Awkward (and other) questions about MNers jobs-following on from *Pinocchio's 1st thread.

[mignonette]

Following on from this thread by Pinocchio -

"I thought this would be a good way for us to get answers to those awkward questions we would never dream of asking someone to their face in their place of work.

These are questions relating to my life that i would love honest answers to.

Hairdressers - When someone with bad dandruff/psoriasis sits on your chair, do you shrug it off, or do you quickly have a look to make sure it's not lice? Are you able to tell the difference right away or does it need investigating? And do you really want to know what my plans are for the day, or would you rather work in silence?

Teachers - do you get annoyed when parents write in homework diaries that a specific piece of homework was too tricky for their child? Do you take it as an insult to your teaching skills?

Waiter/waitresses - do you expect people to offer to clean up their children's mess before they leave, or do you just shrug it off as part of the job? If you're busy and haven't had chance to clean a table yet, and a new customer came up and asked for a cloth to clean it, would you be offended?

I'm a trainee SLT so not quite sure if I'm qualified to answer any questions regarding that line of work yet.

But i have experience working in a Subway sandwich store, a library, a gym and as a cleaner. So i can answer any cleaning, book or sandwich questions that are burning away inside you all"

Pinocchio I hope you don't mind me C+Ping your original post but wanted you to have the credit for this follow on as is such a great thread!

What a great thread! I'm a casting director, if anyone has any questions.

Ilkley, pcso's are ok, most are very good at what they do, some are terrible and find more work than they solve but the majority are good. You're last two questions, they are both terrible ideas, the police are unique in what they do, people with no experience with their own political agenda should not be handed a budget that was previously run by a committee and make sound decisions. Likewise you can't go into a specialist team with no experience, I've done 8 years and I'm still learning!

Tiredtrout thank you so much for responding - I knew they were terrible ideas! Do you think they are actually going to push the last one through, or are you all thinking (hoping) it's just one of those crazy vote wining ideas they push out to the papers and then quietly forget?

All the other terrible ideas recently have come through so I imagine direct entry is close by

Vote wining?! Vote winning, obvs! Oh dear Tiredtrout, sorry to hear that - not just for the police but for us civilians as well - it's really awful I think...

ReturnPlacenta do you have a couch ? And have you ever ' used' it ?

I have two couches, but none have been used the way you suggest.

NameyMcChangeface, I was a moderator for several years on a very large forum. It was an entirely voluntary position without specified hours required, but in general we would do at least 1-2 hours a day on the site, doing a mixture of pro-active (spotting potential problems and dealing with them, guiding discussions in the right direction) and reactive (answering "post reports" from other members who'd spotted problems) modding. When I was a student I used to do a lot more, but once I graduated and started working the amount of time I could commit decreased and I eventually gave it up a year ago.

We weren't paid, though the site administrators and management team were. All the mods on that site were members first and were either selected or applied to become mods, so we were all still active in discussions around the site. Some moderators had second accounts which they would use for posting if they didn't want to be identified as a mod, but I never found the need for one.

I did use a couple of other forums alongside it, but they were for interests that weren't covered by "my" forum e.g. wedding planning, so I never felt guilty about it.

mignonette sorry I should have reiterated, as I said way upthread, I am on the advertising side. I don't know about the ins and outs of editorial policy, commissioning, journalism-type points.

I can explain how magazines are financed, how advertising space is sold, and what international ad sales people get up to. I worked for a very-well known international publisher. I stopped to have children (6 years ago) so I don't know how things have been since the credit crunch and finding employment has become a problem.

mignonette I would say though, that wrt to getting in to publishing, at that time (late 90s) it definitely wasn't a case of who you knew on the sales side, it was simply a matter of impressing enough at interview. There is more of a snobbery attached to the editorial side, though, so that may well be completely different. The editorial staff on the magazine I worked for were not of that ilk at all, though. (I worked on one of the specialist magazines under the umbrella of the 'main' big-name financial magazine.) I actually had an interview with Conde Nast straight out of Uni, and was offered a job which I turned down as everyone seemed OTT fashion-y and I just wasn't/am not that sort of person. I went into business/financial advertising sales.

