from University not the entrance, however with student numbers at an all-time high in an effort to escape the fee hike there are thousands of teenagers in desperate need of our sage counsel- and who are we to deny them?

So the next few posts will provide a three part guide to going to uni that should ease the transition from home to away and answer any questions or worries felt by the freshers of 2011.

The biggest change when you leave for university is arguably the sudden acquisition of financial independence. How much you get and where you get it from may vary but for the first time you will have to consider the costs of food, rent and in some cases even utilities. Whether you’re by nature frugal or extravagant, this will necessitate some lifestyle adjustments.

Spreadsheet Love

Photo by Kikishua via Flickr

The first thing you need is a good spreadsheet; it doesn’t have to be overly complex but some record of your income and expenditure will help you set a realistic weekly budget and enable you to make the decision about whether or not to pursue an additional line of income (and by this I mean getting a job not drugs or prostitution by the way).

If you are an excel virgin you can get a parent or more knowledgeable friend to set one up for you and explain how it works- make sure your balance and total outgoing are linked to the data you are inputting so you get a real-time update of your situation when you add new information. This might seem overly geeky or control freaky way of overseeing your finances but once you have it all set up it will require minimum effort from you and will ensure you always know where your money is going.

An addendum to this is to make sure you have your internet banking set up and that you know all the necessary codes and passwords for accessing it. This will allow you to check your account Balance any time of the day or night and give you access to statements so that if you get behind on your spreadsheet you can easily find the information you need.

Photo by sausyn via Flickr

To Work or Not to Work?

Not all universities allow their students to work but if you are faced with no such restrictions you will probably have given thought to the possibility of eking out your meagre income with some kind of part time job. However, it is worth putting off your decision about this until you are a couple of weeks into your timetable as this will allow you to gauge the amount of time you will have free and the academic workload you will have to shoulder.

It might seem like money is the most important consideration but if your work and social life are negatively impacted than you may want to reconsider. Remember that going to university is about getting a good qualification and meeting new people; if you’re not getting either than why are you paying out all that money?

If you do decide to get a job try and fit it around your university life: if you have few lectures look for jobs with early morning or late night shifts, leaving the afternoon and evening for work and socialising. If you have morning lectures find evening and weekend shifts so you can still see your friends and get work done.

You can also try and find a workplace that fits with your schedule: working in a library will allow you to merge work and study, bar work will let you socialise with your friends during work and after as will working in a coffee shop.

Whatever work you decide to do make sure you confine it to a maximum of three or four days a week to minimise the negative impact on university life.

Photo by Eun Byeol via Flickr

Food, Glorious Food

Buying food will eat away (no pun intended) at your weekly budget unless you take control of your spending right from the start. There are many ways to cook on a budget (these will form the bulk of a future post) but here are a few of the simplest and most effective.

Firstly, buy dry goods (such as pasta and rice) in bulk and take advantage of multibuy offers on canned goods. Both of these groups of products do not go out of date and are essential for most recipes, so a larger initial expenditure can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Secondly, don’t be a food snob: people on a budget don’t have that luxury. So buy the basics option if there isn’t much difference in quality and look for cheaper cuts of meat- chicken thigh fillets taste just as good as breast fillets but cost half the price.

You can also save money by cooking with friends: cooking for four (or more) usually lowers the price per head. If you take it in turns to cook the cost of the more expensive ingredients is shared by the whole group and food doesn’t go to waste.

Finally go shopping at night- expensive things like ready meals, meat and bakery products get severely marked down in price the night before the expiration date so a certain flexibility can save you a lot of money.

Do you REALLY need it?

The last piece of advice I have for you is regarding the ability to distinguish between essential and non-essential purchases. I know everyone’s human and we all give into temptation- I myself once lived for a week on £15 due to the inadvisable purchase of a pair of gorgeous shoes (for the record totally worth it). However, the point is I did then rein back my spending, I didn’t just carry on regardless. Too many people these days are happy living in their overdraft or on their credit card- I am terrified of the latter and only do the former when I know I have money coming in.

Obviously you shouldn’t deny yourself a pair of new hole-free jeans or some underwear but that doesn’t mean that you need to head for Levis and Agent Provocateur when New Look and La Senza will do the job.

Yes its unfair that some text books cost more than a designer handbag, but one is a necessary purchase and the other is a luxury (hint: the necessary one doesn’t come with a shoulder strap). So next time you’re out shopping and you spot a ‘lust have’ item be realistic about what you can afford.

