Repaying an opportunity

We all know that getting your dream job can be hard work. Especially when they will ask for you to have some experience in that field. Getting that experience can be a hard thing to achieve when you have nowhere to start and most companies look for people with experience for their work experience/intern positions. It's a common problem, it happened to me before I got to where I am now.

I got my Sports qualifications when I was in my early twenties (shhh it wasn't that long ago) and then I got a part time job in a record store. The part time job turned into full time, and then I went from sales assistant to Manager within a few years in one of the biggest stores in the UK. I loved working there, don't get me wrong and it was some of the best years of my life but I always wanted to get back into the sports world. I then started looking for work and the word "experience" kept appearing. Damn. I then quit my job and set about getting myself some experience but then ended up temping. A girl has to have a job to fund her spending habits! 

Temping then turned into me becoming a Manager at a property repairs company. Notice how I was getting experience in every other job but the one I wanted? Typical. Then I spotted an intern job over the Summer at a local football club. I sat and wrote out my application, then re-wrote it and finally once I was sick of re-writing I sent it in. Then I did that thing where you have told yourself you won't get it but at least you tried. Then I got an interview. 

After the interview came the letter that stated I had got the internship and would be starting in 6 weeks. I handed in my notice with the repairs company and prepared for finally getting into the job I wanted. I learnt so much and ended up getting a job with them. I was in. I had pushed myself in. I've seen my application form I submitted and I was bloody cheeky, telling them how they were missing out on the best thing etc. OMG! Such a wannabe. But it got me in.

I've always been thankful of that internship (stop trying to work out how old I am by the way) and decided this year I would repay the favour. So I advertised for an intern for the summer this year, and I had a lot of applications. One application stood out and it went straight to the top of my pile, I interviewed about 30 people. Apparently I shouldn't have interviewed as many; but I did. That one application still stood out, she was gutsy and had a genuine interest in wanting to learn. I saw a lot of me in her, and there was no doubt that she was the one. So I sent her the letter stating when she would start etc and then several weeks later I got a call from her saying she didn't think she could take the internship this year and could she do it next year.

I found out she had been on a skiing trip and had hurt her leg and she was on crutches, she would be on crutches for the first two weeks of her internship. I went to visit her and it became very clear how much she still wanted the job. 

So she starts on Monday, I delayed the start so that she'll be off her crutches and to me the delay is no problem but it shows me how much she wants it. That's what I want.

I'll admit I'm nervous, not as nervous as I'm sure she will be but I really want to repay the favour that got me my big break into the job I love. I still regularly speak to the guy who I worked with on my internship and he's always available if I need advice. My intern will be stuck with me I'm afraid for longer than the job lasts. I intend to always be there to help and advise her.