I also applied locally to schools in Melbourne and I had several interviews. One interview was in Canberra at Canberra Grammar. I drove up and stayed the night at my own expense. I never told them that I had come specifically to Canberra to look for a job. I felt I looked too desperate. I was.

I didn’t get a job offer.

I also applied for Geelong Grammar as an English teacher. Another farsical interview:The interview seemed to go ok considering the interviewers didn't seem to know what they were doing, but for some reason I wasn't confident of the outcome. I was really riled when they didn't even bother to notify me if my application had been successful or not! I phoned the school to register my disgust and was fobbed off several times. Eventually the Head, having come back from a trip overseas where he was in fact being interviewed himself, phoned and apologised on behalf of his underlings for not notifying me earlier: sour grapes? or a small victory for professionalism, I'm not sure...

I also had a disastrous interview at Swinburne University where two  amateurish ESL females about half my age giggled  and bantered away to each other throughout the interview. Again it was an English language job. I always find interviews for English positions demeaning. The quality of the professionals in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Australia, as anywhere else, is very low – many part-time housewives trying to get back into the labour market without qualifications looking for a job. My interviewers at Swinburne asked me questions like “How would you teach vocabulary ?".

I felt like saying ‘Let me show you how I can tie my shoelaces’

Such questions are very difficult to answer without having a context and knowledge of the students.

I was enraged by this type of interview. I had many more like it in Queensland. I even had one where I subsequently discovered that I hadn’t been given the job because the Director of Studies, whose Father owned the Language College –  didn’t like my clip-on glasses. I must admit I did look a bit like Mickey mouse in the interview!

The disappointments just kept coming one after the other.

I went to Hobart for a science job. The Head seemed to be not in the slightest bit interested in me. I think this was more than just his Australian lack of curiosity.( I have observed many Australians seemed to lack the most basic curiosity about people –especially their personal and professional history.) In this case, I suspect he had already talked to the Chairman  on the phone.

The biggest disappointment of all was at Presbyterian Ladies College. I knew the Head there - a dour, but honourable Scot. I had met him a few times in a professional capacity and, as we got on well, he invited me to apply for the position of Curriculum Coordinator at his school. I went to the first interview and did ok. I then got a second interview with himself which was a disaster. because, by this time, my confidence had almost evaporated entirely and and I  was losing a little more each day with each letter of rejection and failed interview.. For the first time ever at an interview I had an attack of nerves – a complete ‘blankout’ with the Scot. I remember him asking me what role did I think English played in the curriculum. Such a simple question, and he was almost apologetic about asking it. I could have given a quite comprehensive answer. But in the circumstances I just sat there like a stunned mullet and mumbled incoherently.

After the interview I returned home in despair.

I think it was at this point that I started to change my attitude towards the whole Australian experience. Up until then I was still positive about the long term prospects. But at this point , prolonged experience of negative emotions and a maelstrom of negative energy found its expression building inside me as antipathy to Australia. Perhaps this was the only way my ego could cope with the pressure–by projecting this negativity onto some inanimate construct such as 'Australia'

But perhaps this was  better  than projecting my antipathy  it onto persons , or even onto myself? .The mind plays tricks when stressed. I sought counselling.

I have to confess that in spite of my best efforts, this antipathy to ‘Australia’ has never entirely disappeared.

I still harbour resentments. This is a great disappointment to me as I like to pride myself on having survived and had a positive experience of the nine countries in which I have lived. in my my antipathy and resentment to Australia I saw my own failure.

Immediately after this interview  I had arranged to fly to Chiang Mai in Thailand to visit my friends.
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I had to get away from everything. I had to get away from Melbourne –Australia even. Marie and the children had gone to Mexico and I couldn't face being alone any longer in Melbourne. Living literally within sight of the school and not receiving so much as a phone call from anyone was driving me to despair.

When I was in Chiang Mai I received a fax from the Scotsman telling me that I hadn't got the job. I was devastated but couldn't show it too much with my friends around. While I was in Chiang Mai my friend  suggested I apply by fax for a job as Head of an International school in Chile. When I got back to Melbourne, I received a fax inviting me to interview in Londo for the Chile job. The fax said I was one of three candidates. Harry was able to tell me that Gabbitas Truman and Thring felt I had a chance . I booked my ticket to London but as the departure date came closer I became more and more nervous about wasting money on such a trip. I got cold feet. I lost my nerve and on the morning of my flight I drove to the airport and cancelled my ticket (no internet in those days, and no refund!).

It was now about October or November and I was becoming desperate. The smoothoperator  had arrived in Melbourne and had made no effort to contact me just like all the rest. I guessed he  would last about six months. As it turned out I was not far wrong.

The school had "paid me out" but only on condition that I 'leave the country' .  I didn't do that,  but  I could not create too much fuss.

Around Christmas I applied for a job in El Salvador as IB Coordinator. I indicated on my application that I would be prepared to go to London for interview  (and pay for my flight. I was becoming desperate). I was invited to interview, and when I got there I was interviewed by Mr. Nondescript. I can't remember what he looked like  The interview went well. But, for some reason I didn't feel confident I was going to be offered the job by Mr. Nondescript. I never actually let him know that I had travelled all the way form Australia for an interview. Again I didn’t want them to know I was desperate. 

I stayed with friends in Essex  At the end of the interview Mr.  nondescript had  told me he would let me know the outcome before I went back to Australia. As I waited, I met old friends from Colombia.  By a coincidence, it turned out that my friend  had been one of the other two candidates for the job in Chile ! He didn't get it either! I heard nothing from Mr. Nondescript before the end of the conference, and  I was so furious I sped into London to find him. He had already checked out of his hotel and no doubt was nearby at the ECIS recruitment fair.

London:ECIS recruitment Fair

I arrived at the fair and went to see the Secretary of the ECIS, and asked him if he would mind me looking for Mr. Nondescript. The secretary  had no problem with this and I found a rather sheepish looking Mr Nondecript not far away. I nailed him and asked him why he had not contacted me and enjoyed watching him squirm - one of the many millions of people who say they will ‘get back to you’ and don’t bother . 

By another amazing coincidence at this conference I ran into the Yorkshireman  again! He was recruiting for his school in Portugal . He told me that he knew of a Director who was looking for a Head of Secondary in the International School of Lusaka in Zambia. Was I interested? Well, Yes, I was! The Director’s name was Funky.  So, I spent the next two days interviewing with Fuunky,  and within 48 hours I had been offered a job.!

I was ecstatic. He wanted me to start immediately but I managed to arrange with Funky that I start in Lusaka in July. This gave me six months to pack up in Sutherland Street. Why six months? I don't know why I insisted on this six month wait but I suspect it was a lack of confidence in myself to start immediately –I was too close to the recent  traumas  experiences to want to throw myself into the fray straight away. I needed time to rest and psyche myself up. Meanwhile we would stay on the dole.