h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So yesterday (and most of this week if I'm honest) was ghastly but I do generally enjoy my job, or have done since September at any rate.

As I mentioned in my second NaJoPoMo entry, I genuinely have no idea what's going to cross my desk that day - sometimes that's really sucky things, but often its not and occasionally there's some really cool things. Like today where I got to throw a custard pie at my boss.

It can restore my faith in humanity: there's a young lad in the SEN department who has fairly severe developmental disabilities and he seems to be the happiest kid in the world. A world that has someone that happy in it can't be all bad. The lads are completely accepting of him too: they look after him on the school field and in classes - it's really quite sweet.

The students can really surprise you in all the best ways. Around this time last year a lad told me he wanted to be a doctor and I had to sit down with him and tell him that without a phenomenal amount of it work it wasn't going to happen. Today he got his first offer from a medical school, with grades he's capable of achieving. Another student wrote a beautiful, poetic and profound opening paragraph for his UCAS personal statement.

I also get a real sense that I'm changing things for the better: we're looking at arranging anger management sessions for the lads, something which (as far as I'm aware) not other local 6th form offers and would really help the lads. I get to help change someone's entire life and that's just so exciting.

Ih only the pay was better...

Does the pay really matter? If it did, you'd be doing something else.

You are suffering the balance between job satisfaction and poor remuneration. And I think you've got the choice just right.

I spent far too much of my life working at a job that I *hated* just for the money. It made me 'wealthy' as a young man but it nearly destroyed me into the bargain.

I'm much happier now that I'm working for peanuts.

If I wasn't really lucky with my friends, the poor pay would be a major issue: back in the days when I had to pay rent I had less than 20 quid a week to live off once my bills were paid.

Now I'm not paying rent it's not too much of an issue but I'd still like a few extra quid so I could do things like learn to drive.

I absolutely hate that your job is so poorly thought of that we don't pay you a proper living wage.

But I absolutely love it when you post journals like this.

Since I've had more contact with them (something I never did as a teenage girl, btw) now my girls are in secondary school, I've developed an appreciation (in a totally not dirty old lady way) for teenage boys and how they operate.

They can be totally lovely and surprising (as well as worse than a box of monkeys) and I love those moments.

>>I absolutely hate that your job is so poorly thought<<

Is it wrong of me to think in those terms? I'm extremely good at certain aspects of my job and fantastic at certain parts that most people seem to loathe (UCAS for example), I've got a good degree from a good university and I've got amazing work experience for someone of my age. I'd like to think that entitles me to a better annual wage than someone who works full time at McDonalds

I don't think it's wrong of you at all to think that you are poorly paid. I think it is wrong of the rest of us (well, over there, over here teacher's - and suport staff as far as I know - pay is a lot better and their pension is fantastic - they are civil servants)

But you know, the UK has a lot to learn about knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. The country has lost its way somewhere and the fact that everyone is, apparently, happy to leave the education of our future in the hands of very committed, but crappily paid, people is just... I don't have the words really.

On the other hand - if it was very well paid - do you think people would go into it for the wrong reason?

Good work.

If you get any more kids who want to be doctors, I'm happy to advise in any way I can. I could pop down and do a careers talk and a bit of 1:1 interview practice afterwards. Obviously chaparoned etc. I am fully CRB checked, and verifiable a

If people hadn't helped me I'd be unemployed like the rest of my family...

As long as you work for a non-selective state school, I have a policy of not helping children from private or grammar schools get into medical school. They seem to do ok without my help. (yes I am that much of an arse).

what about army brats like me who got sent to private school because there was no alternative? (no english schools where we were posted sometimes)

You're not an arse, though, Z

*evades question*

*fixes Z with an icy stare*
stay where you are and answer the question or I'll... get my crochet hook...

It was the making-things-better-for-someone aspect of my old social welfare job that kept me in that job for years on end. That was quite poorly paid too. For some reason society in general doesn't value such work, but the people affected definitely do. Eventually.