Then go home and put it on your Christmas list.

If you’ve got any questions about managing your money or any handy hints you’d like to share let us know in the comments section. Join us next time for part 2: making friends.

Changes

Just a quick one today. The blog is undergoing a redesign, so there will be a few changes in the next couple of days. Please bear with us, and tell us what you think!

Mind the Gap- minimising the transition between uni and work

Photo by honeyjew via flickr

Photo by bezajel via Flickr

Apologies for the latest post being up a day late however I started work this week- as will be evident from this thursday's post- and as a result am tired. All. The. Time. Despite this I have still found time to gift you all with my thoughts and feelings on the first week in a new job. Enjoy!

Tomorrow will mark the end of my first week in the working world, a world that is very different from the university life that proceeded it. In honour of this momentous achievement, this Thursday’s post will focus on dealing with the differences between life at university and life at work. Some you may be aware of, some you may need to prepare yourselves for, either way I hope this will be an educational guide to understanding and minimising the gap between student and worker drone.

Getting Up Early: as a student you may have occasionally had to get up early (or what you thought was early) for lectures and supervisions but generally you set your own hours, especially if you studied for an arts degree. If early did occur it meant getting up for something scheduled at nine meaning that you seldom needed to get up before seven. When you go to work you have to get up ‘early’ everyday, only it doesn’t count as early anymore it just becomes ‘the time you get up’. The average commuter gets up around 6-6:30 and those with long distances to travel will get up even earlier in order to make it to work on time.

This means for the first week (at least) of the uni-job transition you will be very, very tired. There are two main ways to combat this: 1. Go to bed early at least for the first few weeks – this will give your body the rest it needs to adjust to the new schedule. 2. If you can, the week before you start work, reduce the time you get up at by an hour/half hour (depending on the disparity between the two schedules) every morning leading up to your first day so that when you start, your body has already had time to start adjusting.

Not Having Any Friends: this is not something I had considered being a problem but after four years of building friendships at university suddenly you find yourself starting from the beginning only this time the people you’re trying to make friends with aren’t the same age as you and they’re not in the same boat: unless you join a company through a big graduate recruitment scheme, you will be one new person in a group of people that have had at least a year to work out who they eat lunch with and what they have in common. From my own experience, the majority of people I work closely with are middle aged women with school or college aged children; they are absolutely lovely but their conversations are generally about the things they have in common which unfortunately are generally not something I can relate to. So no matter how friendly or helpful or welcoming your new colleagues are, it is likely that at least a few times during your first week you will end up feeling lonely. 

This will probably pass but in the mean time there are a couple of things you can do to make yourself feel better: firstly, up your contact time with your friends. With Facebook, Twitter etc there is little chance of truly falling out of contact with people you no longer see every day but make sure you get enough real time contact: try and meet up with friends on the weekends, grab some face time on Skype, give them a ring or even send them a good old-fashioned letter (this will be discussed in more detail next week). Even better, if you have a friend that works nearby make plans to have lunch, giving you the chance to break up the working day with a chance of scene. Alternatively you can put your efforts into making friends: take an interest in people, engage them in conversation and you might discover you do have things in common, age notwithstanding. Search out people closer to your own age and experience in the organisation as well if you are trying to discover common ground – you may feel more at ease trying to befriend someone you feel comfortable reminiscing about those drunken halcyon days at uni with.

Feeling Out Of Your Depth: Logically you know you’re capable of doing the job: the interview process and competitive job market leave little room for erroneous appointments. However, few graduates these days go into a career that makes direct use of their degree- the phrase ‘transferable skills’ looms its ugly head. Yes you are capable of the work being required- you just don’t always know how to produce it. Admittedly the start of university evoked a similar sense of inadequacy and confusion but after your first essay wasn’t sent back to you via the medium of a cross cut shredder your working style adapted fast and panic was more about completing the work on time than any worries about how to do it or what to use. It has taken me four days at work to sort out all my passwords and get to grips with the ICT system, on top of the work I am supposed to be doing.

To tackle this make sure you ask lots of questions and take extensive notes: few people will object to a barrage of questions in the first week and most will be happy to explain or demonstrate how things work (like the photocopier for example) and this will not affect their opinion of you or your abilities; after all they were all new once too. However, if you don’t make a note of procedures and end up asking a second or third time you will find people’s good will- and their good opnion of you- considerably diminished. Another strategy for dealing with this is to try and find a mentor within the company- this relates back to point two about making friends- who will be happy to act as your guide to the workings of the organisation over a more extended timescale. This minimises the people who are inconvenienced by your questions and inexperience and gives you a more secure relationship which should make you feel happier to ask questions however simple.

