Doing Just Fine!

Despite a few transportation awareness issues, the first couple of days have been splendid. Monday was training all day and today was my first day "on the job." I work with a fabulous team of people on the 19^th floor of a building in Canary Wharf. The pictures below are from our office windows. It is an electrifying atmosphere as everyone is thinking "Olympics!:" High fives all around the table today for a job well done!
Monday was an interesting challenge for me with transportation. On two separate occasions, I ended up on the wrong platform and had to wait an additional 6 minutes for the next train. When you stand looking at a sign that is hanging from the ceiling but pointing down at the platform, it still means to go down on level. I thought it meant "on this platform!" Today was a piece of cake however; get on the train, get off the train and walk 5 mins to the building I work in! By the time Rick arrives, I should be able to find my way around. The next bing thing on my To Do list, is to find a place to live....now that's going to be a challenge. 

 

In London…Preparing for Day 1

Getting to London was uneventful.   I was fortunate with my arrival time and the number of people going through customs. Despite all of the warnings (on Canadian TV) about the lineups and lack of Customs officers, there were only eight people in front of me and I was put right through – no questions asked. When I walked through the "nothing to declare" line with my baggage, three officers nodded and said have a nice stay. They didn't bother to look at my suitcase or anything. Getting to the bed and breakfast involved taking the "Underground" or the "Tube" and then travelling on the DLR – Docklands Light Railway. Most of the one hour journey was spent underground. However, the last 20 minutes was above ground on the railway. The biggest surprise thus far….nothing Olympic looking. There were no signs at the airport, nothing in the Underground and nothing on the railway. Because I knew that the ExCel centre was a venue, I looked at it closely and notice a huge banner at the end of it. Other than that – not a thing. I guess that will be "coming soon!" given the time frame involved.

Tomorrow I will spend some time familiarizing myself with the Underground and DLR so that I get to work on time on Monday. Monday involves an all-day training session for new employees as well as accreditation and uniform assignment. Tuesday I report to my assigned leader and I'm sure find out much more about this gig! Eventually, I have to also participate in a four-hour leadership training course. To prepare for the training, I have to been asked to think about the following two questions and be prepared to talk about my responses:
1) What skills/experience do you have that will help you perform your leadership role at the Games?
2) Can you identify one element of preparation that you will undertake between now and the Games to help you in your role as a leader?

I have been in touch with my friend Dana (a Canadian project manager extraordinaire) who has been here working for several months. She has been a great resource for me thus far. She indicated that when she came, she also had someone here from Canada who could answer questions for her.  For the Georgian EVNT students, this stage is similar to the recruitment and selection wherein we saw the statistics about hiring through referrals being the most popular way amongst employers to hire. This holds true for starting a job at a mega-event where you know other staffers. Call on their expertise and start asking questions! Housing, local transportation, cell phones, voltages, working hours (how early does the craziness begin), do we need workboots,  etc. are all examples of questions we have asked.

There were very few photo opps today, but I snapped a couple along the Underground and DLR ride.

Finally a Place to Stay!

Thanks to my good friend Dana and her recommendation to try www.airbnb.co.uk, I now have a place to stay for the first five days for $125!! What a deal. It is cozy, but close to where I will be working. I can breathe a sigh of relief now. Once I am there, I will look for a short-term let for four months. I highly recommend this site for booking B&B's….in 192 countries around the world.

London 2012 Blog – What is Overlay?

This entry is for all of the Event Management students (and others) who want to know more about the "overlay" of the Olympic venues. James Bulley, Director of Venues and Infrastructure at LOCOG provides a definition for "overlay" (see the link below) and shares the following: "We have to install over 200,000 seats, enough tents to cover the whole of Hong Kong and enough toilets to service the entire population of Malta – these really are huge figures we're talking here."

http://www.london2012.com//blog/2012/04/-our-vision-has-always-been-to-use-the-city-as-a-backdro.php

How did you get that job?

The number one question that people ask me when they hear about this opportunity is "how did you get that job?" Well it's really not that difficult. International events such as the Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, Asian Games, and Olympics have websites that provide information about the Games, job opportunities, volunteer opportunities, etc. The link for the London Olympics is www.london2012.com/jobs. I started applying for jobs with LOCOG over a year ago hoping that the right opportunity would present itself. The LOCOG site enables applicants to track the process of your application by advising when the application has been submitted and/or rejected. When I noticed that the status for one particular application remained "submitted," I began to anticipate a call from them. Finally, I received a call from an HR assistant requesting a time to set up an interview. The interview was conducted over the phone with two HR staff members and lasted approximately 20 minutes. Most of the discussion focussed on motivating volunteers, workforce planning, database management and general HR questions. Approximately two weeks later, I received an email asking me to suggest a time when they could speak to me about the interview. I expected a second interview but the decision was made after one interview. Based on reference checks and visa availability, I was offered a position from April 23^rd to September 9^th.

Work Visa: While the requirements for work visas change from country to country, I was able to get an ancestry visa because my grandfather was born in Ireland. If you have a parent or grandparent born in the United Kingdom, you qualify for an ancestry visa. The site I used to apply for the visa was: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/ApplyNow.aspx. The application was completed online and submitted to Worldbridge Services for processing. I had previously sent for my grandfather's birth certificate in Ireland as I knew I would be required to provide this if I was applying for the ancestry visa. The documents I sent with my application consisted of my grandfather's birth certificate, my grandparents' marriage certificate, my father's marriage certificate, my parents' marriage certificate, my birth certificate and two passport photos! Whew! After you complete the online application, you have to set up an appointment in Toronto to have fingerprints and an eye scan completed. The office is located at the Eaton's Centre in Toronto and the appointment was very brief (maybe 10 minutes.) From there, your documents are sent to New York. My application was submitted on a Thursday and by Tuesday I received an email indicating that my visa had been approved. Technology has certainly opened up our world to international employment opportunities! 

Two weeks and counting

Thursday was my last day at the Barrie Learning Centre. Thanks to all of the students who came to the farewell party, for the lovely gifts and your kind words. I hope that all of you have a wonderful summer and you get the opportunity to drop by to visit us on our blog. We will make every effort to post our stories!
The next two weeks are going to fly by. I am already planning my weekend trips in England and hoping that work doesn't get in the way! First things first however....I have to find a place to live!  Stay tuned for more updates as my personal countdown to the Olympics begins now. Cheers (practicing my British English)