PTSD

Dreaming of the dole

My first proper full-time job (not counting excursions into fruit-picking), at the raw age of 20, was for Centrelink. For those who don't know about Centrelink, it's the Australian government's social welfare contracting agency. In simpler words, it doles out the dole and the people there answer questions about why your dole money is (usually) not enough to fund trips to Bali (unless you get a really cheap flight over). Working in the section dealing with "Youth Allowance" (fancy name for the dole money for 16-24 year olds) meant I was in close contact with my fellow (recently graduated) students.

Ever since my stint in Oz, I've been in favour of the dole. I love the idea of the dole--something that is there to help me out in case I ever end up without a job. Usually (in those days anyway), students used to go on the dole after Uni and spend a few months on the dole while they looked for work, skipped off overseas, took a year off to travel, or figured out if they wanted to get into graduate school. For someone from the parts of Asia which don't have a dole (both Thailand and Nepal being more in favour of American-style "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" approach to life), the dole, to me, was a fantastic concept. It still is.

I was thinking about the dole recently as I had just quit my job. I think I've mentioned it to yous? IF not, a few weeks ago, I quit my LS job. After a couple of days of worrying about how to pay the rent, I actually started enjoying myself. Of course, as I met my friends I had to point out that I was seriously looking for work but, I wasn't. I was actually wallowing in not having to work and being able to get up when I wanted and read what I wanted. I was (sneakily) enjoying the time I had. It goes without saying (writing?) that most of that time I spent not in studying (though I did some of that) but indulging in my newfound goal of learning to play chess. I spent hours online trying to figure out why a nine-year old can easily beat me (I lack concentration, apparently). The rent issue was still there but I figured I could get a loan (kids, if you're reading this, I'm not advocating getting into debt to pay for lounging around at home. I'm just saying that, sometimes, it's a lot of fun to do so).

So, when someone actually offered me a job out of the blue today, I was rather worried. Necessity and the requirement of minimising loans (with next semester's fees and health insurance costs coming up) versus the joy of continuing the past few weeks spent in indulging in long hours of reading (mostly Victorian literature--not useful for Uni at all but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. Just finished Cranford and the second volume collection of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and playing chess (still getting beaten by kids and unable to remember names of openings). Of course, being a practical sort, I ended up going for the interview today. There're not many jobs on campus (and, as a foreigner, I'm prohibited from working anywhere outside of TUWSNBN) so I couldn't afford to be choosy. Cutting a long story short, I'm employed again. As what, you ask? Well, I am a "counsellor" to students whose first language is not English.

Do keep your thoughts about whether me, of all people, is qualified to be a counsellor of any sort to a minimum. As a (shining, even if I do say so myself) example of someone who learnt English as a third language and manages to use it in everyday life (and write in it), hopefully it'll work out. I'm replacing a counsellor who ran off to join the circus. Now there's a job I'd love to have (despite Mirrormask).

But, I'm still pining for the dole...Makes me wonder, though, if I'd ever actually work if I qualified for the dole. I would like to think I would, for jobs I enjoyed (like this one or something in the teaching field) but that it'd help me in deciding and allow me to avoid working as a flunkie. Unlike dole bludgers (presumably), flunkies have no fun.

posted by Priya @ 5:48 PM