The Thrill of Redundancy

What a year it has been.

In around February this year, we were told at work that our college was being closed and redeveloped into a new learning institution. Although I had already made the decision to leave the teaching profession, this still came as a shock. What ensued were meetings and lawyers and a general lack of motivation at work. The place seemed like a ghost town; it seemed nobody cared anymore. Of course, we did more than enough for our students – giving them all the help they needed to get to their exams. Then, of course, my world came crashing down in March, and then I just didn’t care anymore. Thankfully, work were very understanding, but although I was dealing with the loss of my dad, I felt bad that I wasn’t in the right mind to help my students.

Now that the school year is finished, and the college has closed, I am pursuing my intended career – in editing or publishing.

I have had many interviews; a disastrous one in Oxford, which was so bad I almost excused myself from the interview and apologise for wasting their time [I didn’t do that]. It is now a few months since my redundancy, and still no job. Don’t get me wrong – it’s been good to be able to sort things out and have a little space.

I’ve been on training courses and become a volunteer editor for an online magazine. More posts to come will describe my audiobook journey and the Virginia Woolf project.

People tell me to be patient, and I believe that I am – but it would be nice to get a break.