I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I just trawled through Prospects (graduate job magazine) and crossed out everything that seemed unappealing, and applied for what was left! Structured approach to career hunting, eh . Most of those were in sales. I am quite an articulate, outgoing sort of person so I suppose I suited it, though I wouldn't make that choice if I had my time over.

I would say that from my experience generally, getting in on the editorial side would definitely be easier if you start off with trade, or business to business journalism. I also have a friend who does quite a lot of online writing, so I guess you could build up your experience and improve your general employability this way.

mignonette, it depends, everyone has a different learning style, but IMO an apprenticeship beats a BTECH hands down because if the hands on experience.
The most unusual one Ive come across was for an Apprentice Mixologist.

OK well I'm lined with some more :)

Dentists and Hairdressers What products do you use at home? i.e hairdressers what shampoo/conditioner/hair styling gel etc do you use and dentists what toothpaste/mouth freshener/etc do you use?

Midwives What has been the longest and shortest labour you have attended?

Doctors Do you have any patients you have bumped into in the street when they have been ill? (I bumped into my doctor when I nearly passed out once, very useful).

Mental Health Workers What variety of conditions do you work with? Do you have a specific speciality or are you trained in general how to deal with all number of mental health problems?

Actually, should've said Mental Health Professionals, really. That's probably more accurate. :)

mignonette looks like IlkleyMoor's a much better bet for your questions!

ReturnPlacenta TV or film or theatre? Or all? No idea how that world works. How do you get into it? Do most parts get cast by audition or by reputation? How do you decide who would be best for a role - do you have an image in your mind of what you think a character looks and sounds like? Are you contracted or work full time for an organisation like the BBC? Is it well paid? Sorry that's really nosey

ReturnPlacenta can I star in the next blockbuster please?

How does it work? Do you sit in on auditions? Do you already know who you want for certain roles?

I do styling but I'm awful with my hair unless I'm off out :/ use the Alberto Balsalm on my hair cos I'm skint but it does the job. Faves tho are Tigi and Aussie shampoos/conditioners.

I also use Argan Oil after every wash - which makes up for the cheapo conditioners and serum pretty religiously - again most will do the job, there's no different in any of the texture powders I've used either

return who have you worked with that was v nice & who wasn't ?

Ok, with my flame proof suit on, I work for an electricity company (power stations /windmills farms and supply). Used to work for the people that own the power lines. Ask away (be nice- I am human!!)

dontwanttooutmyself
would you agree with the the politicians (who are carefully avoiding the word cartel) when describing the energy industry as corrupt?

Thank you Its. I was wondering if I may PM you in the future for advice re sales and advertising? I have taken on a new challenge which combines editorial and selling advertising and would appreciate an informal 'mentor' as feeling a little fishy out of water.

Polly and Fidgety Thank you for answering.

Terror I have worked in many areas of MH. I initially did 6 months on an acute adult inpatient unit after I qualified so as to gain broad experience in the assessment and treatment of as many different MI as possible. These tended to be affective (mood) disorders such as Depression and BiPolar and illnesses such as Schizophrenia. I also had patients w/ Personality Disorders with or without other illnesses too (dual diagnosis) and also OCd, Eating Disorders and rarer illnesses such as early onset Dementia and new variant CJD. I then specialised in a community drugs team and also did an attachment to a hospice for people with HIV and AIDS for a number of years attaining an MA in Health Promotion at the same time. This gave me community experience and a chance to be more of a 'Lone Ranger' working as case manager with my own case load. I also did a few years with a general community mental health team working with adults aged 17-64 with a full range of mental illnesses.

