Mackerel

I'm back again. I've had a rocky couple of weeks. Harry the apprentice walked out with just 6 weeks to go before he finished his NVQ3. His mum kept telling him he had to finish at the end of july but he himself (20 yrs old) had agreed with me to finish at the end of August.

One tuesday when he was supposed to work his mum phoned in sick for him. Then I found out that he went somewhere else for the day with his dad. Harry told me his parents told him it would be ok to just not turn up to work. When his mum phoned me she also said that he would finish at the end of July. (he is 20 years old)

When I told him his 2 choices, to either keep to what he agreed with me and stay till the end of August or give me 4 weeks notice in writing (this was on the 20th of july) if he wanted to leave before that. That night he came back with a hand written notice (his mum's writing, he is 20 years old!) and gave me 10 days in writing. Breach of contract and it wound me up so much that I told him to go there and then. I put 4 years of my effort into teaching him all he knows and this is the thanks I get.

So, no more favours or special treatment for anyone. Whatever you do for people they always just p*ss on you in the end which is a shame.

Oh yeah, also when he first started my boss didn't want an apprentice but his mum begged me to take him on and even said that she would pay his wages. Because I liked him I fought for him with my boss to take him on which he did in the end.

Anyway, so now I am short staffed and overworked in our busiest month of the year. On top of that I am starting the teaching soon. I also had another job offered to me and it took me a long time to decide it was not for me. So all in all it has been a crap 2 weeks.

I have interviewed about 10 people for the apprentice job. Some of them don't turn up for the interview, some of them don't turn up on their first day, some of them don't turn up for their trial shift. It's unbelievable how there is supposed to be a shortage of jobs and the government is promoting aprrenticeships and I just cannot find anyone suitable.

So......rant over and let's hope things are looking up from now on!