On And Off The Job Hunt

It's never a worry watching a film or reading a book where the character is looking for a job, or struggling in another way (romantic etc), because you know it will end with them happy, in love, in a successful job, and so on. (Or the ending is bleak, but then again it's just a story). Either way, the end is in sight. Which is where it differs from real life. I knew I'd be employed at some point, but when and whether it would be a good job is a different matter altogether. Which is why I've been quite quiet on here recently.

I've mainly been looking at NHS positions, as they fund the D.Clin.Psy (Clinical Psychology PhD) which is what I'm aiming for, but they are few and far between, with hundreds of applicants per vacancy. I applied for about 60 and received interviews for five of them; rejected on the basis that my experience didn't match others, or that nearly everyone applying has graduated with good results (a huge flaw in the government campaigning for more Uni students).

The first interview on my return was at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and that was offered to me one afternoon, with the meeting the next morning. I wasn't well prepared for it, and was rejected immediately because the MSc would interfere with the full-time position. Which made me reconsider the UCL course; in the end I have been able to indefinitely defer it, with thanks to the gracious staff there. It's something I'd love to study and am still passionate about, but it's irrelevant to the PhD and would prevent me from full-time working.

Finally, a good position near Southampton was offered to me and, like buses, so was a decent part-time job in Bournemouth (thanks Grandma for driving!). Meanwhile, I was offered another - but unrelated - chance at GOSH for an Assistant Psychologist job. I was quite stressed out leading up to the interview, as I would be disappointed being rejected again. GOSH, the most famous children's hospital in the world, is a prestigious organisation and one I would be proud to work for. As I've said before, the NHS is one of the best things the UK has going for it. This was the job I wanted and, luckily, the interview went well. A bit of a shock when I was faced with four women rather than the expected two. I explained how much I wanted the position, how my experience was a good match, and we even talked about how I deferred the MSc because GOSH was a higher priority and this was effectively a second chance.

Looking for jobs is never fun, and it's taken two months but I finally got there. That's right, I was offered it! The Motherload, the Golden Ticket of locations/job experience, and I'm really thrilled. I'll be working in the Psychology and Psychosocial teams for the Oncology and Cleft units, assisting in psychometric testing, counselling support, and research. I can't say much more, for obvious confidential reasons, and I'll try and update how the job is going, but it's going to have to be quite minimal. I won't be starting for a few weeks, as they have to process references and the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Check.

All of which means...

I'm moving to London! A whole new range of opportunities and experiences, and it will give the blog a boost in terms of trips and places to sight-see. Not sure how the title fits in, but Mr Phil in London isn't so catchy. Any ideas?

Phil-San in Londan?