Friday 11 June 2010

Return of the Interview...

Ah, the 'second interview' Blog post....here it is, all in a beautifully designed new layout that Gym Ninja is trying on for size. It is doing it for you? The layout?

Ok, so as you may all be aware, last week Gym Ninja was interviewed by a midget with regard to working freelance out of a chavvy health club?  Yep? Remember?  You will also recall that Gym Ninja had agreed to return the following week to view the 'Land of the Inbred' Health Club that the Midget aka Boy of 12 (as he was called in the last blog post)  thought Gym Ninja would be 'perfect for'.

:-/

Cheers. How is that good?

It was touch & go as to whether Gym Ninja could even be bothered driving to the interview. After all, the location was rubbish, the Health Club chain seemed a little too chavtastic and of course there was the whole 'Compulsory course costing a few hundred pounds issue' GN also didn't agree with. WAS there much point going...? Ah...it's not like Gym Ninja had anything better to do.

So, armed with many more questions craving answers, off Gym Ninja headed to the Land of the Inbred, having left strict instructions to friends that if they hadn't heard back from Gym Ninja by noon, then the locals had made soup out of her bones & hung her skin on the wall for decorative purposes and they were to raise the alarm........

As Gym Ninja walked into the Health Club, she spied Boy of 12 talking to a big slab of lumbering maleness. Oh. That'd be 'the other' Personal Trainer that also suits the club then.
FFS!

As Gym Ninja walked over, Slab Man scuttled off, his eyes darting around under his overhanging inbred brow bone.  Boy of 12 stood up. Apparently. Hard to tell when someone is as small as he is.

"Hi, nice to see you again. Did you have a look around the town before coming here?" Enquired Boy of 12.

What?
Venture into the town?  Are you CRAZY?

Gym Ninja shook her head, and the moment Boy of 12 asked her if she had any questions, off she went....

"This Course. The 'compulsory course' you must go on before working freelance for this club," Began Gym Ninja. "What exactly does it entail for the two days and hundreds of pounds it costs then?"

Boy of 12 smiled.
"Ah, well there is half a day spent learning how the computer side works plus what the company is about"...

Gym Ninja nodded and wafted her hands, encouraging him to continue.

"Then there is half a day on how to sell as a Personal Trainer" He petered out...

"Which I already know, having worked in sales for over 6 years" replied Gym Ninja, before wafting the Boy of 12 on again.

"Er, and the next day has some really useful stuff too, er...like....like how to run a business plus how to approach people"

"I kind of covered that in my PT course and to be honest if I found it hard to approach people I'd have not really stayed in sales for so long" Said Gym Ninja, struggling  to hide her true feelings.

"So, is the computer part of the course hard then?"

Boy of 12 shook his head. 'No, it's REALLY easy actually".

"So really, if I've already covered how to sell, how to run a business and how to approach people in my previous jobs, then you may as well just ring me and talk me through the easy computer stuff and I then won't need to pay hundreds for the course now will I?"
Gym Ninja smiled at the Boy of 12, who at this point had begun to look a tad flustered.

"Er, I see what you mean but it's proving to be really successful for the existing PTs and it's also to make sure you're all singing from the same hymn sheet" He stuttered. "There really isn't a way around NOT doing it to be honest. Why do you not want to do it?"

Gym Ninja looked back at Boy of 12. How small he was. He must get really tiny when he is in the distance...

"OK, so here are my thoughts. You 'say' that the first month working here is rent free, and yet you then insist that I have to attend a compulsory course that appears to be of no actual benefit to me, and yet costs over half of what the monthly rent would be anyway. You also say we are freelance and yet you want us all working the same way? So how is that giving ME the edge against my colleague if I have to say the same rubbish as him? So it's kind of coming across as a bit of a scam if I'm honest".

Boy of 12 squirmed.

"Another question I have", Continued Gym Ninja, 'Is about that top!"
Gym Ninja gestured to the baggy nylon fashion disaster that Boy of 12 was wearing.

"I think you said that I'd need to wear one of those horrid tops and actually also have to pay £25 for it. Is THAT right too?"

Boy of 12 looked sheepish and nodded.

"You see, I don't really 'do' baggy and I'd be wanting to wear my own company branded tops anyway. After all, I'm supposedly freelance remember. Your baggy top does not really match my company 'style' if I'm honest".

Boy of 12 was really struggling by now.

"Ah, but you have to wear one as it's the agreement we have with the Health Club for allowing you to work out of it! Plus, if you started at Starbucks you'd have to wear their tops and not your own."

At this, Boy of 12 looked triumphant.

"So it's a FRANCHISE you're selling me is it? Only you said it was freelance. Oh and I kind of thought the £500 fee every month was my sweetener to the Health Club for working out of it?"

By now, both Gym Ninja and Boy of 12 knew that stalemate had been reached. However Boy of 12 offered to show Gym Ninja around the Health Club, so off they went.

The gym was full of oddbods.
Hmm. Gym Ninja is guessing that the Inbred 'joke' isn't so much of a joke after all.
Boy of 12, having admitted defeat, was still trying to 'sell the benefits' of working from this venue.

"It's just been redecorated" He said.

That kind of sums up the best part of that particular venue. That is has just been redecorated.

"The last PT just left with no warning" Confessed Boy of 12 as he pointed at newly decorated parts of walls.

"Was he eaten by Locals?" Asked Gym Ninja, raising her eyebrow.

Boy of 12 looked a bit confused, so Gym Ninja decided she'd play nice from now on.  Moving back to the main reception area, Boy of 12 said he would pass on to Head office the feedback Gym Ninja had given him as to why the location and company wasn't suitable.  Gym Ninja then thanked him for his time, apologised for not wanting to go ahead with the arrangement, and just as she was leaving, heard a small voice shout...

"If you change your mind, call me? I mean, even if it's a few months down the line and you want to give it a go, give me a call yeh?"

Desperate? Much?

At that, Gym Ninja left behind Land of the Inbred and drove off into more 'human' territory....

Gym Ninja x