These are just a few thoughts on my first week at work. If you are in a similar situation and have found my advice helpful or have thoughts of your own to proffer, please let us know in the comments section below!

The Guide to Workwear part 3: Medicine a la Mode

Picture by Walt Stoneburner via Flickr

Welcome to the third (and for the time being final) installment of our guide to workwear series that looks at the appropriate clothes to wear when working in a hospital or surgery. This piece was very kindly provided by Louise, a fifth year medical student, who has managed to make room in her busy schedule to give you all her advice on how to dress as a medic. Wherever you are in your medical career, this is an essential read to ensure your appearance matches your qualifications!

Dressing for work in a hospital is all about managing to look stylish while still being practical and abiding by the infection control rules. You have to remember that patients expect a certain level of appearance from their doctor, and are likely to make judgements about your competence based on what you look like- nobody wants a doctor that looks like they’ve just crawled out of a hedge or has been sleeping in their clothes. As a result, ironing is a must: you don’t want the patient’s first impression of you to be that you were too disorganised to iron your trousers when they need to trust you to make decisions about their health.

An easy way to dress smartly with minimal effort is to have a wardrobe of tops and bottoms which you can mix and match from. Keep it simple when it comes to trousers and skirts; go for blacks and greys, and team them up with brightly coloured blouses and tops. Blouses are a lot more effort to iron than tops made of stretchy material, so I’d go for these, although you need to make sure that they’re not too tight and clingy- it encourages patients to make inappropriate comments, especially in A&E on a Friday night!

A couple of things that I would recommend avoiding:

1. Anything long and dangling- you never know what it might trail in!

2. Tops with necklines that gape when you bend over to examine a patient- you’re supposed to be inspecting their chest not vice versa!

Unfortunately, the bare below the elbow policy doesn’t leave too much scope for keeping warm in the winter, but there are ways around this problem. Although they are hard to find, especially if you’re shopping in winter, short sleeved cardigans do exist. Vests can be layered under shirts although this can backfire if you end up on a very warm ward (removing a vest is obviously not something you can do at the bedside!) Tank tops are another alternative.

As for shoes, comfort is everything. Hospital floors are unforgivingly hard on the soles and as you’ll be walking miles every day your feet will thank you for investing in good quality, sensible shoes. A more expensive, better quality pair of shoes will also last far longer before they show signs of wear or become misshapen.

One final word of advice:  don’t buy an orange stethoscope- they clash with everything!

Thats the end of our guide to workwear for now! If you are in a career not covered yet and would like some advice or fancy writing a post giving advice to others in you field drop us a line at literateblonde@gmail.com or let us know in the comments below!

The Guide to Workwear part 2: Teaching in Trousers

Picture by Tinker*Tailor loves Lalka

Welcome to part 2 of our workwear series aimed at those of you starting in the education sector- whether public or private, training or teaching. Some of you may recognise Hannah's name from the great guest post she wrote for us earlier this year (read here if you missed it). Hannah is starting on the job teacher training at a primary school this year but has been working in schools for a while now and is amply qualified to provide advice.

As a primary teacher you have to be smart, fun, practical, professional, fashionable (you’ll get the girls’ respect for this) and comfortable all at the same time, which can be hard to achieve!

 I will be starting my in-school teacher training very soon and so I have had to purchase a teacher’s wardrobe. The key is finding the right trousers. They have to fit all the above requirements, excepting the ‘fun’ one perhaps, as your top can do this all by itself. I found a gem pair of trousers in New Look (so I bought two pairs). They are black (practical, smart), with a tapered leg (smart and fashionable), turn ups (fashionable) and a reasonably (but not too) high waist (fulfils all the requirements). 

However, they’re perhaps a bit, how do I put this... manly-looking.  So the top becomes important. Just choose what suits you, but make sure it’s bright, fun and pretty. And definitely not low cut- as a teacher you’re always bending over to have a look at children’s work and you don’t want any prepubescent boys having a peek down your cleavage. Cardigans are must too, but please not granny style. If your top is patterned, wear a plain cardigan, if your top is plain you can get away with a patterned cardigan. Avoid floral patterns though; you’ll end up looking mumsy not professional.

