It's a bloody long way away
You can tell when the Horse Doctor is getting pissed off at work - she starts looking at the jobs pages.
A couple of weeks ago she got quite excited about the possibility of moving to New Zealand, where there is a new agricultural research and development centre being formed at Massey University on the North Island. Conversation whirled around possible 'what if's' for a couple of days, but as there are no specific jobs on offer, it's unlikely we'll be moving any time soon to the antipodes.
Last Friday, however, in the Farmer's Weekly, there was an intriguing job advertisement. Agricultural Advisor, it read, and listed a range of requirements all of which the Horse Doctor was more than able to tick off. The pay seemed reasonable - more, certainly, than she's getting here, though that wouldn't be hard. There was just one small snag:
The job is based on the Falkland Islands.
Now I'm always open to new experiences. I like to travel. But the Falkland Islands? It's a bloody long way away, isn't it? The job is a two year renewable contract, and if you last the two years they give you a 'gratuity' of 25% of your salary. To my mind this sounds like they have difficulty getting people to stay. I wonder why?
Actually, thinking about it, I reckon it would be quite fun for just two years. I like living in the middle of nowhere, and as long as I've got an internet connection I'm fine. Part time work of the sort I do at the moment might be hard to find in Stanley, but then there's nothing to spend money on either, so my outgoings would be smaller. Possibly.
The biggest hurdle to going, apart from actually getting the job, would, I suspect, be the dogs (and the cat). They couldn't come with us, which would mean farming them out to my parents for two years. I don't think either the DevilDog or Chiswick have two years left. I suspect that by the time we got back, the coon cat would refuse to speak to me ever again.
It's never going to happen, of course. The closing date for applications is June 1st, and the Horse Doctor never moves that fast. But it's fascinating, and a little daunting, to think of all the things that would need to be done before we could make any overseas move. We are tied down by so much. Break free, break free!
A couple of weeks ago she got quite excited about the possibility of moving to New Zealand, where there is a new agricultural research and development centre being formed at Massey University on the North Island. Conversation whirled around possible 'what if's' for a couple of days, but as there are no specific jobs on offer, it's unlikely we'll be moving any time soon to the antipodes.
Last Friday, however, in the Farmer's Weekly, there was an intriguing job advertisement. Agricultural Advisor, it read, and listed a range of requirements all of which the Horse Doctor was more than able to tick off. The pay seemed reasonable - more, certainly, than she's getting here, though that wouldn't be hard. There was just one small snag:
The job is based on the Falkland Islands.
Now I'm always open to new experiences. I like to travel. But the Falkland Islands? It's a bloody long way away, isn't it? The job is a two year renewable contract, and if you last the two years they give you a 'gratuity' of 25% of your salary. To my mind this sounds like they have difficulty getting people to stay. I wonder why?
Actually, thinking about it, I reckon it would be quite fun for just two years. I like living in the middle of nowhere, and as long as I've got an internet connection I'm fine. Part time work of the sort I do at the moment might be hard to find in Stanley, but then there's nothing to spend money on either, so my outgoings would be smaller. Possibly.
The biggest hurdle to going, apart from actually getting the job, would, I suspect, be the dogs (and the cat). They couldn't come with us, which would mean farming them out to my parents for two years. I don't think either the DevilDog or Chiswick have two years left. I suspect that by the time we got back, the coon cat would refuse to speak to me ever again.
It's never going to happen, of course. The closing date for applications is June 1st, and the Horse Doctor never moves that fast. But it's fascinating, and a little daunting, to think of all the things that would need to be done before we could make any overseas move. We are tied down by so much. Break free, break free!
Comments
My university has a vet school attached. She could come visit us. I might dissuade you from believing America is a bad place to live....especially up here in the mountains.
Are you really ready for that?
Lisa, I don't really think America is a bad place to live - no worse than anywhere else really. OK so you're administration's a bit crap at the moment, but ours isn't exactly winning friends and influencing people either.
Sandra, is that really a recipe for happiness?
Just that sometimes, you paralyze yourself, trying to make decisions. Should I kill xxxx or only maime him? I mean, you can sit there and spin out the repercussions until, well, the sheep come home, get pissed at you and leave again.
I think people usually know in their heart if they want something or not. Then they exert a lot of energy trying to talk themselves out of it or into it.
Which is just wasted energy.