Today I was out on my Forza 750. I looked at the thermometer – it was 0 degrees, so I had to dress for it. That took a while. I was full of energy and raring to go, ready to start my assignment as a language mediator at the Jobcenter in Borna today. And I’d assumed this assignment would last three hours, from 9 to 12, because a few days ago I had a similar assignment and that one started at 9. And back then I’d wondered why the Jobcenter in Borna only opens at 9, while the Jobcenter in Leipzig already opens at 8. And I remember: in Borna, a few days ago, it really was the case that the doors only opened at 9 sharp to let you into the corridors leading to the rooms.
And when I got off my Forza just now at ten to nine and looked at my phone, I saw that I already had several missed calls from SprInt, my client, the project run by the RAA Saxony association. And on top of that I had an email saying that today’s assignment had been cancelled due to no-show. And of course I immediately realised my mistake: I’d mixed up the time, the start time. Today’s assignment didn’t begin at 9 but already at 8 – so it would have been four hours. Very important for me in my current situation, a very important source of income, because right now SprInt is actually the only source of income I still have at the moment. So of course that’s a big loss for me.
And when I then called and checked back with SprInt, SprInt told me it was too late, that they’d already gone to a great deal of trouble to send a replacement colleague to Borna today, and that I could now head back home from Borna to Leipzig empty-handed. And of course you could hear SprInt’s frustration in that short phone call, because understandably it’s not good with regard to their clients – and the Jobcenter is one of them, of course, one of their most important clients. So it doesn’t go down well when the person they’ve sent, in this case me, doesn’t show up and can’t be reached either. And on top of that, of course, I don’t have a hands-free kit on the motorbike, so I can’t be reached by phone.
And at first it was a bitter setback for me, because SprInt is still this last source of income for me. But then I thought: the difference isn’t that big anymore. It doesn’t really make that much of a difference now, because the end result won’t change. The end result is that the Russian assignments will soon disappear and I’ll have no source of income left – and of course, at the end of the day, for SprInt I’m just a number too. I’m a nobody. They won’t like hearing that, because of course at the RAA they’re all very social and very progressive and people-centred. But that doesn’t change the fact that SprInt also runs on the gig economy principle, and that I have no information at all about whether it’ll continue or how. There’s no feedback whatsoever. Yes, there are a few so-called further training seminars – which is worth a lot, of course, by comparison; there are a couple of seminars a year that you have to attend – but that’s it. And these seminars: they’re interesting here and there, but afterwards nothing else happens. There’s no exchange at all, zero. Then there’s just a year-end event where about 30 people out of the 150 or however many there are in total get together and chat, make small talk – but don’t talk about whether it’ll continue, how it’ll continue, whether there’s any participation, whether you have a say. None of that exists.
And that’s why I’m not so terribly sad now that I have these four hours to myself and can invest them in my future, because the system is coming to an end anyway. And of course the people – today’s Jobcenter clients who need the language mediation service –: yes, in the end it’s mainly about getting them into jobs that don’t actually exist. There are fewer and fewer jobs. I hear it more and more often from staff in public institutions, too: that the so-called job market isn’t recovering, that it’s getting harder, that more and more industries are collapsing. Yes, even industries that until two or three years ago were still considered future-proof and in demand, like electronics technicians, specialist electronics technicians, IT specialists – all of that is actually over now, it’s done, and this process is going to speed up enormously.
And here I am again with truthfulness, with honesty, and I say what I see, and I don’t hold back. I’m not afraid of being punished now with even fewer assignments – I mean, I can hardly get fewer assignments than I have now. That’s basically zero. Zero assignments. That’s where it’s heading, and then nobody at SprInt is going to say: “Oh, Torsti, you’ve achieved so much! You’ve been committed to us for three years, you’ve been to so many institutions, we’ve had almost nothing but positive feedback about you, and now we have the following perspective for you: we’d love to hear about your experience, your suggestions – how do you think we could tackle the next projects together?” All of that is an illusion; it’s not going to happen.
And that’s why today – I’m standing here in Borna right now, the sun is shining –: maybe it was a sign. Maybe it was meant to be, because today I’m going to put even more work into my website and move it forward. That really is an investment in the future, it moves our society forward, it gives me flow – and that’s why, in the end, it was actually quite good that I mixed up the start times today.
What do you take away from this thought?
Thank you. Every answer fits – take it with you into your day. Would you like to share something yourself?