Shoes should something plain and simple with a quirk, like a bow or a flower. But make sure you can clean them of drops of PVA glue and smears of paint, so avoid patent or suede. I would also wear flats, unless you find heels exceptionally comfortable.

If you're already in teaching and would like to add your advice to Hannah's or if you are just starting out and would like some sartorial advice please feel free to comment in the space provided below!

The Guide to workwear part 1: Smart and The City

Photo by jcoldironjr2003 via Flickr

Despite the soaring unemployment figures, this year thousands of UK graduates will be entering the world of work and amidst the worries about commuting, working to deadlines, getting on with their boss, one thought will stand out from all the rest: what do I wear?
I wanted to address this worrying issue, however a minute's reflection showed me that really, I have no idea. So, rather than give up and leave the new workforce to their sartorial faux pas', I called in some outside help- lovely friends from a variety of fields who have offered their observations on the workwear in their environment. Their response was beyond what I could have hoped for, leading me to serialise their efforts over the next couple of weeks.

Part one are the musings of the lovely Annie An, who has considerable experience in looking successful, on what to wear if you're working in the city: law, banking and the more creative callings are covered in impressively thorough detail. So take notes and Enjoy!

Corporate

We've all seen the sea of black barging past us, rushing towards their majorly important appointment in the City, eternally shackled to their Blackberry "Smart" phones, so the obvious first step is to get yourself a power suit, preferably black. This is the most important component for interviews, client meetings and getting wasted at the local watering hole. Try good old Jermyn Street retailers such as T.M Lewin for something simple and relatively cheap. A blazer from Mango and some trousers from Next, however, is not a healthy alternative.

There are differences depending on which sector you work in: for example in Law it is more conservative and ladies should consider the skirt option over the trouser-suit whereas in Banking you could get away with a nice silk top and a pair of trousers. For women shirts, especially white shirts are not always compulsory- you can experiment with not too revealing tops and maybe even a black/dark coloured wrap dress. Just make sure you always have a jacket to hand in case a client or someone important drops in! Banana Republic stocks affordable workwear and Hobbs' City Wear collection holds a plethora of smart stylish clothes not necessarily aimed at middle aged dames who lunch.

Accessories should be kept simple and elegant in more conservative environments, however you can afford to be more liberal with the bling in finance -I know a female associate who isn't adverse to flashing her extensive collection of Cartier wrist wear.

For men, try a different suit and shirt combination: a navy suit and pink shirt or a grey-brown suit with a blue shirt for example. There generally aren't too many rules in Corporate Britain, just keep it professional. Charles Tyrwitt and Pink should be able to kit you out for all your suiting needs, however Bankers do seem to prefer the Salvatore Ferragamo suit and Hermes tie combination, just not before you make MD. The U.S however is a different questions all together. If you are male and a junior member of staff (i.e. analysts beware!)working in finance - DO NOT WEAR CUFF LINKS! What may seem to us mere Europeans as an essential part of work and formal attire, takes on a whole different meaning Stateside - you may not be thinking it but to the powers above know you are overreaching yourself, you are running before you can walk.

Creative Industries

You are the lucky lucky people, who get to wear almost anything to work- even at times skinny jeans and Converse! So experiment, go wild – just don’t dye your hair pink. For women it’s always a good idea to not bare too much flesh, remember this is still a work place. Keep the minis for the beach and the low cut tops for date night. For men, you still need to look presentable, so the hoodie and the “just rolled out of bed” look may have been ok for lectures but does not belong to the work place. In sectors such as Publishing and PR, people tend to be fashion forward and have their own style, so invest sometime into thinking about how you are presenting yourself to your peers as well as your clients. Remember you are also selling a brand/reputation, and who wants to buy the services of a heavily pierced Mohawk when they are promoting their new cookbook. In galleries and auction houses, it is often more conservative. Men are often seen in suits and women in skirt and blouse combos. Try Reiss or Anthropologie for a splash of artistic printing and embroidery.

Next week: Part 2- Teaching in Trousers

Homing Pigeon Syndrome

Photo by ZeroOne via Flickr

The A level results are in and the next batch of Britain’s bright eyed young hopefuls are off to university, leaving behind the nest, their parents and- in the case of my sister- me.

Around this time people start talking about 'empty nest' syndrome- parents having to deal with the absence of their offspring but increasingly I've been feeling the effects of a syndrome of my own that I have dubbed homing pigeon syndrome.

