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Situations vacant
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3710
Author:  Secret Santa [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:17 am ]
Post subject:  Situations vacant
Rosalie Dene paused nervously for a moment. This would be the first job interview she’d ever been to in her life: she’d been working for the Russells ever since leaving secretarial college and if she were offered this position it was going to be very strange telling them and Hilda Annersley that she was leaving. Still, she was determined that it was time for a change, and when she’d seen this position advertised in the Situations Vacant column of a secretarial magazine she took she’d sent off her application straight away. She hadn’t even had to check the address when posting her letter: she’d sent correspondence there often enough over the years, after all.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A voice bade her enter and, as she did so, a big man seated behind a desk rose and shook her hand. “How do you do, Miss Dene? Do take a seat, please: make yourself comfortable. I hope you had a pleasant journey here?”

Rosalie sat down in the chair he’d indicated, feeling considerably less nervous now that her possible future employer had given her such a warm welcome. She’d wondered whether she might not find being in the presence of such a well-known individual a little intimidating; she should have known better, really. “How do you do? And the journey here was very pleasant indeed, thank you very much. I couldn’t believe how quick it was. Thank you so much for arranging transport for me: I don’t know how I’d have got here otherwise.”

“We are a little isolated here, but that’s the way we like it! The workshop operates round the clock at our busiest time of year and I’m not sure that’d be very popular with the neighbours if we had any.” The big man laughed and Rosalie found herself laughing with him. “Now, to business!” he said. “Now, you’ll understand that in my line of work I get a tremendous amount of mail, and so I’m looking for someone who’s used to dealing with correspondence. And knowledge of more than one language would be a big advantage, because we get letters here from all over the world.”

“Oh – I’m fully trilingual,” Rosalie assured him. “I speak English, French and German fluently. I’ve got the odd smattering of other languages as well. As for dealing with post, I do that every day: I’m more than used to it. We get an awful lot of mail where I work at the moment as well – nothing like you’ll get here, obviously, but a fair amount all the same.”

“Well, that sounds very hopeful indeed!” He looked down at the notes on his desk. “Now; the other main task will be typing lists. It’s very, very important here that lists are kept up to date and that nobody’s name ends up on the wrong one, as I’m sure you can imagine. There are the two main lists, obviously, and once those are sorted out there are the lists of what’s to be delivered to where. Is typing lists something that you’ve got any experience of, Miss Dene?”

Rosalie almost burst out laughing. Did she have any experience of typing lists? All those lists of who was going on which expedition! And did she ever get to go on any of them? She never even got to go on one of the weekend rambles! Not to mention form lists, dormitory lists, lists of who was to be met where on the journey to and from school at the start and end of each term, lists of which prefects were to accompany which group on which walk … did she have experience of typing lists?!! “I do, yes,” she said, somehow managing to keep her face straight. “In my present job I have a lot of experience of typing lists. An awful lot.”

“Good!” The big man beamed at her. “Well, this all sounds most excellent so far, Miss Dene! I’m sorry – where is it that you work at the moment again? I know that you sent me a copy of your CV, but I’m afraid that it got … ahem, a little chewed.” He sighed. “I’m afraid that we’ve been having a few problems with rotas and so on, and so the person who was down to deal with the afternoon feed was also down to be in the workshop and didn’t realise that he’d been double-booked, and one of the fellows who brought you here came in looking for something to eat and … er, you wouldn’t by any chance know anything about the best way of making out timetables?”

“Oh, but I do!” Rosalie assured him. “I deal with staff rotas and timetables all the time: I’ve been working in a school for years. On the Gornetz Platz in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.”

“Ah, I know the Gornetz Platz!” her interviewer exclaimed. “We do an awful lot of deliveries there. Some very big families in that area. There’s one house in particular … we’re always glad when we’ve been there, I can tell you, because there’s always so much more room once we’ve dropped their stuff off! And you work in a school, you say?”

Rosalie nodded. “We take pupils from Kindergarten age through to eighteen, and there’s a finishing branch as well.”

“Ah – a very wide range of ages.” He nodded. “So you’re well used to children – you know what sort of things they’re interested in? Books, toys, those sorts of thing?”

“Well, yes, I suppose I do!” Rosalie said.

