I was approaching my 39
th
birthday, and out of work.
I'd just finished my last shift at the bakery, I had been there for the last six months and enjoyed baking cakes and making bread, often staying behind to finish a particular task without any extra pay. I liked the people who worked with me, they were a great bunch, we always had lots of laughs.
I had occasionally even been praised for the high quality of my work and my dedication to making sure everything I did was just perfect. It was a nice place to work.
I would have still been there, if my boss hadn't decided that I should work longer hours, for the same money, and what's worse was he couldn't understand why I didn't want to do it.
He said, "I should be grateful that he had set me on in the first place and given me such a great job."
I said, "He should be paying me more, not less, for the extra work I do."
He didn't listen, but carried on speaking saying, "If you don't do as I ask, then you can go and find another job."
The die was cast.
I stayed on, but only to work my notice out.
I wasn't worried about being out of work, I had been unemployed a few times before and had always managed to find a job without too much trouble.
I'd had a lot of different jobs in the past and could turn my hands to almost anything. I also lived on my own so no wifey pressure from that side.
Time to chill for a bit I thought, and then start the hunt.
A few days later saw me wandering around town looking for any vacancy notices, there weren't many, but I didn't fancy any of them.
Time for a sit-down and a coffee.
I found a coffee shop, ordered a latte, then lifted the steaming mug and looked round for a seat, and found to my dismay, there wasn't any.
I couldn't believe it; I was sure there were loads free when I came in.
I took another look around and managed to spot an empty chair right at the back of the shop, it was at a small table. Sat at the table was an old guy reading a newspaper. I walked quickly over and asked if I could sit on the empty chair.
"Course you can. I'd love the company," he said, folding the newspaper and laying it on the table.
"Not working today?"
"No. day off."
"You're lucky it's a nice sunny day."
We chatted, and finally, I admitted to him. "I'm out of work, I just finished my last job a few days ago."
"Oh, I see, what is it you do?"
"I haven't got a trade, but I've done lots of different things, my last job was in a bakery, before that I was a used car salesman, but not a very good one, before that I worked in a DIY store."
"Been around then." He smiled.
"You could say that."
" Do you like helping people?" he asked.
"Why yes I do, how did you know?"
"Just a lucky guess"
"Why do you ask?"
"I might know of a job opportunity, it's all about helping people. Have you heard of a company called Care-hire?"
"No, what do they do?"
"As the name suggests they provide care to people who need it and can afford it. The client pays a joining fee, which entitles them to request help in the form of a trained Carer. The Carer's attendance can last as long as 48 hours at a time. The client can have as many sessions as they want, as long as they pay for each hour attended."
"The company is very particular as to whom they set on, but if you are selected, you will be put through a very thorough training program, which covers all aspects of being a Carer. You must have completed the course before you are allowed to visit any client. A police check is also required, together with two references."
"The pay is good, and you can claim expenses, are you OK with all that, what do you think?"
"It sounds good to me. What do I have to do?"
"Give me your phone number, and someone named Janet will ring you tomorrow morning to set up an interview."
I did as he asked. We shook hands and went our separate ways. I didn't even know his name but for some reason I trusted him, and I knew, without a doubt, everything would happen as he said.
I returned home feeling very optimistic and relaxed, in the belief that I would soon be starting a new job. I'd never felt this optimistic before, I felt so confident, and I was looking forward to the challenge of gaining new skills and learning something fresh and new.
Bring it on!
Janet rang about ten o'clock as he said she would, and after asking me a few questions, we arranged to meet at her office for my interview the next day. "It will take around two hours," she said.
To say the interview was intense is an understatement, I liked Janet a lot, but boy, was she a smart cookie. I felt drained when I left.
I hoped I'd said the right things and not made too many mistakes. I wanted this job and didn't want to fail at the first hurdle.
Another phone call from Janet the following day, excitedly telling me that I had passed with flying colours, and subject to the Police check being OK and the two references coming back, they would like me to start the Monday after next.
I was over the moon.
Everything came back positive, and I started the first day of my new job on the designated Monday. I sat in a classroom with five people, all wanting the same thing. To be a Carer.
The challenge had begun.
The class was small, six of us, four women and one other guy who looked slightly older than me. The ladies were of various ages, the oldest in her mid-fifties and the youngest about thirty. Our teacher was a lovely middle-aged lady called Dawn, who was very experienced at teaching people to become Carers.
She warned us; that it was a very tough course and would last for 6 weeks, ending with us taking a very hard in-depth exam. She finished by saying that she expected that we would all pass with flying colours.
That said, we were all looking forward to getting our certificate and starting work.
Thankfully we all passed the exam, and a date was set for the presentation of our certificates, they were to be presented by the company's CEO in front of the existing workforce at a nice restaurant in town. Congratulations all round.
I turned up early, arriving by taxi, already about forty people were sitting at the scattered tables in the restaurant, I assumed them to be employees.
I was dressed in my best suit and a new shirt; I joined the others at the table which was reserved for us. My class comrades were also in posh dresses and sharp suits, and with lots of bottles of wine already on the table, I could see it was going to be a good night.
