Thread 56 – Covid GCSE Cohort – Spring 26 – Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[crazycrofter]

The old thread has filled up and no one noticed - I think we're missing @oblomov26 sharp eyes!

I've tried to tag in everyone I can think of, but apologies to anyone I've missed!
@shimy @endlessdistraction @justherewithmypopcorn @mummyinbeds @aslockton @oubliettebravo @craggyrat @anothernewname460 @ealingwestmum @ewwsprouts @seeline @piggywaspushed @nctdn @icanbewhatiwant @comefromaway @heifer @kingscotestaff @delphigirl @zebracat @cantonet @socks1107 @blinkbonny @anneofcleavage

Just catching up. Such lovely news to read of new jobs, army medical passed and driving test passed 👏👏👏👏 Congratulations all round!!

DD is due to start at her new school next Tuesday and was able to pop in briefly on Monday to drop some classroom bits off - her classroom was being re-carpeted so she’d been unable to go in and set up all summer. She’s now set up with a teacher union and as she has a school email can finally set up her Blue Light Card - I use mine such a lot and has saved me loads.
She’s feeling so unprepared though as will be thrown straight in to it with a bare classroom. She’s happy with the teacher side as feels her uni prepared them to be a great teacher but not how to be a member of staff if that makes sense. She’s always just been the student placement teacher so school staff ignore her in the staff room as only there for a few weeks - she was fine with that as could decompress. She’s worried she’ll be so overstimulated by the year 1 children that in her lunch break she’ll want peace and quiet but can’t as has to make inroads in staff room with the other teachers and interact etc.

Talking of driving tests, that was one of the stressful times of parenthood for
me too. Our town’s test centre suddenly closed down and DD had to go to the next nearest one but hadn’t practiced there more than twice so it took her a few times to pass as felt flustered with unfamiliar roads but she is à Fantastic driver and I feel a better driver for taking her time in passing - she’d passed the theory first time but the actual manual driving is another thing. She’s driven on the M25 and back and forth to uni and all over and feels confident. We all get there eventually.

Does she know if there are any other new staff @AnneOfCleavage ? And have they got an INSET day, so they can meet each other before school starts? The school where I’m a governor always has an INSET day before term starts to do all the safeguarding updates etc but they also have an extra one beforehand just for new staff (secondary so there are a few every year). To my annoyance governors can’t get blue light cards because we are volunteers, but my friend who invigilates for a few hours twice a year can because she gets paid for it.

@EffortlesslyDistractedre the BLC it’s a weird one as some companies don’t see anyone in Education as Blue Light but since covid and teachers being essential workers they got recognised. It’s a shame you aren’t eligible for one - assume you don’t have a school email
as think that’s what you need but if you do try and apply for one.

There are two other new teachers, one another ECT but he said on meeting my DD “I have a girlfriend” which she thought odd as she hadn’t given any indication she was interested (has a boyfriend of over 2 years herself so clearly wasn’t 😁) so he wasn’t friendly. The other one, à girl of c25age was distinctly dismissive and only interested in talking to the lad. She’s not ECT as done hers in another school and so is “experienced”. They’re KS2 so DD’s hoping not to have much interaction but will be light and polite as she always is with them and hope they thaw. She’ll get there and yes there’s two inset training days Tues and Wed then she teaches for real on the Thurs and Friday.

I do have a school email but when I tried to register they wanted a payslip as proof and it said "no volunteers". I did manage to get the education discount on a macbook last year with just the email no bother though.

Hopefully the rest of the staff are a bit more friendly. There are bound to be some nice ones, I kind of think it goes with the job as you are meeting so many people and dealing with all sorts.

Wishing your DD all the best @AnneOfCleavage . I tend to work in my classroom at lunchtime - hearing readers, setting up for the afternoon lessons, marking etc, but always make sure I have 10 minutes in the staff room each lunchtime and breaktime.

It is good to step away from the classroom, but also to touch base with colleagues. You never know who is having a worse day than you or who might be able to give you some support/advice or just a listening ear. Just asking how are you? Or how was your summer? usually breaks the ice.

Her first term will be exhausting. There is so much to learn and take in. Year 1 is a lovely year group. Focus on being the best classroom teacher and hearing your readers. If you hear a child read, parents are usually on your side. Look for the positives in the children. Some members of staff look for the negatives and that can drag you down. When you speak to parents positively about their children, they tend to speak positively about you and build a good working relationship. Telling a parent their little one has lovely handwriting, is a great reader, a kind friend, a wonderful gymnast, a super artist will work wonders! Parents will share this with their child and the children will know their teacher thinks they are great.

