13-06-2002 16:58									#1
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I am coming back to one of Paiktis's quotes in that closed thread:

quote: and Greece HAS a better life style than the UK. It's not only because we have the less crime while they swim in it. brits suffer from all sorts of psychosis exactly because their life style suck.

I am not here to criticise him, but to a greater rather than lesser extend, back him up. I find my home country abysmal, it's such a slimy rat race, property prices through the roof, relative wages are appalling, if you can find a job. I am sick of this place. I just want a decent job that can pay my way while I use my skills and ability (and it isn't just my own personal gain but society's). The system here is so screwed up. We live to work, not work to live. Stress, worry, financial panic, the up and down of modern economics can throw people's lives into turmoil. And I think the people are, on the whole, damn unfriendly, worse than it ever has been. The stress, the conceitedness shows on the faces of the drones who march through the city centres of these countries in their suits, another cog in a boring corporation.

When will people react? You are made to feel like a paraia because you don't want to fit in and do the same as everyone else, and you are made to suffer for making decisions that don't 'fit the norm'.

There, that's my rant

	13-06-2002 17:08									#2
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Hey provost, don't let the bast'rds get you down .. im sure something will turn up.

I happen to have told Paiktis that I personally though the Greek way of life was better.

I have just got back from 1 week in Rome .. and I will tell you this, the Italians have it sorted .. families are families, friends go out to restaurants for their lunch, people simply sit back and watch the world go by .. what a life ..

OK .. im sure its not that ideal, every country has its struggles and down sides, and I often feel very much like you, that the UK is a rat race .. work..work..work..work.. and by the time you get home, all you want to do is sleep .

I wish it was easier to go self employed .. Have a mortgage that understood you may not get payed 1 week, and may the next .. have a government which 100% supported me in that aim, put you in touch with others with similar idea's .. im so certain that there are 1,000's of grads, all looking for a job, all capable of setting up a company and beating the potential employers if only there was some advice and backing ..

Instead, I sit in my job wishing id started my games company up years and years ago .. never having enough time to really get anything off the ground .. such is life.

My advice, don't give up ... something will turn up, and when it does, save up and spend 2 weeks somewhere nice, relax and forget about the UK .. when you return, you may even be happy to be back ..

	13-06-2002 17:08									#3
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I wish that only applied to Great Britain. It's the same here.

Let's all become anarchists...

	13-06-2002 17:17									#4
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Well this is half the problem, there are so many people who apply for each one, that there is invariably someone who is better than you are. And it goes on and on and on...it's so depressing. You want to be productive, you want to do something, you want to get on with life, but the system will keep you down. And when you get the job, it gets worse with the stress and grief and bad working conditions (which I had to endure during my PhD, just being there because PhD student bring in big grants, and that level of money certainly wasn't spend on my research, in fact, probably paid the Professor's princely salary). It is sickening. I see a place where there is potential to do well and acheive a lot, but it is misspent, the people receive sh*t and are demoralised, greed rules and life is generally soul-destroying and miserable. Sometimes that old addage that 'ignorance is bliss' seems painfully true. I got the education, had those carrots dangled. It is hard to escape that. And now, I am here, still plodding on and seemingly getting nowhere.

	13-06-2002 17:17									#5
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I agree Richelieu, we need big changes in society!

	13-06-2002 17:19									#6
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Move south, we have loads of jobs and it's all a lot nicer.

	13-06-2002 17:20									#7
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Too expensive, don't really like the culture...

	13-06-2002 17:23									#8
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Well I not convinced of the wisdom of opening this gate again to be honest.

Sure I can understand where you are coming from, the UK is not perfect.

But I have travelled widely and I genuinely would not want to live anywhere else I have been permanently (short term yes). But then whilst I work in a city I live 20 miles away in a nice rural town, and I have to say I like rural England. Maybe it's just me.

Like Viceroy I have been to Rome and it's a beautiful city, but it isn't perfect either. The Tiber hums just as much as the Thames I can assure you.

