Not Just Cups of Tea

So many people said to me it would all be down to common sense and making cups of tea that I went into training without really thinking about what to expect. Stupid as it now sounds I hadn't really thought about what it would involve. Even more stupid when you think there were FIVE full days to do!

So the first day was all about induction to the service. What the company expected - what we should expect in return and all about Care Plans and work schedules. We also had to read and sign work contracts. It amazed me how many people didn't actually read the contract in spite of the fact that Ray said it at least three times. So when I asked the girl sitting opposite if she'd seen the bit about working over Christmas many others jumped up in arms about having to work Christmas Eve/Day or at New Year. Seriously - what did they expect?!

I've worked with horses all my life so I have no idea what it must be like NOT to work over Bank Holidays or Christmas periods. Horses don't appreciate the fact that friends and family want to see me. They just look at it as another day. Which is exactly what it is in our house. Although we do our best to accommodate the festivities it really doesn't bother us if we have to go out to feed horses or cattle first thing. In fact it's quite nice to have a shortened day and return to a huge Christmas dinner halfway through a day.

Now don't get me wrong I do understand that it is different when you have children. Or relatives that need your care but what I struggle to get my head round is the fact that some people seemed unable to even consider the fact they could compromise! Ray was desperately trying to make them understand that if they offered to do as many of the other days as they could The Office would happily accommodate their festive needs. I think he got his point across in the end.

Days like these have just brought home to me that I am a good person for this industry. I have very few demands on what I do - other than the fact I want to enjoy it and I do like my own space. By that I don't mean I can't work with people, I just mean I couldn't stick being in an enclosed environment with the same people for hours at a time. By the end of five days I was ready for a break. Having been on my own for years it wasn't easy juggling so many personalities and egos for prolonged periods! Testing would be a good word to use.

As Day One finished it was clear to me though that the job wasn't about working with other people. It was all about caring for other people - and to do that I was actually going to have to learn some things! Which - it suddenly dawned on me - was what this training was all about. It was time to sit up and listen.