All the best to your dd next week @AnneOfCleavage 🤞 It’s a big step up and I’m sure it will be an exhausting term, but she sounds confident and well prepared!

Discounts for Teachers is a good website with voucher codes for all sorts.

@EffortlesslyDistracted blue light holders can refer family and friends to also get a discount.

Thank you so much ladies, and thank you @Aslocktonfor your detailed message and insights which I read out to DD (plus all the other messages from you loveiy lot too). I didn’t realise you were a teacher too - which year group? She is definitely in the camp of being positive - none of the “no smiling til Christmas” brigade here 😁
When is your DD back from Tour?

I have taught Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 for 32 years. This year I am teaching Year 4 Eng/Maths, plus Y6 science, Y5 RE, Y3 Art etc. It is going to be like starting a new job!

DD is shore based for 2 years but is off again on September for an overseas assignment (nowhere scary!)

@EffortlesslyDistracted so on watching DD set up applying for her BLC the choices for proof were: work email, ID card, proof of payslip and possibly one other so work email should work for you. She used ID card as wanted her personal email as the default one.

Lovely to hear the job and interview updates.
DD had an interview for a travel agent job which went really well until they asked her to go to a branch she couldn't get to and wasn't one of the two branches she applied to. She's also been turned down for a bar job at a well known holiday park because 'her availability didn't align with their requirements'. She had told them she was available 7 days a week. Not sure what else they expected. She has an interview tomorrow at a coffee chain so fingers crossed. Her masters course starts in three weeks too.
DS meanwhile is a bit down and confused about what he actually wants to do. I'm just giving him a bit of space at the moment.

DD and DS both passed driving tests at the first attempt. DS got 15 minors which apparently is the limit. He's actually a good driver but struggled with following roadsigns in a town he didn't know very well. He ended up in a supermarket carpark. He's since driven the length of France in a left hand drive hire car without incident. Neither have a car and until they have a need, I'm not putting them on my insurance.

thanks I'll look again but it really didn't work for me (tried twice), however I have heard they are always tinkering with the criteria. I do have an ID card.

@EffortlesslyDistracted ahh actually you have to put your job title down so this may be where it doesn’t let you progress as they know governors are voluntary roles. The friends referral that NCTDN linked would be the best bet.

Ab somehow I missed a few posts this afternoon, thank you for that @NCTDN next time I'm out with a school staff member friend I will ask them.

@AnneOfCleavage I was in Chichester today, that's where your Dd went IIRC? What a lovely little city it is, I haven't been since going to open day with DS (he applied there) but grew up not too far away.

Blimey, what a summer it's turned out to be for you all!

@mummyinbeds hope today's interview goes well for your DD, she has to keep going amidst the barmy recruiting shenanigans. Thinking time for your DS is good, hope he comes to some clarity and options over time
@AnneOfCleavage your DD sounds like she'll be an awesome teacher, so many virtual mentors on this thread too with pure gold experience and advice
@Piggywaspushed to many, many more paid (and in time) writing for your DS!
@Delphigirl well all of your DC continue to be superstars, both in ability and approach to life. Especially chuffed for your younger DD, following her dreams and it is clearly paying off
@EffortlesslyDistracted Fabulous achievement for your DS passing his manual. Onwards and upwards now
@craggyrat hoobloodyray for final army outcome! And to you all for hanging int there :)
@NCTDN Fabulous, fabulous news re your DD's job. Well done her, looking forward to hearing more as and when you feel comfortable sharing
@Cantonet I hope the internship goes well for your DS1. London living costs are criminal, but so worth it if your DD can handle the shockers, she is in a lovely part of town with so much going on. And good to see the Lifeguarding serves well still for many of our DC on here; it really saddens me to see how swimming value has diminished in this country since Covid, the tragedies over the summer are heartbreaking, I speak as a non-swimmer who won't dip my toes in outdoors water anymore.
@PhotoDad keeping fingers crossed the German visa people come through soon for your DD!
@Aslockton another multi-talented brood of kids you have :) Fantastic achievement for your DS to finish the Ironman challenge, it's brutal.
@KingscoteStaff I hope your DD gets the foundation position she is aspiring to, if I have got the terminology incorrect (apologies)

Mine starts on the 6th Sept. She's returned to her NI flat yesterday, trying to fathom the cross over of utilities from the last tenant to her. It's now hit her and she's overwhelmed with her first 6 week's schedule, mainly due to logistics of being in 4 different places over a week that includes planes, trains and automobiles, that's not from a London base start. She'll get there, I'm very excited for her and at least there is a national pull together of new recruits in her line of service, building some camaraderie before they go back to their respective office bases.