Increasingly as a result of the current economic climate students are graduating from university and heading straight back home. There is nothing wrong with this: many people have no other option (myself included) and for those who manage to obtain a decent starting salary it still makes sound fiscal policy to stay at home and save for a bit but it can leave you feeling disillusioned and stuck in a rut.

You feel that university was a bubble life that has now popped, leaving you right back where you started. This feeling is exacerbated if you have a sibling or cousin leaving for university this year, setting off to do all the fun things you've just left behind. For you life seems to be going nowhere- separated from your closest friends and no longer truly independent, it feels like you have to go back to being the person you were before you went away and grew up.

It's all too easy to get depressed about this situation but once you fall into the doldrums- as readers of the phantom toll-booth will know- it can be surprisingly hard to pull yourself out. Don't wallow in self pity- this will only make you feel worse, leading to a downward spiral into lethargy. Instead, why not take steps to combat this situation?

Get some Perpective
First get out of the house and, if possible, out of your neighbourhood completely. You need to gain some detachment before you can look at your situation with a clear head. If you can, visit or meet up with a friend in a similar situation- guaranteed sympathy and a connection to the life you're missing will give you the space you need to gain perspective.

Be Pro-active

Second, and I can’t stress this enough, BE PRO-ACTIVE. Sure, life hasn’t been as easy for you as it maybe has for other people but compared to a lot of people you’re still very, very lucky to even have the option of going home. At the end of the day no-one is going to organise your life for you (if you have parents that do please tell them politely to STOP- they’re not doing you any favours) and you’re just going to have to man up and deal with the hand you’ve been dealt; that’s what being an adult is about. So get back on the job search websites (using our handy guide provided here to maximise your efforts) but at the same time be preparing back up options in case it takes longer than you think.

If jobs are elusive, try and get non-paid experience in the fields you are interested in. If money’s an issue you can always combine this with shift work in the evenings or at weekends to pay for travel expenses and fun things. If even this doesn’t seem to be panning out volunteer for a charity in some capacity- employers are going to prefer this to you sitting on your butt and whining because life hasn’t worked out exactly how you planned it. This may sound harsh but I assure you this pep talk is for me as much as for anyone reading!

Change Your Environment

If living back at home feels like you’re regressing then put a new stamp on your living space: ask your parents if you can re-model your room or if you can convert some unused space- an attic, the cellar, a spare bedroom- into your own space. Chances are the last time your bedroom was decorated you didn’t have much say in the matter and taking the design into your own hands should hopefully make you feel that you are moving forwards and not just back where you started.

Stay In Touch

Lastly, remember out of sight doesn’t have to mean out of mind: ok so your best friends are no longer a corridor away, that doesn’t mean you’ll never see them again. Make plans regularly with as many people as possible, take full advantage of the social networking resources and electronic communication methods that are fully at our disposal. We are possibly the first generation that has no excuse for losing touch with old friends- we can interact with people all over the world at the touch of a keyboard; ten miles up the M1 really shouldn’t make that much of a difference.

So don’t be despondent over the future- it will sort itself out- but make every effort to help yourself in the present and the chances are it will all work out better than you hoped. Remember homing pigeons always come home to roost but its never long before they’re off again, and some of them have done pretty amazing things!

We're all going on a summer holiday...

... so updates are going to be what you might call sporadic for a while. With any luck I will have internet access in Turkey and Kate will get round to posting some fun stories from her archaeological dig but don't expect anything concret until mid-august earliest. We intend to take full advantage of our proper holiday and I urge you all to do the same :) Feel free to let us know what you're getting up to in the comments below.

Bon Voyage!

The Life List

By jordan clarke via Flickr

As you may have realised from my last post I have been feeling the pressure recently- the pressure to complete my thesis on time, the pressure to find a job, the pressure to stay sane…

In one of my many procrastinatory ambles through the internet, I came across this article written by the lovely and talented Ali Hale (of Aliventures and many many other worthy endeavours) extolling the virtues of making lists, particularly on the small scale, to keep on top of day to day commitments and goals.

This got me thinking: I love lists- they bring order to my otherwise chaotic life-, the remind me of my responsibilities and they give me a sense of achievement when I accomplish an item and can triumphantly tick it off. Everybody is familiar with the concept of the bucket list- things you want to have done before you kick the bucket i.e. die, but what I really need at the moment is a life list- a series of goals to achieve that will indicate that I have a life- a proper one that is, full of independence, income and (mostly) responsible expenditure.

