Days Like These


People have been asking me, "What are you doing these days, Kapitano?", and I've been telling them, "I'm trying to leave the sodding country."

And they say "You've been doing that for two years. What's the holdup?"

And I tell them, "Bureaucracy."

Chinese bureaucracy that'll only let you enter the country through Hong Kong, and only after they're sure you're not a disruptive influence (ha!). Korean bureaucracy that want paper copies of everything before they'll even decide if there's a vacancy. Spanish bureaucracy that takes five minutes to do but five weeks to start to do.

Okay, these particular problems haven't been two years - more like two months - but it shouldn't be that difficult.

This should be the best time to get a job - the start of term, the time when a lot of schools suddenly realise they need another teacher. Followed by three to six months when there's a trickle of schools who suddenly need a new teacher because...the old one's just walked out in disgust or found a better job.

Either that or I start my novel for NaNoWriMo.

3 comments:

  1. I think the latter is by far the best idea.

    After all, who wants to be stuck on the other side of the planet come the revolution. And a good novel is, after all, a good novel.

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  2. Things happen for a reason. Have you thought about Ireland? The Isle of Mann? What about New Zealand or Australia? Those people can barely speak English, and they insist on using misspelled words like litre or centre or colour.

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  3. @Camy:

    Ah, but couldn't I write a good murder mystery about a Spanish language school? Lots of potential there for murderous plots, steamy forbidden passion, and clues misunderstood through cultural confusion.

    As for the revolution, I doubt my presence would hurry up it's timetable.



    @Eroswings: Things happen for a reason.

    Ah, it's all part of the grand plan. Good. :-).

    The Isle of Mann? What about New Zealand or Australia?

    The Isle of Man - known for being poor, backward, deeply insular and so parochial they don't know what "parochial" means.

    Oddly enough, the "Chinese" company is actually an agency for Chinese schools, based in...New Zealand. If I wanted a place with little industry, not many people, very low crime rate and, erm, lots of sheep, New Zealand would be ideal.

    But I doubt they have much need for TEFLers there.

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