DS has now officially left home. Bittersweet moment! I'm sad because he's my baby... but I'm happy that he is flying the nest. He starts his graduate job (software engineer for a major defence company) next week. We helped him with the deposit for his flatshare (sharing with a fellow graduate employee) and will visit him in the autum (5 hrs' drive away). One down and one to go. DD leaves home for uni mid Sept. DH & I are seriously thinking of jacking in both our jobs now (54 & 57).

@ealingwestmum Wow you have done some reading. Thanks for the update! Ditto, fingers crossed for your DD @mummyinbeds .

Is this your DD first year at university @sansou ? What is she going to be studying? If some of us retire, it would at least free up some jobs for our youngers. It is tempting!

@EffortlesslyDistractedyes, well remembered! She did go to Chichester uni however her campus was primarily in Bognor Regis but her course modules split time between both campuses in first year and yes, it’s a delightful city. Her graduation will take place in Chichester Cathedral of which I’ve never been in so I’m excited for that.
@sansou It’ll be weird I’m sure to be empty nesting come mid September but how wonderful your DS has got his first flat share place and a great graduate job lined up. What is your DD studying and where is she going? Hopefully not 5 hours away 🤞

Ahh thank you @ealingwestmumShe was born to be a teacher and it’s most definitely a vocation for her. I’m glad she’s living back at home as school only 12minutes away. That way we can make sure she eats and chills out well. I think she’ll prob move in with her boyf (of 2+ years) next summer once the dust has settled of being back from uni and first year ECT out the way.
Is your DD still at uni in NI or is it a graduate job?

@ealingwestmum good luck to her, I’m sure it will all be fine. You’ll be pleased to know that my DD finally took her lifeguarding course this summer and is hoping to join the uni swimming club in the rec. squad, we went to Decathlon to buy swimsuits earlier in the week. She will be living close to a sports centre and has applied to work there, not heard back yet but I guess they will need people to replace leavers coming and going from college etc.

@sansou I’ve had this week off work and DH is partly off (broken arm) and it has made us think about retirement a bit too, not quite yet but time to start planning (we are both 60 next year). Good luck to DS! Where is DD going? She could be added to the list. My DD is going into Y2 next month at Royal Holloway.

Just finished uni @AnneOfCleavage, the graduate role came off the back of her being in the pipeline over the uni years (spring week, summer internship etc) resulting in a returners offer, thank goodness. I think studying in Ireland made her want stay on the Island to contribute economically, to counter all the negativity of gaining her Irish citizenship though her dad's line. It seems to be a little less toxic being brown (and english!) in the north, they are culturally so different for such a small geography.

@sansou exciting times for you all! I am encouraging my DH to start thinking about his exit plan, more because his job is always at risk (tech, sales enablement stuff). A move to Edinburgh has always been on my list, but still some challenges, commitments etc before we can make that leap. The longer I'm in London, weirdly the scarier it gets to leave.

Sorry to be dense @ealingwestmumbut where would your DD be getting negativity from in getting her Irish Citizenship? Is it from NI or from Ireland in general or somewhere else? If she is dual heritage than it’s her right surely?

Not at all dense to ask @AnneOfCleavage , and I totally agree and tell her not to be defensive, it is her right. It is more in Dublin, similar to what is happening here, the right wing division tactics, anti-immigrant sentiment, press stoking etc, but it's fuelled more in Ireland now due to the shortage of accommodation, cost of living and their being part of the EU that makes them take a higher share, or dealing with undocumented finding their way over via NI routes.

Over the 4 years it seemed to have gotten worse, there is a lot of resentment towards people not being, nor will ever will be 'Irish' through foreign birth registration back door routes (as they see it, not mine) or the living 5 years to apply. The latter is now being looked at to extend. The accommodation sites are particularly toxic for those students from non-Ireland applying for masters/PG/work where they are continuously being told to 'stay home, not welcome'. The irony of that line. FBR/Passport FB sites are even worse, the harbinger gatekeepers haunt applicants and never seem to get kicked off.

Strangely overall, DD faced more initial issues being english vs her being 'other' (it's not always easy to identify what mix she is) so she patiently gained acceptance as they got to know her, though this year after too many go home 'pki comments from randoms at music festivals, clubs and bars which she'd never encountered before, left her quite jaded.

That all sounds very gloomy and I really hope, not everyone's experience, and like most things, it's always a minority. And hopefully cyclical, as someone who grew up here in the late 60's/70's from India so it feels very deja vu!

Thank you for taking the time explaining all that and bless your DD @ealingwestmum
I take my hat off to her for her resilience in just quietly and stoically inching her way in and in continuing to pursue and finally gain her citizenship despite the negativity. What a girl 💐