My new office
After a harrowing and financially draining 6 weeks, I have finally sorted out my work situation. Please say hello to the new Facilities Consultant at the International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP). I am finally now a paid “consultant” and have been given a 3 month contract through to January with the potential to go full time if it all works out. I have my own little office/ cabana in the lush grounds of the campus and a brand spanking new Compaq laptop with all the geek trimmings and the great thing is the campus is only about a 1km bike ride from the front door of the apartment! I had to endure 4 interviews and 4 weeks of waiting to get here but the money is good and the people seem nice so for the time being it will keep me afloat. Of course I hope it turns out to be a great gig for me and I can go long term but I have learnt to take one step at a time here in Cambodia.
Funnily enough the day before I showed up for work at the Green Vespa and got fired. My crime? From what I can gather it was for doing too good a job in my first week. The owner said he thought we were to similar and would come to blows and he knew he could not pay me enough money to stay committed. Jesus H Christ. I actually enjoyed working there and the staff loved me. Several of then even asked me to take them with me if I ever started up a bar. I knew most of the customers and was teaching myself how to make cocktails. I even cleaned the toilets one day. I was honest and open with the owner and told him I would more than likely eave at some stage for a career type job and he said this was alright and then he starts on about training me only to lose me !!
So what does my job entail you ask? Well the school has two campuses (Elementary and Secondary), a sports field and 400 students from all over the world paying US$12,000 a year. They rent premises from 6 different landlords and there are many projects that need managing. Bathrooms need renovating, sheds need building, playgrounds need constructing, fields need maintaining, utilities need managing. That’s where I come in. The existing Operations Manager is a Khmer chap who is a bit lazy and incapable and if all goes to plan, I will take his job in a few months and be Lord fix-it! Today I sourced pre-fab sheds in Phnom Penh and Toro ground keeping machinery in Thailand. Tomorrow I am on the horn to Vietnam to sort out some materials up there. It will be an interesting and challenging job and I hope it works out because it ain’t no fun when you ain’t working in Phnom Penh!
I will post photos of my lovely little office tomorrow.
Toodles !
