Not only did the garage pay for the MOT re-test, they were the ones that took it and got it done, saving me both the expense and inconvenience of having to take it myself.

Mark

It'll be cheaper for them to test it themselves than pay for a retest elsewhere.

Garages over here can't carry out MOT tests, they have to be done at specific government approved test centres.

Mark

Same here. They are carried out by two companies, TÜV and DEKRA.

Whether I'm getting a crew change on Friday or whether I'm being down manned.

I hope it's the former. I don't want to get lumbered with back loading all the chemicals and lab equipment.
Plus that would also mean going to the office from the heliport, rather than going straight to the airport. A three mile trip turning into a twenty five mile trip.

Feel like I've shot myself in the fo....head.

Having moved back to the UK I got a job at an insurance company taking calls, like most people I saw it as a gap filler until I did something else. Fortunately enough I was able to work my way into a good position and took a job as a Fraud Analyst last year. It was pretty sweet, the work was straightforward enough but I still had to use my brain to some extent to look at data, trends, whatever. The hours were flexible meaning so long as I did 37.5 hours a week I could start and finish pretty much when I wanted. Given that I'd had a large amount of time off sick [due to 'mental health'] during my time with the company this suited me down to the ground, it meant I could leave early if I was having a long day, stay late on good days, and generally knock off at 3 or 4 on a Friday. I was the happiest I'd been here, had a good team to work in and loved the flexible hours.

Things changed - the bosses became constantly changing and increasingly difficult to work with/for and half the team, myself included, began to look for new roles.

I applied for a management role in IT, based on my previous experience, and although not successful in that I was offered a position as an 'Application Support Analyst' something I'd never done before.

5 weeks in, I hate it. I work 9-5.30 every day which is awful, it's like punishment. The days are long and boring, the work [when I'm given it] is laborious but also unlike anything I've done before. I feel totally useless and that I'm not being taught enough to feel otherwise.

Now I feel like I've done a loop, back to being stuck in a job I don't like and as much as the extra money is nice and has eased some issues I can't help but feel like I'm stuck here now. I've gone from 'it's just another day' to 'oh god when is it Friday'.

There's no real reason for this post, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Sounds like you need to be looking for another job Blue.
If there are no redeeming features to the job it's time to look for another one.

Totally agree, but that's where I feel stuck. My experience in IT is 5 weeks in this role, else it's over 3 years ago in Australia when I was last in the industry, so I have a lot to catch up on, and that's why I wasn't able to get anything prior to this. My experience in Fraud is limited to the role I just had [1 year] and that's that.

The other issue is that locally there aren't any other businesses with big enough IT departments to have roles, so I'd either have to relocate or commute, neither which are particularly feasible at the moment.

Can you ask to go back to your old role?

Cat D cars : worth it or not? Opinions please.
Will the insurance screw me over on the premiums?
Does the dealer usually provide warranty on the repairs?
Any other stuff I should think about?

Mark

IIRC Cat D just meant the repairs were uneconomical for the insurance company to repair, not necessarily that it was extensive damage eg a big scratch down the side of a £300 car that will cost £500 to respray. As long as the car is fully roadworthy, it shouldn't impact on insurance premiums. Warranty is dependent on what the damage was. Consumables aren't covered eg clutch, brakes, tyres etc but the car must be fault free for at least six months*. I'd consider it depending on what the damage was and who did the repair.

*Originally SOGA and now CRA - if there's a fault in the first six months, it's up to the seller to prove it wasn't there which means they should be allowed to repair any problems. So if there's a problem that crops up, go back to the dealer you bought it from.

I've been sat at work doing virtually nothing for three weeks. I should be used to it. So why are the last few hours before my chopper off here dragging so badly. It feels like an eternity.

I could but it'd be dropping the extra 6k they've given me and potentially be career suicide at least in this company. I wouldn't then advance through Fraud having left and returned, and I'd have no hope of getting back into IT having 'shunned' the opportunity.

I think I'm going to have to sit it out and hope for the best

Move to travelling distance from South West London & work for me?

I'm already in commutable distance from South West London, Si