He did hit the nail on the head though, it's all about balancing work and 'real' life.

I hope things look brighter to you soon, and I fervently hope you have not opened to the door to the same nonsensical tirade from that that other thread.

	13-06-2002 17:27									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Provost Harrison Too expensive, don't really like the culture...

Well we're a lot more tolerant of people who want to do something slightly different with their lives than you say things are like up there.

	13-06-2002 17:27									#10
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I reckon it's the climate. YOu can go to Belgrade - we do not have much money, actually we are dirt poor, but we do know how to entertain ourselves. Very similar to Greece and Italy...

	13-06-2002 17:28									#11
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I know what you mean, I was unemployed for several months before getting into BA. Its so frustrating, having to sign-on and being treated like muck by the staff at the job centre .. i was told I may have to take a cooking job if there was nothing else available .. ha ha ha .. me .. a cook .. ha ha ha ..

I lived in a house in London with 1 guy who had mental problems, and would keep freezing in mid sentance (fixed stair and all) for about 2-3 minutes .. then he would suddenly spring to life again, 1 illegal immigrant from Somalia, with his friend who was into extremist islam, and kept asking questions about nuclear power plants .. hmmm (no joke), and a guy who was simply forever high on drugs .. the house was falling to bits, and the landlord turned out to have stolen it from somebody (don't ask) .. I lived there for 6 months, and like you got rejection after rejection .. Its a difficult time, made no easier by the job centre .. its difficult .. but keep believing you have something to offer .. don't ever let them stop you believing in your abilities .. otherwise, we may as well join the other house guys .. maybe they have the answer ??? and the whole world has it wrong ??

	13-06-2002 17:30									#12
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That doesn't matter where you live though, it's a matter of attitude. A lot of people here (and I don't mean PH) seem to have this idea that you deserve a good job and a happy life but you don't have to actually work at getting that.

You can always have fun for free or tiny amounts of money, you just need some imagination.

	13-06-2002 17:33									#13
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My 6 months unemployed were some of the most fun times of my life. I was living with my parents which made most problems go away, I had food, shelter, etc. bugger all money but that didn't matter, we used to go out 2 or 3 times a week, visit different people we knew how expensive everything was everywhere and could always find somewhere cheap...

The job rejection thing I handled by being extremely discerning with the jobs I went for, I asked loads and loads of questions about the places, people, work environment etc. and my attitude was that I needed to find somewhere were I wanted to work first, then they could worry about whether they wanted me or not.

	13-06-2002 17:34									#14
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Well I for one am enjoying like in the UK. Saying that I have never been abroad so I have nothing to compare it to. Maybe im enjoying life because of my rural surroundings, i dont know. I have always wondered what city life is like though.

	13-06-2002 17:36									#15
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Aberystwyth combines the best of British and Greek lifestyles. It's very laid back, property prices are not too high and sure, you may not be able to find a £40k a year job, but the £15k a year jobs in this cheap town will provide you with more than enough. Being so isolated, we have all the amenities needed as well.

quote: relative wages are appalling

Relative wages? People get paid what they are worth to society.

quote: if you can find a job

Unemployment is at the lowest levels it has been for decades!

You could always go and live in North Korea or Iraq if you don't like our system.

Anyway, sorry to hear the big interview went shitly.

	13-06-2002 17:37									#16
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MikeH .. your correct, problem many people have, is being given the chance to start that work off ..

there may be lots of jobs out there, but there is also far too many people looking also .. I think this time of year is also difficult, with a new batch of Grads going out .. maybe once it gets to Oct/Nov things are easier .. thats when I got my job.

Once you get that job, then ensure what happens at home is more important than at work.. its never easy to manage the two, but if you can .. I refused to go on 24hr support, even though it would have been an extra £3-400 a month simply cos I don't want to bring work home.

	13-06-2002 17:42									#17
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One preconception people have about jobs, especially before they get their first one, is that they have to get a perfect job for them, very few people have perfect jobs. A good job is something where most of the time you're doing something you don't hate with some people you like and with money that means you can live comfortably, a lot of people don't even have that.

