Diary Wednesday 28th September 2016

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A very demanding day today as I had a big interview for a course leading to potential administration work for the hospital services. This was a follow up to the open day introduction to the courses after which I filled in an application form. I was surprised to even be called back to this stage of the process with over fifty applicants pursuing twenty places. I thought getting in to the college would be easy as when we did the open day we were guided to a classroom. This time, after being kept waiting for a security pass-badge, which I had to print out myself on a complicated computer system, I was sent off with vague instructions on the directions to the interview room, through the library, down the stairs and round multiple un-sign-posted corridors. It was like looking for a dungeon among the catacombs. The interviewers, two of them, asked me a few questions on my past, and then sent me to do a computer test. This meant returning to the reception, and re-requesting permission to go to another room, this time upstairs, which again, with similar indifference to security I was then left to find on my own. The computer was not set up for the test before I arrived, so I had to wait until the examiner set it up. A lady who had just completed her test found that her computer crashed without saving her answers so she was told to do it all again. I dreaded the same happening to me. The English test was easy, with multiple choice answers and the maths test started out similarly, with few questions relating to medicines or hospitals. Then it started hitting me with questions on ratios and sums involving calculating in pi, without multiple choice options so I just guessed and I’m pretty sure I failed the test. I got the bus back to the city centre and after an hour in the library I had a vital meeting with the Council over my housing which finally seemed to make some progress but I need another letter from my welfare people which I will have to order from them tomorrow. My mum phoned for a chat, letting me know that her house is now fully decorated – she sounded in good spirits. A lovely friend from Manchester phoned later too. Overall, quite a day. Arthur Chappell