The items on that list don’t have to be big or small, achievable or lofty, they just have to be anything you think will put you one step closer to the life you want.

Becca’s Eight Step Path to a Proper Life

#1 Finish my thesis- Ok, so this is kind of an obvious one bit finishing my thesis marks the end of my university career and the start of my time to GET a life

#2 Get a job- I need to be earning, not necessarily doing what I want to do forever, but I need more credit than debit in my bank account. Plus it will give me a chance to experience a completely different world for a while.

#3 Pass my driving test- I am currently one fail down, five to go (if I aim to break the group record) but hopefully will pass soon. Being able to drive is one of the hallmarks of adulthood and it makes getting to places so much more convenient

#4 Decide whether I want to do a PhD/ get a PhD place (if the answer is yes)  Recently, my thesis write up has left me disillusioned with my work and my own abilities and I’m not sure if I can take another five years of education and constant pressure. Figuring this out however, will bring me one step closer to a life of my own.

#5 Get a double bed- whether at home or in a place of my own, a double bed is the grown-up way to sleep. I don’t even want to share it with anyone, I just like to sprawl without bruising my extremities.

#6 Go to my first wedding- getting married is pretty much the most grown up thing you can do as far as I can see, and when you friends start getting married you have to grown up a bit too (at least for the ceremony, you can shed your assumed maturity at the reception).

#7 Become a Godmother- Ok, so this one is probably a long way off since I not only have to wait for one of my close friends or relatives to have a baby, I also have to convince them I would be the best spiritual (or actual in the case of tragedy) guardian. Being responsible for another human being is a major adult responsibility.

#8 Take my parents out for dinner to celebrate me moving out- this encompasses the official acknowledgement of the end of childhood and dependency and the fact that I now have an independent source of income sufficient to cover indulgences. This may never happen.

If you know me and would like to help me out with any of the above get in touch :) Everybody else please share your life list goals in the comments below!

How to Cope With Rejection

Picture by Sean MacEntee via Flickr

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks- I’ve been balancing finishing my thesis with applying for jobs and going for interviews- all of which have been unsuccessful.

Rejection is not a nice feeling as I’m sure you all know; it makes you feel worthless, it saps your motivation and it makes the future seem hopeless.

However, life goes on past these rejections and if you’re going to make the most of it and not waste your opportunities, then being able to cope with rejection is a skill you are going to have to develop. If you don’t, it will begin to prey on your mind, affecting your attitude at other interviews which will decrease your chances of doing well and create a downwards spiral of rejections that will eventually lead to you losing all hope and doing something stupid like jumping off a bridge/ doing amateur porn/ working at McDonalds/ marrying for money- depending on your inclinations.

I kid (mostly) but the fact remains that dwelling on rejection, much like dwelling on past mistakes, will only build a self-replicating pattern and get you nowhere.

Success means looking forward not backwards: below are the most important things I have learnt about dealing with rejection.

1. Don’t lie to yourself but don’t take things too personally

By Stefano Principato via Flickr

Obviously it isn’t a good idea to make excuses for next getting a job- it makes you feel like you’re lying to yourself and it stops you learning valuable lessons from the mistakes you’re afraid to admit to.

However, quite often rejection is simply a numbers game- sometimes you don’t make the cut for a completely arbitrary reason, and beating yourself up over it or overanalysing your performance won’t make any difference.

For example, I recently went for a job that required references to be submitted in advance; one of my referees was having a really busy week and failed to meet the deadline. What was more likely- that my qualifications and background weren’t good enough or that I was screened out simply for not meeting their requirements?

Similarly, sometimes the employers will have a certain type of person in mind for the job- rightly or wrongly- and if you aren’t what they want then it doesn’t matter how talented, dedicated or fabulous you are, you probably won’t get the job.

So next time you get a rejection be honest with yourself- did you do things wrong? If so, you can work to correct them. If it seems likely that you were just a victim of circumstance though, then just shrug it off- fate is a fickle mistress and the next job could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

2. Remember success can be measured in many ways

By Hijukal via Flickr

This is a difficult lesson to learn but an important one; our society increasingly values specific academic qualifications and financial security as the most important measures of success. Are they important? Of course! But there are many, many ways to measure success in life that have nothing to do with what university you attended or how much money you’ve made.