I agree about not taking work home, I just want that. I could easily move jobs to somewhere that pays loads more but it'd be much longer hours and higher pressure, I'm happier as I am at the moment.

About the time of year... I got my job in January, perhaps that's true what you say...

Oh and Job Center staff are ****ers, I found if I talked to them politely whatever **** they gave me and treated them like real humans they let me get out of there a lot quicker each time.

	13-06-2002 17:47									#18
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Bods,

I dont think anybody is suggesting we should compare life in the worlds hell holes with the UK .. its all about who we compare ourselves with, I would presonally use EU/US as a benchmark, not N.Korea/Iraq ..

however, saying that, it is the case that its easy to forget how lucky we are that we can be unemployed and still survive. Having been to India quite a lot, I can tell you, it would be infinatly worse there .. you don't get unemployment benefit .. and more so, you don't get a job by what you know .. its who you know, or more to the point, what favours you may wish to give the interviewer .. in the form of financial assistance/sexual favours ..

Sticking with comparing us with the EU/US .. I often wonder if things are really any better .. or are we all just disalutioned with the western world as a whole ?

	13-06-2002 17:51									#19
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I'm not disillusioned; it's not too difficult to get a job.

	13-06-2002 17:57									#20
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You've never tried to get one.

	13-06-2002 18:04									#21
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Really Mike?

	13-06-2002 18:07									#22
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America sucks too guys...

	13-06-2002 18:09									#23
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America is wonderful. The example for how all societies should be.

	13-06-2002 18:12									#24
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Sounds like you are ready for a major life changing experience Provost. I used to be a commercial pilot but I left that carreer (how exactly do you spell that word??). Anyway it might be time to do something rather exciting and risky and see where it leads you. I used to live in Los Angeles and I thought that was the ***hole of the world. When I finally left I found out it actually was! Anyway, good luck.

	13-06-2002 18:13									#25
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quote: Anyway it might be time to do something rather exciting and risky and see where it leads you.

A couple of Rich's problems stem from him being quite averse to risk, y'see..

	13-06-2002 18:14									#26
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Thats true .. but there are still many more people chasing those jobs .. there are some jobs available .. chef .. cleaning jobs .. I think somebody with a degree should be given a little dignity.

	13-06-2002 18:31									#27
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quote: Originally posted by MikeH One preconception people have about jobs, especially before they get their first one, is that they have to get a perfect job for them, very few people have perfect jobs. A good job is something where most of the time you're doing something you don't hate with some people you like and with money that means you can live comfortably, a lot of people don't even have that.

very well put

	13-06-2002 18:41									#28
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quote: A couple of Rich's problems stem from him being quite averse to risk, y'see..

I know it's a troll, but it's still rather rich coming from someone who hasn't taken a single risk in his entire life... from someone that's still to scared of his parents bollocking him that he won't let a taxi stop outside his house at night in case the door shutting wakes them up.

	13-06-2002 18:43									#29
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There's no smiley that conveys how funny that is.

	13-06-2002 19:00									#30
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Well he does live in a mock tudor house after all...

When I get back to the UK, things will definitely be changing big time!

I feel that I have outgrown London - London for me now is a place that I would like to visit from time to time. All the day to day stuff I do now that I've gotten older and wiser, can be easily accomplished in any reasonably sized town.

I remember about six years ago I worked up in Leamington Spa for a while - I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk to work in fifteen minutes, and just the ease of travel in general. The town is small enough to get around on foot easily but large enough to find everything that you need...

So I've been thinking of selling up and moving to the countryside when I get back. Currently somewhere in the SW of England appeals - it's such a beautiful part of the country.

I have to say, there is a lot of 'grass is greener on the other side' sentiment here - but a lot of where and how you live is what you make of it...

People keep saying the UK is a bad place to live - but when you start seeing what other places have to offer, you begin to realise just how lucky we are!

The only other country I have a real burning desire to live of all the ones I've visited is NZ - or maybe France...