Got interview for job I really want but I can't attend! Help!

[Rhubarb]

I applied for a fundraising assitant position with the Red Cross not long ago. I was quite excited about it because I have the experience and the skills. The app form didn't come through properly and I have no ink in my printer, so I copied the whole thing out using black pen, ruler and so on, it took hours! But I did it! The job has part time flexible hours, it's in the right area to where we want to live, the money is good and I think I would enjoy the work.

Anyway, today I got this email off them:
[Could you possibly attend for interview on Thursday 29th June at 11.45am at our Kendal office?

I know that you will be returning to the UK on the 12 th July, but we cannot put off the interviews until that date and the 29th June is the only date that all members of the interview panel are able to attend.

Can you let me know as soon as possible. I will put a letter in the post to you today.]

I can't go! We can't afford the flights back and it would mean travelling the night before, landing at M/cr, finding my way to Kendal, staying overnight, attending the interview, getting back to M/cr for flight back (although not checked the times to see if they would be comptatible)

Yet I really do want this job! What can I do?

Just had another thought - email could have been sent routinely by junior clerk - it may be that if you go back and explain the problems to someone more senior and suggesting VC link, IF they are seriously interseted in you for the job they should work around you and your availability.

In some ways a good test to see how interested they actually are ?

Webcams are quite cheap aren't they - I am sure dh was woffling on about £25 the other week - but I can't tell you how to do it ? Presumably it would come with software ??

They're not a little charity though are they? Am sure they'll contribute/pay. Just ring them and tell them of your dilemma.

I suggest you don't go down the vid link route unless they already have one set up and a techie at their end is happy to do a trial run the day before.

def think you should phone them re possibilities. Personally I would also ask how many other candidates there are - obviously the fewer candidates the more worthwhile it is to spend some money on it.

for flights - look at it as an investment. I can lend you a bit towards it if you need it.

Rhubarb - if it helps you'd be welcome to stay with us. We live about 15 mins from manchester airport and you could drive up from Manchester that day if you set off earlyish (would probably take you 2 hours at the very most) - could probably get a cheap car hire from somewhere near here.

I won't hesitate to help you out if you need money, just give me the nod if you do.

I have to log off now but I'll check back later. Do CAT me if you want to stay - it's really no problem.

I am really really touched by the offers of help - thank you so much! I'm going to phone them up now, the lady who emailed me is the main lady I think, the one I sent my app to and everything. I shall telephone her now and find out what I can do. If they have the technology I am more than happy to do a vid link and buy a webcam - they might offer to go halves on that. If they really want me there and are willing to pay travel expenses, I might take up KatieRockets offer as I have never been to Kendal and it'd be nice to stay with someone sympathetic! I'd pay for your petrol too KR!

I'll let you know when I'm off the phone.

Right, just spoke to her - funny old world isn't it? She's from the Preston office! Anyway, she was very very nice and said that normally they do offer to pay travel expenses to candidates travelling from within the UK, but my travel expenses would be so high that she wasn't sure how that would work. She didn't rule it out completely however, but I would feel bad taking money from the Red Cross for an interview when the money could be spend on disaster relief somewhere. I'm not sure I could live with that tbh.

She also said that their head office had done video conferencing, but not their Kendal office and it would need to be the Kendal office as that's where the interview panel will be. She's going to talk to them about the possibility of a phone interview instead.

She did say that she had tried to get the interviews to be set at a later date for when I was back, as she was aware of my circumstances, but that date was the only one convenient for all of the interview panel. Anyway, she's going to do her best to sort something out and she'll call me tomorrow morning to let me know. I just hope that my circumstances don't put off the interview panel. A telephone interview isn't ideal for either me or them either, you don't come across as well as you do in the flesh do you? It would be very easy for them to just say, "ah well, we've another 7 candidates here who could do the job just as well, why bother with the hassle of someone from France?"

Maybe, but they knew all of this before they asked you to come in for an interview didn't they? In my mind that makes you top candidate, why ask you to come all the way from France if they didn't think you could be the best person for the job?

Well you're more than welcome to stay Rhurbarb. I could pick you up from the airport but you'd probably need a hire car to get up to Kendal ( I think I'm working that day).

We have a nice spare room

Thank you! We'll see what she says tomorrow. It does seem a hell of a risk to go through all that hassle and expense to get to the interview when I might not get the job anyway. I'm not sure I'm top candidate as my experience was short and a long time ago, plus they have to offer interviews to candidates who fit the bill otherwise you can claim discrimination. Perhaps they thought I would just say no and that would be that.

I discussed it with dh this evening and unless they offer to pay for travel costs, I cannot fly over there for this, it's too much of a risk for a job I might not get. I can only hope they agree to a telephone interview. It's not great, but if I really were top candidate then they'd said yes right?

it seems like a worthwhile investment if the money is good enough.

as someone said - ask how many candidates there are

70% of communication is non verbal - you would have to be fucking good - i mean fucking good- to get a job that way.

• and if you do get it? how would your dh feel? would he have to look after the kids? will he get depressed? will he lose his manhood? would he insist you quit anyway and look after the kids - whilst he got his old job back an hour away in preston - with his mates and his old life ?

just wonderin.

love ya dont hate me

Rhuby, haven't read whole thing but if you need a bed overnight you'd be welcome to stay here (I could fetch you from Kendal on 29th!)

