As known, am looking for a job. As know, I was a kitchen bitch, and in some way I still consider myself one. (O, Good Ol' Days... All Lies.) So, naturally I looked for a catering job as I peer into job sections on any media. The one I found, and I really x2 wanted, required for me to have a certificate of food hygiene. I don't quite know how important this certificate is, even now. It was never compulsory before in my kitchen bitch life, including that hell hole in Egham with capt. Dirk. I didn't know how to get it, or how expensive/cheap to get it.
Apparently, usually, you can have this in a day course organised by the council. You could also take a day-two days course with tech colleges, but this would cost a bit more. It cost around 70 quid and above. I apprehended that it is fairly easy to obtain the certificate, that is because the government is actually encouraging the food business people to have this, before eventually making it compulsory for them to hold one.
When looking at the job ad I found, I was a PERFECT candidate, and the job was PERFECT for me. It was close by, and pays SO well in a busy, yet, small premise. Marvellous.
So it was downs to the certificate. I needed one urgently. And, there was a day course offered 5 days before the application closing date!! Oh, am I lucky or what?
So off I went, sending the payment and the application for the course.
All was well, till I got a call telling me that the course is long filled up and I have to wait for another month. They kindly, automatically forwarded the payment into next available course fee, making it impossible for me to withdraw.
I still went ahead and applied for the job, with a nice long letter explaining why I haven't got the certificate yet. They never got back to me.
A month past, me almost forgetting about the course. It looked increasingly unnecessary for me to go through with it as I didn't find any more job ad asking for it. However, I couldn't quite decide not to take the course IN CASE the premise decided to call me back after a couple of weeks. Taking the course would be more than appreciated in that case.
On the other hand, there was a definite down side to it which was that I needed the money and that 70 quid would be hugely appreciated, by me.
So, after all consideration, I deliberately left it till the last minute and asked for a refund, using my knee as an excuse. If that goes well I get the money, if not I get some certificate might be useful; I didn't mind either way.
I didn't get the money back.
Today I had to drag myself in crutches and sat through the all day session (8.45-17.15) with restaurant owners and take-away shop owners etc. It was bizarre.
I was the only one who was unemployed. Everyone else was either employed, or employers. And none of them were paying for the course out of their pockets.
I got there after 2 hrs of sleeping (how am I supposed to have slept decent hrs before 3pm, I don't even get to sleep till 7am), pumped up in caffeine. I got there and there were more caffeine from complementary tea and coffee. My brain was delirious.
I half heard buzzing in my ears on and off, listening to stupid argument between the food police and the take-away shop owner, muttering,
"He just said that a second ago, you goit."
Caffeine tabs were duly consumed and gallons of liquid was drunk, and somehow I made it to the end of the session. Then we took the test.
"What does disinfectant do best?"
"What are the signs of insects infestation?"
"Why the food handlers should not wear jewelry?"
30, multiple question, need only 20.
I have not taken a single test ever since I passed the driving theory. That was 3 yrs ago. I always do well when half conscious. I hope I did, too, this time.