I then moved into Forensic MH dealing with clients convicted of a criminal offence whilst having a MI which may or may not have precipitated their criminal act. I worked in a prison and then one of the 'Big Three' secure hospitals (Rampton, Broadmoor and Ashworth). This gave me experience in risk assessment and management and working w/ clients who are subject to different sections of the Mental Health Act. I have a greater knowledge of personality disorders because of this. I now work in a community mental health team with a mainly Forensic case load. Most of my clients have to live w/ prescriptive supervision orders and conditions that go into great detail re what they can and cannot do such as ownership of Computer equipment, access to the Internet, where they can go, contact w/ minors etc.

I have trained in CBT, DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) and Thorn Nursing which I use specifically for clients w/ severe and enduring MI (SEMI) and is based upon the vulnerability-stress model of psychotic illness. I have used Transactional Analysis and Cognitive Analytical Therapy w/ clients too. I use whatever approach is appropriate although the short term ten to twelve wk CBT programme was the most common therapy used in a general CMHT.

I have tried to do as many bank shifts on other MH units/teams as I can because I think it is important to maintain generalist skills when you work in such a narrow specialism. I have worked on Dementia units (Organic Mental Health for the over 64's) and in Rehab CMHT's which have clients mainly living with SEMI such as Schizophrenia and BiPolar illness.

To be honest as a RMN the skills acquired are hard won over time and can be used across the board.

Sorry for the rather waffly 'CV'!

Is the energy industry corrupt?. Honestly I have seen no evidence at all of collusion between the companies - though I suspect if it did happen it would happen at a v senior level. Though from What I've seen, they (the senior management teams) all hate each other and can rarely agree on anything, so can't believe they could cooperate to fix prices.

migonette can you beat bipolar 2?

ReturnPlacenta TV or film or theatre? Or all? No idea how that world works. How do you get into it? Do most parts get cast by audition or by reputation? How do you decide who would be best for a role - do you have an image in your mind of what you think a character looks and sounds like? Are you contracted or work full time for an organisation like the BBC? Is it well paid?

I do mostly TV and film. I got into it because I used to be an actress, so it was a world I knew, albeit from the other side. Lots of casting directors used to be actresses and actors. Most parts get cast by audition, but the leads tend to be by reputation, that's particularly relevant to film, where certain faces can get a film financed. Most casting directors are freelance, I am. Pay can vary hugely depending on the project, if you can get TV series they pay well (one TV series could be a decent year's worth of income), but films in particular have a huge range of pay. Casting directors also often have to pay for assistant(s) and premises, so even if the big telly jobs are coming in, the overheads can be high.

ReturnPlacenta can I star in the next blockbuster please?
Absolutely, have a seat on my couch...

How does it work? Do you sit in on auditions? Do you already know who you want for certain roles?
Often yes, we have a wishlist of actors for certain roles. Commercially there is pressure to cast 'names', and of course they can also be fantastic actors, so you want them anyway. Yes, we sit in on auditions, often reading the parts opposite the actor. We also shortlist all the applicants suggested by agents, and then when offers have gone out we negotiate the actors' fees.

return who have you worked with that was v nice & who wasn't?
I don't work on set with the actors, so anything I hear back about who is nice and who isn't is always secondhand. Sorry, no juicy scandal there.

ReturnPlacenta that's all fascinating!

To what extent would you say the minor roles are cast for looks rather than talent? That is, are you more likely to cast someone who looks most plausibly like Big Name's brother, or the guy who was most convincing reading the lines?

Depending on where something is shooting, the search for the minor roles can be to some degree dependent on geography eg if something is shooting in Scotland even though the locations may be pretending to be somewhere in England, it's more financially viable to cast the small roles from Scottish based actors rather than stump up travel and accommodation for actors from London.

In terms of lookey-likeyness, yes, if you are casting a real-life figure, or someone who has to be related to someone already cast, there is always the need to bear similarity of look in mind. In theatre there is a lot more 'colour blind casting', where you may see actors of different ethnic backgrounds playing siblings etc. I've not seen that in screen work that I can recall.