A Grand Return (Pt. 2)

January 2024

09:30am, 15th January 2024 - a new adventure begins.

The car was loaded, the suitcase was packed and a new life awaited on the mainland.

I hadn't made life easy for myself - I was to be sofa-surfing whilst searching for both a house and a job.

I've got to hand it to them, without Indeed (jobs) and OpenRent (rental properties), I probably wouldn't have lasted as long as I did.

To add insult to injury, due to Universal Credit giving so little (understandable, they don't want people to be dependent on it) landlords are INCREDIBLY hesitant to let out their properties to people with Universal Credit as an only income.

~

Upon leaving the Isle Of Wight I signed up with a friend's HMO (House Of Multiple Occupancy), although they never called me after this.

This was a double-edged sword - they constantly had new properties, yet never called me - which begged the question - why am I on their system if they won't call or email me about new properties?

On my first full day in Harlow, I tagged along to someone else's house-viewing to see how it worked

Someone would likely be paying several hundred pounds for this "property"

Following a relatively quiet birthday on the 19th, followed by cake at 1am on the 21st January, things finally started to pick up in February. At this point, I was spending day after day on the local "Houses To Rent" Facebook Page as well as OpenRent in addition to Indeed.

February

After returning to the mainland from a family holiday, I was straight back house and job-hunting.

House hunting was going nowhere as I contacted "Streets2Homes" a charity/project based in Harlow on the 6th February but as I had no connections (only friends) they said they couldn't do anything other than offer a weekly workshop.

On the 7th February, I contacted a property I liked the look of.

On the 11th, I went for my first viewing since arriving in Harlow.

Originally, they were hesitant, but open to the fact I was on Universal Credit - but following the viewing, they later refused - the hunt continued on.

This was a bitter pill to swallow with landlords refusing Universal Credit, Facebook (and indeed email) renting scams being rapant and one landlord even being asleep when I turned up for my viewing! (20th April)

Job-hunting wasn't going much better either - my Isle Of Wight address scaring most employers off.

By my 1 month anniversary on the 15th February, I was exactly where I was a month ago - I had tried everything and yet not moved anywhere.

Even still, I managed to land my first interview on the 29th February at a taxi company. It was all going so well, until I told them my age.

Due to insurance premiums plummeting at age 25 - they were incredibly interested in my application - until they found this out, and that was the end of my first interview.

March

Despite a rough start, I felt like in March, things took a turn for the better.

On the 2nd March, I received a rather disappointing response to my Tesco application I sent the day prior.

It truly was a punch in the chest - having already worked at Tesco (on the Isle Of Wight), being declined for an identical job was a tough pill to swallow.

~

Just over a week after my first interview at 24X7, Aldi contacted on the 9th March me to inform me that I had been invited to an assessment (interview)

And just like that, the ball was rolling and the jobs were just rolling in.

I had ALDI's Assessment on the 18th March (got a response the next day) - again, unsuccessful. Another supermarket down the drain.

National Highways/Highways England emailed me on the 20th March to say that I was invited to a short phone interview - I was absolutely ecstatic.

I had the manual licence.

I had the address within an hour.

I had the phone interview.

I had COME to Harlow for this very moment.

The phone interview (21st March) went absolutely astonishingly - I was able to answer all their questions with great enthusiasm and knowledge and I was proud of the call/answers I gave - my previous experience at Tesco helping out massively.

The only answer I couldn't give was "tell me about a time you've stood up for yourself" - I'm still working on that one.

The only problem was that due to the amount of applicants, I would have to wait 4-8 Weeks (up to 2 months) to hear back from them.

Little did I know that those 4-8 weeks would change my life.

In terms of housing - I had a viewing on the 12th March - however couldn't find the property/couldn't find the landlord.

25th March, 2024

The 25th March started off as any other day - wake up on a sofa, go out for the day helping mates, then return to Harlow...

On my return however, I ended up behind a minibus.

At the time, I wasn't aware that the minibus ahead was about to change my life

Due to its small size, I thought "yeah, I could drive that" so I asked my passenger to take a picture of it. Later that same evening, I called the number.

