Not getting The Job is a disappointment, but it is not a disaster. For a start, we have health, a roof over our heads, lovely children and each other. Fixit will still do his apprenticeship, so we have a wage and a future. And post-Fixit's breakdown, there have been people at his work who have jumped in to help out on points where management let him down. For example, one guy took it upon himself to supervise the Journal (an important part of accreditation and something that had not been started one and a half years into his apprenticeship) and now handles liaison on all journal matters between the TAFE and the Civil Aviation Authority. Some senior workers have made it a point to call Fixit over and say we're doing such-and-such job, you'd need that for your accreditation so come and work here. Other workers request Fixit to work with them because they value him as a co-worker and can see that he is eager to learn. So he will go on at the current place and it isn't the end of the world, or indeed as bad as it was.
The disappointment is that The Job was really an opportunity to put a bit of glitter in our lives instead of drudge. There would have been perks (cheap flights! real holidays!!). There would have been 8-hour days and fixed shifts. Extra hours would have been paid for. Overtime rates at that! Gasp. There might have been more money, although he never quite got to have that discussion. But his current workplace has declared that there will be no pay rises until qualification. Fixit would have had time and energy to plot an exercise regime, which, with the current 9 1/2 hour days, motorbike rides out to the airport and having to mind the kids three nights a week because of my job, is currently not happening. Plus he would have been in a work environment where there was an overall plan for his training and people could tell him what he'd be doing next, instead of him having to find out what he needs to do then set it up for himself. So you can see why we got so excited about it and why we were so dashed when it didn't happen.
The line I'm taking is that their recruitment people are idiots. This assessment is not just based on missing out on The Job; Fixit does schooling with people from there and several of them are failing every subject and all they do is bitch and moan and disrupt the class. Someone HIRED THOSE PEOPLE, and then decided Fixit was not what they were looking for. QED, idiots. They're mad to knock back Fixit, he would have been an asset: a loyal, hard-working, talented employee. That's my unbiased opinion and I'm sticking to it.
We've requested feedback, which they offered in the rejection email along with the cavalier statement that it would not be provided until at least mid-January because they were having a holiday. That's nice for them I suppose, Merry Christmas!
Meantime, we have moved through complete shock on Day 1, to abject disappointment on Day 2, anger on Day 3 and now we are just getting on with it, although occasionally we mutter rude words in their general direction.
We are looking forward to Christmas now. We'll still have a happy one. And as you can see, we put our own glitter into our life.
