Last sem I was thinking about my accommodation for the next academic year and so I applied for RA which, as you all may know, I did not get through. This sem I was thinking about the same thing and so I did the same thing again, and to my biggest joy, I got through. With free accommodation comes a set of training days which I happily agreed to during the interview (to create an impression I was willing to do ANYTHING for it), but little did I know then how much trouble could entail.
This sem I was also wondering about ways to keep my summer holidays occupied apart from RA responsibilities, and so I applied to RIPE, which is essentially an undergrad research internship programme. There was a period of silence which prompted me to make some plan B, and so I thought what better way to spend my remaining days of freedom than to be home with my dearest family. So, I bought my two-way air ticket home, from 16th to 28th May.
As sudden as a stroke may be (okay LOUSY analogy but read on) I received news about my internship offer by the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences today, which nearly sent me jumping in ecstasy in the middle of Bugis Junction. Mind you, it is part of A*STAR which so coincidentally happens to be my biggest dream of the century (exaggeration yes). Then, I realized the internship spans from 17th May to 30th July.
BIG PROBLEM.
If I go for the internship (I must stress that I really want to work in A*STAR) I can't go home (I must emphasize that this is the LAST chance of me going home before I officially become an RA). So I emailed and called the HR personnel to seek permission for me to start my internship later, which is after 28th May. This is seriously a long shot because I am only an intern (and everybody knows interns are like at the bottom of the hierarchy) and AS AN INTERN I am asking to start work 11 days late. I won't be surprised if the HR supervisor is pissed and totally reject me.
But IF he/she doesn't reject me on the account that he/she miraculously sees my burning yearn to work with them, I am presented with another set of problem - my check out/in & commencement of my RA term on 8th June, and a series of RA training from 14th to 16th and 19th June. This means that on the days mentioned, I am not able to work AT ALL since those days are compulsory for new RAs. So assuming I still get to work at ICES I will have to ask for a total of FOUR days of leave shortly after I start work.
WHERE GOT INTERNS TAKE LEAVE SO SOON AND TAKE SO MANY DAYS OF LEAVE IN THEIR FIRST WORKING MONTH ONE!
If I totally piss the HR in-charge off because of my plentiful demands, I am really not surprised at all. I mean, he/she has every right to be mad at me.
And well done Ivy, for ruining your prospects of working at ICES after graduation should the above scenarios happen.
So here I am, hoping for a miracle to miraculously appear before me.
