Monday 11 August 2008

Back to School


Barmaid remembers perhaps a little too vividly, the sinking feeling that she felt when the Summer holidays were drawing to a close and it was soon to be time for the dreaded lop-sided fringe haircut, embarrassingly bad new shoes (that Mum thought were 'nice and smart') and back to school. With BVC drawing ever nearer and last minute doubts setting in, BM feels ill prepared and anxious again. She's had six years of LLB to prepare, but somehow it isn't enough and there is always that area of law that she knew that she'd studied at some point, but can't for the life of her remember a thing about it.



To make matters worse, her provider has kindly banked the BVC fees and gone into silent mode, despite desperate attempts by BM to talk to someone, anyone! Barmaid has no idea about what time to turn up, who to ask for, or what she will need to take with her (perhaps a new jotter covered in wall paper will suffice)? Oh well, if she cannot arrange train tickets because of THEM, she'll just have to travel in style and bring Bar-Os into class with her, she can't leave him outside, he'll get clamped.

9 comments:

Swiss Tony said...

Barmaid, I can only assume that you are going to a different provider then the good myself, as they are sending a limo for me.

I wonder if your sinking feeling matches my sick to the pit of my stomach feeling!

Barmaid said...

That's more like it Swizz, but tell your driver to treat the mounds of Bar-Os muck as roundabouts.

Swiss Tony said...

Barmaid, if my suspicion is right about your provider, I think you will find that they will be shoveling it up as quickly as Bar-O does it and issuing it as text books.

Barmaid said...

Text books, text books, from what I gather, we don't get any text books(only the full-timers get them). We get 'special' photocopied extracts, bet your jealous now! But really, it's pretty shocking, all that dosh and we don't get the manuals, I'd have thought if anything, part-timers would rely on books more because we won't have as much contact with the tutors.I bought myself a second hand set of ICSL manuals a few months back, just in case it's true.
I haven't got a private mail facility on my blog, but Bar Boy has if you want to have a private chat with him, he did ask me a few weeks back if I knew which provider you were going to. You could also settle a 'family' argument as to which part of the country you are from. He reckons your a suvverner, but me thinks different.

Alternatively, if you want to email me via the blog with an email address for your good self, I will not publish it, all messages are moderated by moi.

Minx said...

Maid,

I cant see that the provider would be so utterly bloody CHEEKY as to provide you merely with photocopied extracts of the manuals - that would be an absolute INSULT, given the ammount of money you have just shelled out! I was a part time BVC student and got the full WHACK of ISCL manuals plus Archbolds plus the White Book, as well as bound and prepared materials; I would take a VERY BIG Bag with you on your first day, just to be on the safe side.My provider went silent when it grabbed my wonga, too, but came up trumps in the end, so I wouldn't worry TOO much as of yet.

Look on your feelings of anxiety as excitement! everyone is in the same boat, and a veneer of confidence, even if not exactly felt deep in side, can work wonders!

If you take Bar-Os with you ,you might be able to set up a nice little sideline in flogging hair thats fallen out of his tail/mane for stitching into wigs. Besides, you CAN'T leave him outside - you must take him to classes, because he will frequently make more sense than some of your cohort!!!

Barmaid said...

I did wonder if Ede and Ravenscroft would make me a wig out of Bar-Os's hair, he could escort me into court on top of my head and no one would ever know he was there.

Poor Bar-Os knows as much, if not more about law as me, he too has had to listen to my ramblings for the past few years, my law books have all got his teeth marks on them, guess he thought if he ate them, I'd shut up.

Anonymous said...

Barmaid, not sure where you are studying, however if it is BPP rest assured that you will get the full range of books - we got Archbold, Blackstones, White Book and various other texts. In fact we got new books each year, so ended up with two lots of books.

Don't expect to hear anything from your provider until closer to the start of term. To be fair they will have only just finished with all the resiters and many members of staff will be on leave now.

Enjoying the blog and best of luck with the BVC.

Barmaid said...

Thanks Nin, today I am a little more optimistic despite provider calling this morning to say that I hadn't paid my course fees, when in actual fact I have. They apologised and blamed it on the BACS system, which is quite odd, seeing as I paid by cheque:-) They then put me through to someone else who didn't know anything at all about finance.

I have a feeling that some of 'us' grumpy old buggers will have something to say to provider, if things don't improve on the customer relations/admin side of things.

Barmaid said...

Just to let those of you who I keep in touch with by private email, I have no email facility at the moment, it seems that the main server at some HQ somewhere has been down for 3 days, can someone please pop along there and put 50p in the meter, I've got loads of correspondence to catch up on :-)