He beamed at her. “I must say, Miss Dene, that you seem to be just what we’re looking for! The only thing is that with working in a school I don’t suppose you’ve got any experience of ordering materials, have you? For the sort of thing we’d need for the workshop, I mean. Still, I’m sure you’d pick that up soon enough.”

“Oh, but I order materials all the time!” Rosalie exclaimed. “We have a Hobbies Club: the pupils make things for the school’s annual Sale. They make dolls’ houses and jigsaws and all sorts of other toys, and I order the materials for all those.”

“Well, this just gets better and better! Oh – just one more thing. The climate here: it does tend to be rather cold, and getting about on the snow and ice can be a bit of a problem if you’re not used to it. Would that you be an issue for you?”

“Not at all!” Rosalie assured him. “I’ve lived in the Alps for much of my life: I can skate and I can ski and I’m quite used to cold weather. It wouldn’t be an issue at all.”

The big man with the red suit and the big white beard got up from his chair and shook her hand warmly. “Miss Dene, I can safely say that you’re everything I’ve been looking for – number one on my wish list, in fact! It’s my pleasure to offer you the position of secretary here, and I very much hope that you’re going to accept it.”

“I do!” Rosalie jumped up and shook his hand warmly. “I definitely do!”

“Good! Well, that’s all settled then. I’ll ask Mrs Claus to get you a mince pie and a glass of sherry, if you’d like, and then I’ll ask the elves to get the sleigh out again so that the reindeer can take you back to Switzerland to make your arrangements. And then I’ll look forward to seeing you back here as soon as possible. Miss Rosalie Dene, welcome to the North Pole!”
Author:  Lottie [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 11:48 am ]
Post subject: 
What a lovely story! Rosalie's excellently suited to the job, and I imagine she'll get more appreciation of her efforts at the North Pole.

Thank you, Santa. :D
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 12:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
She's extremely well suited to that job, isn't she? :lol:


Thanks Santa.
Author:  Sugar [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 12:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Fantastic! :lol: Hope shes more appreciated by Santa too!
Author:  Fatima [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a perfect job for Rosalie!

Thanks Santa :D
Author:  Travellers Joy [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm jealous! :shock:
Author:  Rosalin [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
It seems to be the job she's been spending her whole life preparing for. And I'm sure she won't lose touch with her friends, given the number of children the Old Girls end up with. They'll be queuing up to visit her.

Thanks Santa.
Author:  Elbee [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
Such a perfect job for Rosalie :lol:

Thanks, Santa.
Author:  MaryR [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a wonderful job! :lol: How very clever of Rosalie.

Thanks, Santa.
Author:  linda [ Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
That was just the perfect job for Rosalie :lol: :lol: She has just the right experience. I am sure she could help Santa's life run smoothly.
Author:  Tara [ Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:37 am ]
Post subject: 
Wonderful! The job she was born for! :D
Author:  JackieP [ Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
Oh - wonderful - thanks Santa - hope Rosalie's just what you need.

JackieP
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
The perfect job indeed :lol:
Author:  Smile :) [ Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Santa :lol:
Author:  Sal [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:26 am ]
Post subject: 
:D :D Wow!! Thank you very much Santa, its brilliant and very nice for Rosalie too!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:38 am ]
Post subject: 
That was fantastic. Rosalie will be perfect for the job. Would love to see everyone's reaction when they hear where Rosalie is moving to
Author:  JustJen [ Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
That was wonderful!
Author:  Elle [ Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:38 am ]
Post subject: 
Very funny!
Author:  Kathy_S [ Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
She is incredibly well qualified! :lol:
Thank you, Santa.
Author:  Cathie [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
Wonderful!
Author:  Honor [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Santa. I've just found this and really enjoyed it as a belated Christmas treat!
Author:  Emilyc [ Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Situations vacant
I was just browsing about and tripped across this. Its brilliant. Asolutely perfect job for her. Lucky Santa but what on earth is the school going to do without her (please will someone cleverer than me write that story?)
Author:  JS [ Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Situations vacant
I've just found this too, thanks to Honor. Will Secret Santa reveal her identity?
Author:  Alison H [ Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Situations vacant
Secret Santa was me (what appalling English!), but it was ages ago and I'd forgotten all about it :lol: . Glad you liked it, though.
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