I wasn't aware at the time, that I had just started my career at Vectare.

Vectare told me to email them with my CV, and I did so the following morning - being sure to include that I wasn't 25 yet.

Within 4 minutes of sending the email, I got a response - they were interested in my application.

Less than 24 hours after first seeing a Vectare minibus, it had been arranged that I was to go into their depot and have a chat about the next steps.

Co-Op must have caught news of my "movements" because less than 2 hours after attending Vectare's depot, I got an email telling me I had an interview.

I chose 2nd April.

It was now a three-way fight to employ me between Vectare, The Co-Op and Highways.

Things moved pretty quickly from here -

2nd April - lost my bank card, so took opportunity to change address to Harlow address

2nd April - Driver's Licence sent off for address change (to Harlow address

2nd April - Highways advertises Potter's Bar Traffic Officer position (couldn't change job location mid-application)

2nd April - lost my bank card, so took opportunity to change address to Harlow address

7th April - Went to view a house but landlord was asleep inside (offered me discount on first month!)

9th April - Co-Op retires from recruitment race (I'm unsuccessful)

11th April - The Vectare adventure begins.

Step 1: Have medical and get D2/D4 signed

12th April - Vectare offers me a job starting Tuesday the following week.

15th April - WHSmith Offers interview. I politely decline.

16th April - First Shift

(1st May - First time route-learning - Route 324)

Returning to housing, progress was still at a standstill...until I saw a lovely room popped up on OpenRent on the 26th April

With a stable income from Vectare in addition to Universal Credit - things were looking promising.

My manager (training manager) allowed me to leave for a few hours during work to go for a viewing

(more stable life = better work/driving = better performance at work)

It was a beautiful room in a shared house.

-3 had been renovated,

-1 already had tenants living in

After a conversation with the financial adviser and financial manager (parents), we agreed that I'd rent a slightly smaller yet cheaper room (£650pcm as opposed to £900pcm) *per calendar month.

From here, a few weeks passed - documents were exchanged and a deposit was agreed.

May

May kicked off with an absolute BANG as my (training) manager allowed me to learn a bus route on the 1st May - after only practicing for my 3 theory tests up to that point, it was a huge relief to do something a little different.

I also found out that I wasn't going to be driving minibuses. I'd be driving some pretty big local buses - which came as a bit of a surprise, but I was up for the challenge. The next day, on the 2nd May, I received some pretty bittersweet news from Highways England. I was successful and had made it to the second round of interviews.

I was asked to come in for a face-to-face interview. I had been in contact with Highways since October 2021 (2 years and 7 months) and had been chasing the Traffic Officer position ever since - passing my manual driver's licence and moving off the Isle Of Wight primarily for that reason.

It stung because I had a clear-shot opportunity to work in my dream-job...

I suppose it felt like turning it down felt like a wasted opportunity - the door is wide open for me, calling my name...

But Vectare had my heart - I was under contract - and as much as I love Highways, it wasn't worth £3000 for a shot in the dark.

Come to think about it, I'd rather cruise in a coach around the Italian coast than be hurled abuse whilst it's pissing it down in the British Summer.

Dreams can change - and I can still work for them, maybe after I've been to Italy and back for a few years.

More importantly, it was finally my first payday, for the first time since September 2023, I was finally being given money that I earnt with my own hard work. and boy did it feel sweet.

Returning to the housing side of things, on the 7th May, myself and my landlord (and the guy I was messaging on OpenRent) agreed that the big day would be the 10th May.

And indeed was it a big day - in the morning, just before work, I picked up the keys to my first property - a bloody proud moment in my life.

Later that day, I was picking up the mattress I ordered earlier in the week.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't fit in my car and I would have to wait until Monday for it to be delivered. It wasn't too much bother as I was out all weekend.

Also on that day, my driving licence returned from being meddled around with the DVLA - I was now officially the holder of a provisional Category D-Licence.

