A Side-step: The Job Search

I haven't been keeping up on my blogging lately because I've been putting all of my time and energy into finding new employment. Ultimately, the plan is still to get my CELTA and be in France by the end of 2013. My boyfriend (we'll call him F) and I are working on a two-year plan to really keep us both on track for our goals.

There are a couple of obstacles in the way at this moment, though. One is that I have debt that needs to be paid off. The other is that I need income to save for all of the expenses. The CELTA certification alone is $2500 and rumor has it that each person applying for a visa in France should have about €10000 in savings. F also has been thinking that buying a home is the way to go, in which case we'd need about another €5000 easily for a down-payment.

We can't do any of this without income, obviously. F started a new job last week and, if he's successful in it, he'll be making more than enough income for himself. (Honestly, probably enough for both of us to live the way I'm used to living, but he really wants a higher standard of living.) He's got it kind of easy because he has two degrees and experience in his field, while I'm degree-less and am changing career paths, but my prospects for employment are looking good.

I literally spent the first two weeks of unemployment perfecting my resume and cover letters. I'm particularly proud of how my resume came out, and have been straightforwardly complimented by more than one interviewer on both the content and format. So, after I finished my resume, I sent it out to as many jobs as I could. As it turns out, networking was a better bet than Craigslist, because I landed two phone screenings through friends.

I now have two in-person interviews on Friday, so I guess I did fairly well on the phone screenings. One is in San Francisco to do customer service for a boutique medical practice and the other is in Hayward to be an engineer's assistant for Siemens Industry. Both are great positions with long-term and growth potential, but I am leaning toward the medical practice. If I get a job in Hayward (and with F working in Pleasanton) it would make more sense for us to live down there and I kind of don't want to leave Oakland. But, also, from the impressions I received from my interviewers, the medical practice is more the kind of environment I'd be happy and thrive in.

F is taking me to buy a new outfit for my interviews on Thursday, I'm very excited and nervous.

Wish me luck!

CELTA

After spending the better part of the last two days looking up the best way to get my certification to teach English overseas, I have settled on the CELTA which is offered by Cambridge University here in San Francisco. It's a 4-week intensive course (M-F 9-5 for 4 weeks, plus 6+ hours expected prep time each weekend) and it costs $2500, but the CELTA is one of two certifications that are considered the best. With a CELTA, I can literally get a job anywhere in the world.

The other option, a Trinity Cert.TESOL, is no longer offered in the United States. I could, theoretically, travel to the UK to pursue my certification but I'd prefer to get all of my ducks in a row before jumping the country.

That being said, I have discovered a single scholarship for the CELTA. I realize that this means the competition will be fierce, but it's worth a shot. They released details of the scholarship today, but it won't be open for application until August of this year. The thing is, the prize is a full scholarship for a CELTA course in Brighton, UK in the year 2013. The essay topic is "Six Weeks in Brighton" and the winner will be expected to speak to media, write a blog during their course, and a post-scholarship-experience piece.

I think I can handle those responsibilities, should I win. And I'm definitely going to try my hardest.

In the mean time, I'll continue saving for the course and my visa cushion.

Laying it all out...

I feel like I should lay out my general plans here on my blog so it makes me more accountable for following through (even if, I suspect, nobody will be reading this but me). I'm currently taking some web design courses, so I'll be able to lay my blog out how I want it within a couple of months as well. Checklist? Yes, please!

So, here it is, my journey:

• Quit my job at Starbucks
• Follow through on Physical Therapy
• Start swimming at least twice a week
• Be able to walk normal distances without use of a cane
• Start taping my kneecap and using the gym
• Get a desk job (my very first!)
• Finish my semester of Web Design courses
• Dreamweaver
• CSS
• Web Commerce Applications
• Take on more responsibility with Creativity Unboxed
• Have my first solo design project
• Obtain my CELTA (edit: Cert TESOL isn't available in the US, currently)
• Study for (and pass) entrance exam
• Save up enough money
• Take 4-week intensive course
• Find a job teaching English in France
• Current options for residence are Toulouse, Paris, and Lyon
• Obtain a work visa
• Find a place of residence in France
• Move to France
• Take classes at Le Cordon Bleu

Seems a bit lofty and oversimplified once I have it all written down, but I'm determined to make this work. And, see?, I already have my first item crossed off!

Day One of the rest of my life.

Today is my first day of unemployment. My first step into the adventure I have ahead of me.

I can't wait.