Some people consider success to be raising a large, happy family and supporting them to follow their dreams, and some people measure success through the strength and number of their personal relationships:

Remember that quote from the Christmas movie ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’? “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends”. Corny, but true.

Still others consider success to be leaving a legacy of work- art, literature, a disease cure, architecture, research… what’s important is making their mark.

Some people measure their success through the number of lives they touch and change for the better.

The important thing to remember is that they can all be right: success is entirely subjective. If you feel like a failure, make sure you are measuring yourself by your criteria- not your parents’, your friends’ or society’s.

Set your own criteria but be prepared for it to change as you grow: don’t judge thirty year old you harshly by the criteria you set out when you were just graduating, realise that as you adapt to life, so too must your criteria.

By Subharnab via Flickr

3. Statistics are your friend and the world is your oyster

Yes the current job climate sucks and yes we all want a job; one of the advantages of the recession job hunt though is that the stigma attached to not being able to find a job is greatly reduced. People don’t assume that rejections are due to your inadequacies, they simply see you as a victim of the economy or the government: you don’t have a job because there are no jobs to get.

So statistics are your friend- they tell you that you’re not alone: 

2.45 million people are currently unemployed in the UK and 144.000 people were made redundant in the period from March to May alone this year. 

This means that the market has been flooded by experienced individuals looking for work, effectively blocking the attempts of graduates trying to get into more specialised skill based industries such as media and heritage.

Its also important to remember that every time you DON’T get a job a world of infinite opportunities still awaits you- you could do anything. Further, the market being what it is now is as good a time as any to follow your dreams. Competition is tough everywhere so you might as well do battle on a field of your choice.

The important thing is to take advantage of the opportunities that are open to you and to recognise that 2011 is a tough year to be applying for jobs. The odds are against you and the market is against you and more often than not, rejections will reflect the market pressures in play than the person you show yourself to be on your CV.

Top Tools For Procrastination

Via Flickr by gingerpig2000

This week's post is late, for which I proffer you all a thousand apologies. Thesis panic has hit full force and with it my workload seems to have doubled. Combine this with the pressure of job applications and interviews and you have my current disorganised, frantic state.
However out of this morass of confusion and sleep deprivation was born this week's topic- the best ways to procrastinate from work.
Escapism is seductive and whilst procrastination is clearly bad in great quantities, everybody needs a break now and then.
The ideal procrastination tool has to be short or in small units so you are not distracted for too long and ideally it should make you feel like you are still accomplishing something to ward off the guilt of not working.

There are a variety of media represented here so there should be something for everybody currently engaged in a thankless task they'd rather not be doing.

1.) Webcomics
I am a huge aficionado of webcomics and have been for some time. There are years of archives to get caught up on but once you're on track they provide a short daily respite as you follow the progressing story.
Here are three of my favourites that I strongly reccommend to you all:

http://www.sheldoncomics.com/ Sheldon is a ten year old genius who lives with hist grandfather, his pug Oso, Arthur the talking duck he created, and Arthur's adopted son Flaco the lizard. Whats not to like? Its funny, its heartwarming (if a little Nerdcore upon occasion) and its the perfect antidote to life's worries.

http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/ This is definitely a comic for the job-seekers and twenty-somethings. Hazel, Jamie and friends present the life worries and problems we all share against a charmingly drawn backdrop of Canada and coffee shops. Oh and there's a talking Scottish cactus called McPedro.

www.pvponline.com A classic, almost one might say a quintessential, webcomic; PVP (Player vs Player) is one of the oldest and most successful webcomics around. Initially a gaming comic PVP blossomed into a clever, tongue in cheek commentary on human relationships and workplace interactions.

2.) The Complete Guide to Everything (Podcast) www.tcgte.com
The Complete Guide To Everything is a weekly podcast produced by New Yorkers Tom Reynolds and Tim Daniels with the initial, ambitious aim to produce an audio rival to wikipedia by picking a topic each week and providing a 'complete guide' to it.
Since its first few episodes TCGTE has grown in scope, audience and audio fidelity to become a regular in the itunes top downloaded podcasts both in the US and in the UK, prompting the first of what we hope will be many live shows held in London and New York this year.
Not only are they hilarious- do not make the mistake of listening to them in the library- they are also surprisingly informative upon occasion: their beatles episode provided me with all my knowledge on the subject and their episode about North Korea was similarly interesting.
They are even more entertaining however when they don't know what they're talking about- below is one of my favourite quotes from the Superbowl episode:

Tim: Since this is our official superbowl episode...I will give you $100 Tom, right now, if you can name for me the two teams playing in the superbowl next week

3.) Sporle www.sporcle.com
You may or may not be aware of this valuable time wasting resource. If you are, you'll understand what I mean, if you're not then allow me to explain.
Sporcle is a website that collates and produces timed quizzes on any topic under the sun- name the original 150 pokemon, name all the countries in the world, name all the elements in the periodic table...
Its fun- whether playing on your own or in a group with a designated 'typist'- and it is extremely challenging on occasion (how many African countries can YOU name?). Most importantly it makes you feel like you're doing something useful- your brain is still engaged. Definitely a site to bookmark.

4.) Twitter www.twitter.com
I am a (relatively) new convert to twitter and I have to say it is ideal for time wasting. Endless updates for you to read and respond to, posting your own messages, following trending topics...
Again this is something that can convince you (assuming you follow the right people) that you're doing something useful- I get most of my news about the outside world from twitter these days.
If you're already on twitter these are three new people for you to follow and if you're a newbie they're a great place to start.

@NickMB- Although occasionally guilty of quantity over quality, Nick's tweets are endlessly diverting and extremely numerous covering a good range of issues humerous, cultural and topical. One to follow if only to find out what the hashtag #tfts stands for...


@universityboy- writer of the University blog http://theuniversityblog.co.uk/ his tweets are extremely relevant and often link to interesting articles about the future of higher education in Britain. Interesting and topical, if occasionally disquieting, he is an excellent person to follow for news and politics updates relevant to our generation.

@LucyMangan the guardian columnist par excellance she should be followed simply because she's amazing and always links to excellent things (including her own work). Also check her archives out at the guardian website for a procrastination bonus!

There you have it folks- my favourite ways to break from work (when I'm not watching South Park that is). Feel free to share your own favourites in the comments below.

Now if you'll excuse me I have some work to do...

The Halo Effect

By Zoe Favole via Flickr

In my post on interview techniques I referred to the Halo Effect at one point. This is a psychological phenomena I actually read up on for a previous blog but given its relevance to this one as well I thought I would dust it off and trot it out again- Hope you enjoy!

The recession may officially be over, but it’s never been harder to get a job especially as a graduate. So what should you be relying on to get you chosen over the hundreds of other eager applicants? Qualifications, work experience, extra skills… or a nice smile?

Unfair though it may seem to those of us not so fortunate as to be absolutely gorgeous, studies have shown that good looking people tend to be more highly rated in interview than their less attractive peers. This isn’t a case of sexism in the workplace- the phenomenon occurs for both men and women- nor does it appear to be due to the overt shallowness of the interviewer as the prejudice is seemingly subconscious.

According to psychologists this bias is due to the ‘Halo Effect,’ a psychological kink by which we attribute positive characteristics to people we like and negative ones to people we like less. When the person or people are strangers to us, the tendency is to assume good looking people are nice and less attractive people are not. A reliance on appearance for judging character is inherent in our culture- phrases such as ‘love is blind’ and ‘a face only a mother could love’ reveal how we connect positive emotions to an attractive physical appearance.

A study conducted in the 70’s by Landy and Sigall shows the Halo effect in action: when male students were asked to evaluate the quality of an essay, the marks they gave when they thought the writer was an attractive woman were substantially higher than when the perceived writer was unattractive.

Of course to a certain extent notions of attractiveness are subjective to personal preference and social conditioning; however the experimental proof of the halo effect seems to indicate that there is some base level of attractiveness- traits such as good hygiene and fitness or personal grooming for instance, will influence people’s judgement regardless of what attracts them personally.

This effect does not just condition what people think of your personality but also your abilities and skills- people will assume that attractive people (within reason- obviously looking like Paris Hilton might be a hindrance) are more capable as well as generally nicer.

So what does this mean in the real world? Well realistically looks are unlikely to replace the right qualifications-you’ll need those to get into the interview room anyway. However once you’re at that stage- even if it seems chauvinistic or anti-feminist- it’s up to you to use every weapon in your arsenal. Sadly this is most likely especially the case for young women looking to get on the first rung of the corporate ladder, where the majority of interviewers are likely to be male and the climate is, if no longer hostile to women, certainly not over-friendly.

So dress well, use makeup, get your hair done- at the end of the day it could be the difference between going home with a new job or going back to fill in another round of applications.