In fact if you can get to Manc on 28th I could pick you up, stay here overnight, go up to Kendal on 29th, come back here after and take you to Manc again on 30th.

email me!

Wow! Sounds promising!! Take janh up on her very kind offer and show 'em what you can do! They'd be a fool not to hire you! I'm getting al excited for you now!

DOn't worry I'm not offended

I'm waiting for a phone call from them this morning. If I was top candidate then you'd think they would offer help to get me to the interview?
If I do end up going, then I'll certainly email you Janh (no offence KatieR! - I take it you will be going to the Northern meet-up since you are 15mins from M/cr?). This has been going round and round in my head all night I tell ya!

Custy, I have spoken to my dear, decisive, dependable dh about this. Should we decide to go our separate ways in the UK, the fact that I will have a job in Carlisle will be brilliant for me, he can't insist I move to Preston when I'm working in Carlisle! If he doesn't like it he can go back to mummy, I'm not for budging!
We'll organise childcare for the kids for the summer hols, once they are at school and nursery it'll make it easier and perhaps I could work my hours around them both.

I agree that a telephone interview isn't much good and could hinder me a lot. So when she calls back I might ask how many candidates there are and how realistic my chances are. I've worked in HR so I know that every candidate who fits in the job spec has to be offered an interview no matter where or who they are. So this is not indicative of my place on the candidate stakes. If there are just 3 of us and she says that I have a good chance, then I shall have to think very seriously of going. But if there are 10 good candidates, then it's not worth the risk and the hassle and the expense. I'll just have to keep applying and applying and hope that I get something sooner or later!

You lot have restored my faith in humanity though! I can't believe how kind you could be to a virtual stranger! (and possible mad axewoman KatieRocket!) It makes me feel all warm inside! Thank you very much all of you, I hope I can repay all this kindness one day!

they don't have to interview everyoine who meets the spec..some jobs get loads of applicants and they don't even write if they aren't interviewing you!

good luck

She's calling between 11 - 12 today (that's 12-1pm for me), I'll tell you what she says then.

I did think of perhaps saying that if I do well on a telephone interview but they were understandably wary because they hadn't seen me (plus there is an online test that she said she can email me, but I could cheat on that as there is no-one overseeing it) in person, that perhaps they could employ me for a trial period? But dh says that this could imply that I'm rubbish. I'm trying to think of loads of solutions to this problem and I can't!

mad axewoman?!! The cheek. Seriously if you do need any help then give me a shout. What meet up?

I meant me as the axewoman - Custy knows all about my murderous past!

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1368&threadid=165512#3652585\this} meet up

Well fingers crossed for good news, it sounds like the job for you to come back to!

(btw when I said "go up to Kendal and come back" I meant I'd drive you up to Kendal and bring you back, just realised that wasn't clear )

Ah, see what you mean - how dim of me!

Well I think Janh's offer is better anyway since she can give you a lift to Kendal and back. Hope it works out for you though.

Yes I might come to meet up - I've always been a bit scared of them before but hey I might just give it a go.

SHIT! They want me to go I think, I just got this email from them.

[I have not been able to speak to S*** this morning as she is tied up in a meeting.

However, I have been speaking to one of my colleagues and they have suggested that you try the 'money expert' web site @ www.moneyexpert.com.uk as if available you can get flights for as little as £10.00. Apparently you find these details right at the bottom of the web site.

I'll keep trying S*** and will ring you once I have spoken to her, but please try the above web site and see what they can come up with as I am sure that the interview panel would love to see you in person.

E-mail me if you get any joy form the above site and I'll be in touch once I have spoken to S.]

I replied as follows:

[I've heard of the website you mentioned but unfortunately I've tried all the flights from here to the UK. There are two main airlines, BMI baby and Ryanair. Ryanair do Bergerac to Liverpool but they don't do a return flight on the day I want to return, I'd have to wait until the following Wednesday to come home! I could get a flight to Stansted and then a connection to Blackpool, but that works out expensive. BMI baby do Bordeaux to Manchester, 225 euros is the web price for this that I could get 25% off if I telephone (possibly). I've the offer of somewhere to stay in Clitheroe and the same friend has kindly offered to drive me to Kendal and back, but she would need petrol money for this. I hate to ask, but is there any way I could claim a percentage at least of this back?

A few questions if you don't mind that would also help me to decide. The job spec said Kendal or Carlisle, does that mean I would be working between the two offices or would I get to choose which one is closest to where we would be living? I would prefer Carlisle if this is the case. Also, I recall that the position was part time but the spec didn't contain the hours involved, so could you confirm how many hours I would be working? (some evenings and weekends are not a problem) And what pay scale is it again please? How many candidates are up for interview? I am hopeful that if they want me to fly from France for an interview that they must be quite keen! I know it's a risk and I might not get the job after all of that, but it would help if I knew just how much of a risk that is.

Anyway, I'll wait until I hear from you and then we can chat further.]

Does that sound ok and reasonable? Janh I might need to email you! I've got serious butterflies now! Half of me is dreading even getting the job because of all the organising that would involve too! And I'm shitting myself at the thought of doing all of this for a job that I really might not get at the end of the day! Can I really take the risk of this expense? I know they can't guarantee me a job, but this ain't gonna be cheap and I just DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!

HELP PLEASE!

They sound pretty keen Rhubarb !