That weekend (11th - 12th May) I returned to the Isle Of Wight to collect as much as would fit in my car - and indeed the property.

On Monday (13th) May I found out that the room was just the perfect size to fit my rig, a bed-side table and my bed-base/mattress.

My PC logged no data for 4 months...

Admittedly, in the beginning, there were teething issues, but they ended up being incredibly valuable learning experiences I certainly wouldn't have got otherwise.

The property came unfurnished - a chance to make the room TRULY mine (without the use of a drill of course).

Over the course of the next week or so (10th - 20th May) I whittled through the "problems", and slowly, little by little my room became a home.

10th May - Empty Room 13th May (8am) - Unloaded car with things from Isle Of Wight

13th May (8:45am) - Computer booted up for first time since 14th January

13th May (9am) - Rig is set up (Monitor not working)

13th May (1pm) - Bed Frame & Mattress arrive (and are placed) 13th May (5pm) - Attempted to fix monitor with VGA Cable

14th May (7:30am) - Lampshade from home is fitted

14th May (10am) - WE HAVE SIGNAL!

14th May (10:30pm) - Curtains fitted! (bought wrong size earlier) 14th May (10:30pm) - First night spent in room!

15th May (4:45pm) - Fixed monitor (I was being an idiot)

16th May (9am) - 1 Month working at Vectare!

18th May (5pm) - Bought WiFi Adapter USB (PC doesn't have WiFi Adapter)

20th May (8:45pm) - The iRacing download began.

20th May (5pm) - Bought a Stronger WiFi adapter because I was getting pitiful signal

It was just so incredible to see it all come together - on the 15th April (my 4th month in Harlow) - I didn't have a job or house - and now all my stuff was in a place I call home.

The highs just kept coming as I passed my theory, hazard perception and Driver CPC (Certificate Of Professional Competence) with flying colours - even managing a 97% score on one! (And admittedly scraping past the Driver CPC!

It honestly feels like a rollercoaster - January to April was that horrible bit at the start, you're chugging up a steep slope - it feels like you're grinding away and you're not making any progress - and finally I'm reaping the rewards and I'm at the crazy, fast downhill section everyone's all been waiting for.

I think the climax of it all was when I finally got everything on my PC working enough to do my first race on the 22nd May. I've been having a 128 day (4 months, 1 week) iRacing hiatus that finally came to a close and despite having a bit of a dodgey connection (hopefully sorted now) it was a thrilling race - and now I can practice for the next!

As for work? On the 20th May I finally got to drive a bus for the first time - it was certainly an experience - but I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

But it's a lot more work than driving a car! Currently, it's just working on the bits that need improving.

In the meantime I missed:

• iRacing: Daytona 24 Hours, Bathurst 12 Hours, Sebring 12hrs, Nurburgring 24 Hours
  

• iRacing Season 1, 2024 (Week 6 - 12) (Jan - Mar)

• iRacing Season 2, 2024 (Week 1 - 10) (Mar - May)

• iRacing Week 13 & adding rain (5th March)

• iRacing Nurburgring Endurance Championship (Round 1 - 3)

• iRacing Creventic Endurance Series (Round 1)

• iRacing V8 Supercars @ Le Mans for the first time in 4 years

• UK Sim Racing League (Round 1 - Round 6) (Whole Season)

• FTR League (Round 1 - Round 6) (Whole Season)

• Motorsport UK Official Esports (Round 1 - Round 4) (Whole Season)

• Evolution Sim Racing (ESR) League (Round 4 - 9)

• Evolution Sim Racing (ESR) Season 4 (Round 1 - 9) (Whole Season)

• Varano MX-5 League (Round 1 - Round 10) (Whole Season)

• PRL League (Wasn't going to compete)

• RTA Endurance Series (" ")

• Pancake Day (No pancakes!) (14th Feb.)

• The release of Le Mans Ultimate (20th Feb.)

• 2nd Anniversary of the Ukraine War (24th Feb.)

• Lukas Graham Concert (22nd Mar.)

• British GT @ Oulton Park