Olivia celebrates again, in Tibet

Thursday 21st August, 2008 - £8,078.83 in debt…

If you’re a reader of my blog (and, let’s face it, you are), I know that you’ll have followed my progress studiously and will remember every single post with dewy-eyed fondness. So you’ll recall that, at the end of June, I featured a text service that I’d applied for a home-based job with. No - not that one. This one.

My focus was on Texperts - a service that promises to answer any question, using home-based researchers who search a dedicated database and the internet to find the answers. It seemed like a great way to make extra money in the evenings and weekends when I’m not busy with other stuff.

The application process was online - I completed it, passed it (eventually) and now I await my call-up. What I didn’t tell you, my esteemed reader, was that I also applied for a job with AQA a few days later.

AQA (Any Question Answered) is the same kind of service, run by IssueBits. The application consists of an emailed set of ten questions you must answer within a given timeframe. Some are fairly easy, some are a bit more creative, and some are rock hard (my worst was a quandary of probability and logic that took me 22 hours to answer. Don’t tell AQA).

Four days after I sent the application form back, I received a rejection email telling me to try again in six months’ time. “Ah well - better luck next time” I thought, while choking back bitter tears of disappointment and grief.

But what should ping into my inbox yesterday? An email from AQA: “I hope that you received the AQA offer email, FAQ document and contract. As I have not heard back from you yet, I can only assume that you are no longer interested in the position. However, if this is not the case then please get in touch.”

Quick as a gazelle, I emailed back to say that I thought I’d been rejected. I’ve had no explanation of what happened, but AQA has sent me a new acceptance email and a contract! I’ve signed and posted it back, and should receive a welcome pack and some training over the next couple of weeks!

So, I’ve started planning a holiday, got a £25 refund I didn’t know I was entitled to, and lined up a third job. I think this is what they call a good week.