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

You all know that I've been made redundant due to the shop I work in being closed in a few months. I called the job office about a month ago and got an appointment for today - at 8am, and as it's in the city centre, I got up at 5.30. >
However, it's a good exercise for next week, as they'll steal us an hour tomorrow night.

Now I'm new as a 'redundancée' so I have to learn a lot of things. First of all, the job office sent me various forms to fill in. I did so with a pencil, eraser at the ready, because it's not as straightforward and obvious as you might expect. Had to write my first CV ever. Did all that with the help of the internet and my youngest son (who learned it at school).
The lady I went to see this morning was very nice. I didn't really expect her to be helpful, because that's just not what you hear about the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, but she was in fact helpful.

It seems that government has a new scheme for people like me who don't have any certificates to prove they can work, (yes, I know), meaning they'll pay for a training course - provided I can get one. It's a bit more complicated than just me searching for it, though. I'll have to call the IHK (that's literally translated as: Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is where you go if you want to open your own business, and who set the final exams for people finishing an apprenticeship etc) and convince them that I qualify for a six months course to become a certified office clerk. As my boss hasn't written my reference yet, I'll have to ask him to stress the commercial aspect of my work, as otherwise the IHK will probably decide I don't qualify for the external exam and may only offer me something in retail. However, the job lady said I should try for a job as office clerk, because

a) Retail fires people when they reach their 50s and don't hire people that age

and

b) It's better paid.

Apparently, she thinks I could qualify, and she said if I made it, my knowledge of English would come in handy.

What's more, I have now the right to do some schooling (online), and if I pass the tests, I can print the certificate and add it to my application documents.

She gave me my user name and login details, and a few sheets with instructions and so on.

I haven't yet had a look, because it says I need a fast enough internet connection, which currently, I don't have.

My son spent more than an hour trying to improve it, but to no avail.

He has no idea what's wrong with my network, so he'll take the PC back to work on Monday and exchange a few components which hopefully will improve the performance.

Once that is done, I can start doing the online classes. They offer all sorts of things, but I'll mainly got for excel and word, and maybe touch typing (I had some software for that once, and it was even fun).
For now, I'm registered as 'Bürohilfskraft' (clerical assistant ) - which is much better than shop assistant.
Apparently, if I don't find employment before my current job ends, I'll have to apply for at least three jobs a week and will have to keep any documents, emails, addresses etc to be able to prove that I tried to get work.

I've never written a job application, either, so that's another thing I'll have to learn - and pronto.

So keep your fingers crossed I'll do everything right.

Bel with job hunting and studies.

Good luck! Stay positive

Thanks all. I'll try.

Good luck - it sounds like hell and I think that I would have given up already.

with everything.

Have you thought about something involving tourism? Your English is very good and you're great with people too.

If it's not as a tour guide you're thinking of, it all involves having to know excel, but the idea is good.

with all, and congratulations about starting to study.

The change can be for better, Why not? be positive

You're right, Maria, it could be a chance for a new beginning.

I'll have to wait and see.

B'El best wishes for future job

Thanks, Scorp.

I'll have to learn some things first, though, and even then I may ot get any job at all due to my age.

*fingers crossed* and

<--- just because

Oh, lovely, thank you.

, Bel.

A suggestion: Have you considered becoming a 'staatliche anerkannte' translator? You could work in an office and translate. (I used to train people for this, so I know there's a state exam.)

And of course I just misspelled that.

I wanted to do that after I had finished school, but I couldn't afford it. I wouldn't have earned anything, and the translator school cost fees. I don't know how it is today, and whether there's still only this one school in Germany.

I'd like to do that, but it's a bit late now.

I love the IHK courses, they give certificates for everything too which makes your CV look great.

Big business ruins the economy. Who has to pay? Who has to get ordered around as if it were their fault?
The workers and the unemployed, that's who. Meanwhile bankers continue to get obscene bonuses and a luxury lifestyle. That's capitalism.

In my youth we would have turned in our graves We wanted a better, humane society and got ourselves a worse, inhumane one.
It's possibly a little better in Germany than it is here, so I hope The (capitalist) System helps you out on this occasion Bel.

Don't let the so-and-so's beat you. You seem to be doing just fine, though

Jabs

When I was there, you could do the course at different language schools, Bel. Try looking around for a reasonably-priced language school - Inlingua or Benediktschule, etc, not Berlitz (because that's not their thing, I've taught both ways).