I can’t believe I’m saying this in the midst of a global pandemic (and the riots in Washington WTF), but my life has been a bit dull lately.
With DD in lockdown and the kids spending their school holidays either away with their dad or in bed, there hasn’t been much to write about at HouseGoesHome.
The biggest excitement of the week has been a mix up with my JobSeeker appointment at the local disability employment service. Yep, Australia’s largest disability employment service has been tasked with helping me find work.
As part of my JobSearch requirements, I was instructed to have a preliminary meeting with the employment service on Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. I’m presuming the service has been seconded to assist the government with finding employment for the rapidly growing number of abled unemployed people like me during COVID-19.
Anyways, the current COVID outbreak meant I was sent mixed messages via text and email about whether I was expected to attend my appointment in person or conduct it over the phone. I couldn’t find a phone number anywhere for the appointment and no one answered the phone at the employment service when I rang it 50 million times (OK, maybe three times), so I panicked that my payments were in jeopardy, jumped in the car and raced to the actual office – literally running several blocks from the carpark because it was getting so late.
Everyone looked pretty startled when I burst through the door into the threadbare open-plan office, as they’d been told by the government to suspend face-to-face interviews. They looked at me blankly when I said I hadn’t received my scheduled call. Joe my employment consultant eventually found me in the system, apologised and sent me on my way with promises he’d email me some paperwork to fill out.
I’m not entirely convinced that Joe will have much luck finding a job on his books that pays the mortgage of a 52-year-old female digital journalist without a university degree, but you never know.
And, hey, things could be worse – I could be 48-year-old Toni Pearen being bitten on the face by jungle carpet pythons on a reality TV show for a living. Fark!
DD (hopefully) comes out of lockdown this weekend, which should up my excitement levels. I told him to think of something fun for us to do with his freedom. He suggested dinner at the local Chinese restaurant, which I thought was an odd choice after being cooped up in his house since December 21. #middleageddating
I’m still waiting for him to come up with a better idea, as he is sooooooooo planning averse. Otherwise, Mongolian Lamb and Special Fried Rice, here I come!
Song of the day: Queen ” I want to break free”
housegoeshome 
Ugh, I registered for Jobseeker before Covid so had to do the session in person and the agency the government outsources to, does them en-masse. So there were people there who’ve never worked and can’t use a computer and the Max Employment person is talking to us about the fact we should try to put together a CV.
I’m in my early 50s, have a degree, MBA (from 20yrs ago) and now doing a Masters of Arts (Writing & Literature), but made a seachange to a regional location that’s very economically depressed 8yrs ago. I’m here now until my mother passes on but work options have been very limited. I’ve had a couple of project management and writing contracts over the years but I must confess my expectations of the job agency finding me something are very very low.
Ah Deb, I think the ageism towards women is very blah. I read that a year ago, women outnumbered men in the US workforce, now they account for 100% of jobs lost in December
Tough one alright. I had to deal with a centrelink communique recently on behalf of my husband. It was ‘the fault’ of centrelink and the state super pension people to communicate the info BUT who ended up having the be proactive? We did. Mind you, I felt very “privileged” sitting in a huge space at the local Centrelink office awaiting a time to speak to someone while a man was on their phone ‘asking as for $50 just to get through to next week’. I don’t know if he got that. I do know though that I struck a kindly person who added my husband’s super info, adjusted our measly savings down…and sent me on my way!
Hi Denyse, I do not envy the people working at Centrelink. I have been lucky enough to always encounter kindly people there and I am mindful that the people themselves are doing the best they can, despite the flaws in communication. I’m glad you got it sorted out