2022-08-05 - 10:49 a.m.

Freakin A It seems all my family is currently struggling to find work!

I have a brother who has taught English as a Second language FOR YEARS.
He also has held roles in person at Universities in Asia, teaching Journalism as well as Business Writing.

He is the one who ran a paper for years. He has a degree in Adverstising. He started out studying Criminal Justice and pivoted.

I was happy he just called from Asia and I had a great chat with him! He recently visited my Dad and family in Fl.

He told me that in the on line space he had carved a business out FOR YEARS before on line was trendy- there is suddenly an influx of highly educated teachers with Masters Degrees from the Phillipines teaching in the market in Asia he has worked in. He said two large companies rolled out English as a Second Lanaguge Services and they are working for some ridiculously LOW amount.

He is priced out of the market. He said he may as well get a job at Taco Bell in the city he lives in as he is not getting the clients he used to get. He is LOSING clients to the cheaper option of the Phillipino teacher.

He had a great business model of teaching English on line for years as few did that! COVID in his case descimated his business as brought competition!

Every few years he would visit here and send out resumes and interview and try to land work here in the U.S.

Without luck.

He is so much fun but heck yes quirky. The company he was working with recently as a teacher just folded apparently.

He has run his own business as well for years but he said in his twenty years of doing this work there never has he pounded the pavement and put dedicated effort into marketing to not land ONE new student before! He said he just spend two weeks with concerted marketing and no new clients.

I laughed as he is used to a quick return! Reminded him his success in past quickly is not likely the norm that it takes time usually- more than two weeks of concernted effort!
So I am sure he will land some clients! He has had brick and mortar school buildings over the years - in Ho Chi Min City. in other Vietnam towns.

I told him to send me his resume. Heck I registered under the NAICS code for "other professional services" so I can scrub through the RFPs and perhaps there is some program somewhere hiring a teacher.
Maybe a VA program...
there are such things-
development programs to help VETS get job ready ; learn business writing skills etc.

I will look and see if anything out there that would be a good fit for his skill set and see if can submit a proposal for him to find work here!

He would LOVE to be able to come work here. He stayed in Asia only because the last time he looked here he got an offer to teach there again that he couldn't refuse.

For a time he taught at a University in China. That was not a good idea...NO he needed to get out of that job as soon as that contract was up. His propensity to actually want to teach history and promote democracy was not aligned...
and he was nervous that they also are not keen on gay people there ( and it got nerve wracking to have his husband come visit. They did not like the long distance but worse was worry about the safety of even visiting and being a gay couple!)

His husband does have work as he teaches yoga and has a studio. He also picks up creative projects, and was in a recent show as a dancer. He had a job as the assistant to an actress, an old friend who landed a major role in a move and actually NEEDED a personal assistant to come along and keep her on schedule! So his hubby landed that fun gig for the duration which was a blast and paid Ok.

So they are doing alright but this is a challenging moment apparently for not just him but my other bro who had thought he could take some time off and then come back to the states and easily land his next job!

My other brother, like me is now over 50 and I think he did not realize the challenge if you leave a white collar professional job after a certain age! It is harder to jump back in than he expected.

He was the Operations VP of a NYC bank. He had 13 branches he had oversight of. AND he was absolutely MISEARABLE.

HE HATED the job and hated the commuting hours and was seriously unhappy. So he checked out of all that- divorced and lived in the city for a while which made life better. Went running every day and took care of his health which made life better. BUT After some time he had realized he STILL JUST HATED HIS JOB!!

So he cashed in and took off to Asia to hang and play music and visit my bro and friends there for a bit.

Trouble is
Well its now been years since he has been back and trying to land a job back in that field.

He gets interviews periodically

But nothing that sticks as it seems just WEIRD in our culture to stop working and go off ...
why?

To be happy.

