Bus Driver

Why Did You come back to Work at First again?

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Welcome back? Really?

Everyone is surprised and asks me, “Why did you come back?” After hearing this question many times, I decided to start a personal blog where I can explain the reasons in more detail, for those who are interested.

You might think there are several reasons, but that wouldn’t satisfy the curiosity of those who thrive on juicy gossip.

The truth is much more complex and nuanced.

Depending on the type of friendship or collegial relationship we had before, everyone asks this question with a different tone of voice and a different facial expression. My “close” friends and colleagues greeted me with a smile. In their voices, I didn’t detect any unwanted thoughts or judgment. Some people, who weren’t part of this close circle, almost greeted me with a smirk and a mocking smile. It was clear they thought, “I knew it wouldn’t work out,” and they grinned at me. Naturally, there were people with whom I had “only” a professional relationship, who simply wanted to know what was going on. This is a completely normal reaction. There are a few older colleagues who haven’t even said “Hi” in the past 15 years. Even now, they were completely indifferent to my return, for the third time in a row.

Is it worth explaining the reasons behind my return? Perhaps it’s better to start with why I left First two years ago. The reason is extremely simple: MONEY. Everyone is looking for a way to earn a bit more or to find better working conditions. Those who say they aren’t are either lying, or they are so disillusioned with their job that they are not interested in anything anymore.

Bill Plant Driving School

I saw an advert offering £600-800 a week as a driving instructor.

 I had a teaching diploma from Hungary, I knew how to drive, and I knew the rules well enough, so I thought, why not give it a try?

I’ll write about how this turned out in a subsequent post. I resigned from First two years ago. After successfully completing all the exams, I handed in my resignation.

The new job was great, and I enjoyed every minute. However, if I wanted to earn money, I had to work more than before because of the high franchise fees, insurance, and other expenses. A year later, when I had to pay taxes, it turned out that I was only earning a little more than before. At that point, I didn’t enjoy the job as much, but I kept at it.

Bill Plat Driving School learner car Volkswagen T-Cross
Bill Plat Driving School learner car Volkswagen T-Cross

This is my brand new learner car. After one year 26k miles in it.

Hospital

Hospital picture

As a new driving instructor, you have to take the ADI Standards Check. I was diagnosed with appendicitis and was out for three days. After a week, I developed an internal infection which put me out of action for another two weeks. After a week of bed rest, I had a relapse and spent another two weeks in bed. After that, I was discharged for home care with a plastic plug in my stomach. It took about ten days before I could walk properly again. Unfortunately, my DVSA exam was scheduled during that time. Despite multiple emails and sending medical certificates, they were unwilling to reschedule my test.

Result

The result was that I immediately lost the right to teach students. My students wanted me to continue teaching, but I couldn’t. I returned the paid tuition fees, and the training car, without a scratch. I should note that if I don’t teach, I don’t earn money at all, but every loan and other costs still have to be paid. You can imagine how much of a financial loss it is to be on sick leave at home. This is my story about why I came back.

Blood Pressure sensor

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Istvan