Not waving but drowning

The hardest part of these posts always seems to be the title! Once that is out of the way, the drivel seems to flow automatically. This weeks title didn't take a lot of thought-it sums up the way that I feel at present. The whole of the last week has seen me swamped by work (with more to come), during the week I submitted my first two pieces of written work to be looked at by my tutors. It should be stressed that neither piece is anything more than a dry run for a future assessment but I do believe that I should be doing this work to the best of my ability and not cut any corners because very soon it won't be for practise-it will be for real.

This week, we've also been given two group activities to be submitted sometime in the next month. I'm a little hazy on the details for these-it appears that part of the College web site is going to be given over to our groups (a group is the 3 or 4 other people who you've been allocated to sit at the same table with for each workshop-to give you a bit of a change, it's a different group each day-although the subject may change on a Tuesday you'll sit with the same people for it, whatever it is)

So in theory, you should have 4 different groups-one for each day we're at College-except the Tuesday group and the Friday groups are the same. Hey, don't ask me-I only work here....

Anyhow, we now have group stuff to prepare for Thursday and Friday and if I can develop a time machine then I'll have a look at it. Which brings me full circle to my opening point. Work and how to do it.

I started off at the beginning of the year doing too little and now I reckon I'm doing too much. I've mentioned before that a workshop is 2 1/2 hours long and should need about 6 hours prep. In that prep time you are expected to watch an I-tutorial (a lecture on CD rom) and make notes, then to read various parts of text books (and maybe make notes or maybe mark the book-whatever floats your boat-except I hate to desecrate books...) then to do the pre workshop exercises-normally problem solving or checking the law and then to do 'test and feedback' a series of between 8 and 15 questions on the CofL website.

As well as you receiving feedback the moment you have finished, the tutor will receive your score-see what questions the class has flubbed and at what time the test was taken (for all those last minute Johnnies and Janies).
The problem that I'm having is the sheer amount of time that I'm spending doing the note-taking. This week I've worked from 7am-12 noon on my 4 days 'in' and from 7am-5pm on my days 'off'. The theory being that I then can take Sunday off and not have a breakdown.

Except. Yet again this week I had to work on Sunday morning-it was a relatively short sesh (only from about 8:15 to 12:15-4 hours, nothing but a brief sprint). Only problem is that gives a rough count of 54 hours for this week...

I would cut down a bit, only this was probably my best week so far (maybe that extra work is telling?)

Monday-Property law was excellent, I felt in control and able to answer any questions chucked my way (good job too, this one's with my personal tutor). In fact considering that most of the room seemed hung over and exhausted-it was lucky that one of us was compost mentis (and yes, I know that's wrong-it was done for comic effect-I do that a lot (and it covers up my stupidity nicely!))

Tuesday-our last accounts session. To test our knowledge, we were set end of year figures to sort out. I was the first one to correctly finish that and then also mopped up the two follow-up exercises and actually drained the tutor of work! So, she told me that I could leave if I wanted.

Hells Teeth, NO.

There was some serious gloating to be done! In truth I would like to think that I was on hand to selflessly help my tablemates (who are all lovely young ladies-which is a bonus) but I know at heart I can be an insufferable egomaniac so there was probably a teeny bit of gloating...

This was followed by picking up my Council tax exemption certificate (24 hours after paying my previous bill). It looks dead impressive-I've got two degrees that look nowhere near as good.

Then into Business law large lecture, company part 2. I missed part 1 last week due to probonoing but was delighted to find a nice, easy lecture (just like the old days). Dull, very dull but safe and above all simple. And it's a proper lecture too-there were about 60 of us present in one room just taking notes and laughing in the right places for the tutor. And best of all-no prep needed! Hurrah!

**Note to self**

Really must get some time to write my Company law notes up neatly...

Wednesday-worked like a dog (but nowhere near as cute) and got the back of my letter writing assessment done. **cough** You can tell when I'm lying-the keyboard moves.

Thursday-my dreaded civil litigation class (deep sigh). But I did OK-even got a 'very good' from the tutor.

After I had been picked up from the floor and set back in my chair

And then we come to Friday-I woke up a little bit early. 'Perhaps some nerves about handing in this letter writing assessment' you say? Au Cointreau (see, done it again). If you want to see nerves, wait until the real exams-I can guarantee that I'll not be getting a minutes sleep, forget this waking up early-that implies some rest! No, it'll be tossing and turning all night. I am a bit of a turner by nature **cough**

No, Friday was in fact the second of our interviewing workshops. Yes, more fantastic roleplay-seated in pairs in a room with 7 other pairs all trying to be heard. For the last session I had been paired with a delightful and talented young lady whose voice is just slightly quieter than a sparrows fart. So when she spoke with all that background din-I could hear jack, not a sausage. (maybe a sound like gas escaping-but that could have been the sparrow). This made it doubly tricky since my questions should 'open her up' and get at the truth-which was pretty close to impossible.

So this time, I arrived really early and sat in an obvious spot and hoped (no, prayed) that someone would come in on their own and I could pair up with them. But no, everyone turned up with their 'partner' and I sat there getting increasingly worried-and lo an angel appeared! Well, no-it was the young lady with the sofly spoken larynx-positively looking forward to working with me again.

Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!

(I can never spell that right, is it 14 or 15 'g's?) The upshot is I was rubbish. I can do the intro and end bits-I can ask good questions and open up the client to reveal their concerns but I can apply the law to the problems as well as I can fly unaided. (for those of you who don't know me that means not at all well).

My partner was fantastic-still very quiet but positive and she will definitely get there (provided it's a quiet room and there is no background noise-like an ant walking 20 feet away) but I was 'rabbit in the headlights' stuff. I froze for the whole workshop-the tutor very wisely decided not to press me on any of his questions because I may have been tempted to rub my paws against my ears-and don't talk to me about pellets....

Saturday-worked like a dog again (smell was the same, similiarities end there). Before I started I thought, 'hmm, little bit of consolidation and two workshops to prep for-When I finish early-I'll do a bit of company law'

Oh, how fate laughs in my face! After nearly 10 hours I had done my consol and the first of the workshops...(I really must get this sorted out soon or I'll be a basket case by Christmas)

So we come to Sunday and the second of those workshops-the exciting new field of Tax Revenue Law. Yes, not content with plagueing us with accountancy, we now have to take our fledgling skills and work out income tax for various (middle class) hypothetical examples (all owning their own business's, picking up substantial income from investments and dividends and rents).

Anyhow at just past 12 I had to stop because I was in danger of bashing my laptop out of frustration at phrases like.

'the dividend income is the income from dividends'

and I did want to have a bit of a break, just one day a week. Is that too much to ask for?

Just asking like, don't mean anything by it...