Nothing fundamentally wrong
no issues of health or substance, or alchohol-- no dark secrets NO there is NOTHING MORE to the story other than
his wife wanted a kid and it was not happening and I swear he left her so she could be free to go find someone to have a kid with ( it was not happening for them! )

AND so HE could be happy and not miserable in a job he hated and miserable with the fact he was holding back his wife from achieving her dream of motherhood!

SHE Did find someone.. she did have the kid
A beautiful boy!
We are all still in touch with her a just love her as she was the best aunt

I get it why he left

I see her with her baby ( Ok so the guy ended up not being all...that.... She thought he was a bro upgrade I joked about that as they guy was LIKE my bro.... but you know he was NOT my bro! And heck she ended up not being happy with the new boo.. BUT SHE DOES have her beautiful little boy so in the end I think the choices .. As perplexing as they SEEMED at the time
MADE SENSE

They were choices for happiness. LONG TERM I think... I think my bro was loving his wife by leaving her to be honest. She wanted to go DO things and he had no energy after giving it all to the job...etc...)

Ok so all this to say ( DAmn did I not say I was not going to WRITE ABOUT OTHERS' LIVES here...???? I broke my rule)

Whatever-
its my fam.

Point being I HOPE my bro who had an intereview for a bank manager near my Fl Family gets that job!!!

HE is taking care of my other brothers beautiful home on the water and living in the apt there ( separate from the house) while it is an AirBNB ( or whatever...) vacation rental.

They have had a few short term renters on vacation who enjoyed it.

It is SOMETHING to do.

HE fixed up both the house and apt nicely.

My sister in law was trying to convince me to bring the family for a vacation and a visit while it was vacant. I WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO GO VISIT FL FAMILY!!

Just out of budget.

I literally had to debate if I could AFFORD the drive to DC for an invite this weekend. My guy friend was willing to come this way- but I decided I will spend JUST THAT GAS money to head there once this month.

SIGH

When the $35 is a big decision that just sucks.

But after the freaking damn mortgage being pulled AFTER some other auto payment so it would not clear

NOW that I have the repeat $35 overdraft... TWICE NOW

I just thought

FUCK IT

I think I have no choice but to take money out of the 401 K. DAMN will financially take a hit there. Such a dumb move cause my income WAS reduced this year to be honest to faciliate being home for kids. I thought the reduction was just temporary and when started business would then PICK UP

It will ...eventually

Hell I just talked to a recruiter. He had put me in for a job he heard I did not land. BUT the company has another role...

sure less money.... but I convinced him to pitch me at higher than they SAID the range is. Cause I KnOW how it works The range is BS
The company CAN pay more and will if they can't find anyone to bite for the lower salary.

PEEPS KNOW YOUR VALUE AND HOLD OUT

Honestly. If EVERYONE did that it would keep wages from DROPPING in sectors.

Only when folks are willing to work for less do the wages then DROP.

I mean it concerns me- as companies are not hurting. They are not making LESS money.

They have just shifted from FULL EMPLOYEES with decent wages and benefits to paying only for the actual minute you work.

we are at the point of billable MINUTES.

DEVALUATION OF LABOR
when we can be hired and paid for only the work when it is there BUT NOT VALUED For the commitment of time dedicated to be availble to do work that a company needs.

THAt is BS.

Honestly for professional work that takes such energy and thought and is based on years of learning and becoming expert -

one should not be Hurt by being efficient and knowing their stuff.

I need a high rate of pay as it takes me just 15 to 30 minutes for some document review. When I am logging ACTUAL TIME worked then I bill the 15 or 30 minutes.

The way to go is a retainer agreement and paying for my services to be on call.

CE la vie..
Back to work at hand. Right now I am fighting with a W9 which has the singature line LOCKED. Freaking annoying. I think I have to go print it at the library and wet sign and email that then. PIA

Need to get that done so I can get set up in the system with my company and GET PAID for the piddly few hrs worked the past two weeks for the client.

t

�

