Ah Canberra, you're sunny today. There's an oil spill off the Northwest Australian coast. Obama's reshaping his foreign policy. The New York Times is recommending another set of posh Paris hotels in its weekend magazine. The Sydney Morning Herald highlights the no-fly zone over Munich's Oktoberfest. Le Monde has a new 'Planete' section that I don't remember seeing before. Oh, and U.S. job seekers outnumber available jobs 6 to 1 (thanks NY Times for that encouraging report!).
Today is going to be a good day. Carpe Diem.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Job search or I'm having a not so fabulous day.
My visa states that I can only work for any employer for 6 months. No exceptions (unless you're a lawyer or doctor. I'm neither.).
When I first arrived, I had trouble getting people to believe I had the right to work in Australia. I understand their doubts. I'm sure there are lots of foreign applicants without the right to work in Oz. Not many places want to sponsor immigrants. I'm sure that many places even take applications from foreigners and throw them away. I remember being told that French companies often go one step further - they throw away applications from people with non-France last names. Oz isn't France, but I'm sure that many things are the same. Unfair, but fine.
Now I'm running into the I-don't-want-to-hire-you-for-only-three-months opinion. Boo. My working holiday visa runs out in January. Our de facto visa hasn't been lodged yet. I'm waiting on police checks. Once I get that nice little de facto visa in my hot little hands, I'll be able to start applying for permanent positions. But until then, I'm caught up in a "I can't work for the government and not many people are hiring temps for non-government jobs" world.
I've learned a lot from the temp work I've done. I don't anticipate problems when explaining when all my work has been short term (internships, teaching in France, temping in Oz). I graduated in 2007 from a (insert buzzword here) 'world class' university. I've spent the past two years gaining invaluable world experience. My future world president soul will be empathetic toward those in my current 20-something situation.
When I first arrived, I had trouble getting people to believe I had the right to work in Australia. I understand their doubts. I'm sure there are lots of foreign applicants without the right to work in Oz. Not many places want to sponsor immigrants. I'm sure that many places even take applications from foreigners and throw them away. I remember being told that French companies often go one step further - they throw away applications from people with non-France last names. Oz isn't France, but I'm sure that many things are the same. Unfair, but fine.
Now I'm running into the I-don't-want-to-hire-you-for-only-three-months opinion. Boo. My working holiday visa runs out in January. Our de facto visa hasn't been lodged yet. I'm waiting on police checks. Once I get that nice little de facto visa in my hot little hands, I'll be able to start applying for permanent positions. But until then, I'm caught up in a "I can't work for the government and not many people are hiring temps for non-government jobs" world.
I've learned a lot from the temp work I've done. I don't anticipate problems when explaining when all my work has been short term (internships, teaching in France, temping in Oz). I graduated in 2007 from a (insert buzzword here) 'world class' university. I've spent the past two years gaining invaluable world experience. My future world president soul will be empathetic toward those in my current 20-something situation.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The repeat of the long time, no blog thing
I've been busy. Doing nothing in particular, just busy. I'm jobless (again). I had an informal interview yesterday. I believe it was a success. Hmm. I think.
I left Oz to visit home for a bit. I'm so glad I did. I helped my parents with their harvest. I visited with the grandparents (they're in their 90s, bless them). I ate buckets of good food. My dad's blackberry apple pies are HEAVENLY. Despite the goodness of home, I'm glad to be back in Oz. Good ol' Oz.
Life here reminds me of the States. It doesn't challenge me in the same way that France did. I don't find myself yelling at the sky or shedding tears by the seine. I don't find that I'm growing in the same way (although I'm absolutely still growing in every way possible EXCEPT size). I still miss France. I miss Paris. I'll live there again someday, but now I've got this Oz adventure going on. I'm happy here. Sam and I are having a great time. There ARE kangaroos all over the place. Gosh!
On other topics, I'm in debt. I've joined the huge debt club. The thing is, I don't regret gaining the debt. The majority of my debt is university-related. I don't regret it one bit. The other part of my debt is travel related. I don't regret that debt either. Being obliged to immediately pay back my school debt is something I do regret, or perhaps the better word is 'upset.' I hate that American culture is so entrenched in going to school, getting a great job and then retiring. The culture makes it nearly impossible for the average person to do something other than get a conventional job after university. Yet money is money and it has to be paid back sometime (and I'm paying! Don't think that I've defaulted on loans). I digress.
So yes, I'm back in the blogosphere. Again.
I left Oz to visit home for a bit. I'm so glad I did. I helped my parents with their harvest. I visited with the grandparents (they're in their 90s, bless them). I ate buckets of good food. My dad's blackberry apple pies are HEAVENLY. Despite the goodness of home, I'm glad to be back in Oz. Good ol' Oz.
Life here reminds me of the States. It doesn't challenge me in the same way that France did. I don't find myself yelling at the sky or shedding tears by the seine. I don't find that I'm growing in the same way (although I'm absolutely still growing in every way possible EXCEPT size). I still miss France. I miss Paris. I'll live there again someday, but now I've got this Oz adventure going on. I'm happy here. Sam and I are having a great time. There ARE kangaroos all over the place. Gosh!
On other topics, I'm in debt. I've joined the huge debt club. The thing is, I don't regret gaining the debt. The majority of my debt is university-related. I don't regret it one bit. The other part of my debt is travel related. I don't regret that debt either. Being obliged to immediately pay back my school debt is something I do regret, or perhaps the better word is 'upset.' I hate that American culture is so entrenched in going to school, getting a great job and then retiring. The culture makes it nearly impossible for the average person to do something other than get a conventional job after university. Yet money is money and it has to be paid back sometime (and I'm paying! Don't think that I've defaulted on loans). I digress.
So yes, I'm back in the blogosphere. Again.
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