Nya Halcyon
Jun 20th, 2008, 06:20:40 AM
I've recently had some major issues with the German work exchange. Since last week I'm unemployed again, and I had to go claim unemployment benefits at the work exchange. Then I had to have a talk with some fool of a woman who needed 45 minutes to enter 5 lines of data into her computer, and tell me that I could forget about ever using my Marketing "degree" (it's more of a national cert than a degree really, because I didn't have the finances to go finish my B.A. in the UK and ended it after getting my associate's degree) while trying to get a job because it was worthless.
Tell me something new..... after 5 years of applying to jobs in Marketing (well, sometimes at least, because Marketing's about the last thing I want to do) I know quite well that no one would even humor me with an interview. It's not like I even wanted to study Marketing - I just had no other choice left after they cancelled media sciences...
Anyway, so I sat there two weeks ago, wondering what on earth I could apply for that would be worth it. I mean, I have next to no certifications for anything even though I've done a ton of things. I couldn't get work as a translator because I don't have a certificate as a translator, and I can't simply sit the exam and get the certificate because I would have to do the 3-year course first, which of course is horrifically expensive. What's even worse: I am bilingual, my english is probably better than my German, and I don't even sound German - but unless I can claim dual citizenship, I don't qualify for any of the rule exemptions to that exam. BUT at the same time anyone with as little as 4 years of school English can do the course, which is extremely basic. You don't even need to be able to actually SPEAK English properly. How is that fair???
But anyway, I digress - the upshot of this was that I sat down and decided that I wanted to go get some kind of qualification in something. And it didn't take me long to find something suitable: There's a school system over here called Waldorf (it exists in the US, too) and my daughter's going to go to one of those schools. They focus on "artsy" talents and such.... so they're offering a cert course to become an English teacher. It only takes a year and it's not hideously expensive, and the academy is closeby. Almost perfect!
But in order to go back to school I must have the finances: gotta live on something other than air - especially with a child. So there's this program here that those who don't have a proper degree can apply to state funding which means the work exchange pays unemployment benefit for the entire length of the course, and covers travel costs, child care costs, and the course fees.
Unfortunately the lady who I spoke to about this decided to go back on their own previous statement and told me that my Marketing degree was sufficient for me to get a job and there was absolutely no need for me to get another qualification.
So you can imagine what venom I've been spitting in their direction lately. As a result I ended up getting a special hearing this morning, and someone must have been on my side because they did after all decide that my Marketing degree was useless and that I needed to get this qualification.
Woohoo!
Now I gotta apply to the course and hope I'll get in. Which is the easier part of it all. But I could do with a few crossed fingers ;)
Tell me something new..... after 5 years of applying to jobs in Marketing (well, sometimes at least, because Marketing's about the last thing I want to do) I know quite well that no one would even humor me with an interview. It's not like I even wanted to study Marketing - I just had no other choice left after they cancelled media sciences...
Anyway, so I sat there two weeks ago, wondering what on earth I could apply for that would be worth it. I mean, I have next to no certifications for anything even though I've done a ton of things. I couldn't get work as a translator because I don't have a certificate as a translator, and I can't simply sit the exam and get the certificate because I would have to do the 3-year course first, which of course is horrifically expensive. What's even worse: I am bilingual, my english is probably better than my German, and I don't even sound German - but unless I can claim dual citizenship, I don't qualify for any of the rule exemptions to that exam. BUT at the same time anyone with as little as 4 years of school English can do the course, which is extremely basic. You don't even need to be able to actually SPEAK English properly. How is that fair???
But anyway, I digress - the upshot of this was that I sat down and decided that I wanted to go get some kind of qualification in something. And it didn't take me long to find something suitable: There's a school system over here called Waldorf (it exists in the US, too) and my daughter's going to go to one of those schools. They focus on "artsy" talents and such.... so they're offering a cert course to become an English teacher. It only takes a year and it's not hideously expensive, and the academy is closeby. Almost perfect!
But in order to go back to school I must have the finances: gotta live on something other than air - especially with a child. So there's this program here that those who don't have a proper degree can apply to state funding which means the work exchange pays unemployment benefit for the entire length of the course, and covers travel costs, child care costs, and the course fees.
Unfortunately the lady who I spoke to about this decided to go back on their own previous statement and told me that my Marketing degree was sufficient for me to get a job and there was absolutely no need for me to get another qualification.
So you can imagine what venom I've been spitting in their direction lately. As a result I ended up getting a special hearing this morning, and someone must have been on my side because they did after all decide that my Marketing degree was useless and that I needed to get this qualification.
Woohoo!
Now I gotta apply to the course and hope I'll get in. Which is the easier part of it all. But I could do with a few crossed fingers ;)