Well, this is damn embarrassing frankly.
Those who know me know I have been engaged in an increasingly frantic search for a job before my money ran out.
I have a small income, but from just about getting by, it dropped sharply late last year, and after looking like a recovery was on the way, mysteriously collapsed a few months ago.
So I’ve been looking for a replacement job.
After a dearth of interest, there finally seems to be more interest in my CV, and more interviews seem to be lining up, but there is a funding gap between now and the first wage packet that I simply cannot surmount any more.
Basically, I’m broke.
Some years ago, there used to be a “”buy me a beer” button on blogs, where people could hand over a few bob to the website. I’m putting one of those on there.
Not to buy me a beer, but to keep a roof over my head, and food on the plate. Which is bloody embarrassing, but that’s the situation I am in now.
If I were lazy, it wouldn’t change the financial situation, but at least I would know it is self-inflicted. However, I am utterly baffled about the past few months.
I work long hours, yet the the collapse in revenue at my current job is baffling. In fact, Google revised my expected AdSense income down last month by another 20%, which I have never seen them do before. From barely enough to a pittance. On top of everything else, that was catastrophic.
I also had no idea it would be so exceptionally difficult just to get an interview — otherwise I would have started looking for a job last summer, not early this year.
It has stunned me at the lack of interest in the many job applications I send off every day. A dispiriting process to be sure, but I have slogged away at it.
That extra work is why blogging quality hasn’t really been up to spec recently. Sorry about that, but job hunting does have the priority, and spending money on transport to visit places has been very low down the list.
Once I get a job, the frustration will seep away, I can relax again. Start traveling, and writing properly again. Things will get better.
In the meantime, as embarrassing as it is, I have to frankly, beg, and any contributions to keep things ticking over until that elusive first wage packet arrives will be deeply appreciated.
For technical reasons, this is to support Ian and the IanVisits blog.
Note, the link above wont appear in RSS feeds, please visit the website.
P.S. A link to my LinkedIn Profile just in case that leads to any job offers
Update: Thanks to everyone for the kind words, and the donations. They are deeply appreciated. I’ll respond to the donors privately to express my gratitude. It has been an immense help, and quite a special day.
You may already have seen and applied for this, but just in case I thought I’d post it. I can’t see all of your linkedin profile, so I apologise if it’s not appropriate.
http://www.just-eat.com/job/senior-copy-editor/
Ian,
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Big fan of your blog and all the hard work that goes into it. Have made a small donation, wish it could be more but I’m not exactly flush right now either! Hope things improve for you soon.
All the best Ian – this blog has been an excellent source of exploratory fun for me over the three years since moving to London. I hope your situation improves in the near future. Keep up the good work!
You have let me know about so many events and opened my eyes to parts of my city I didn’t know existed, I’m happy to help. Sorry it couldn’t be more. Hope you get something sorted out soon – am facing the same search in a couple of months. Good luck!
Hi Ian.
Huge fan of your blog. Thanks to you I have experienced so much more of London. All the best with the job search and don’t forget to buy yourself a beer…
Hi Ian
Sorry to hear about your troubles. We all have our highs and lows, so there’s nothing embarrassing about it. Hope you find something soon but do keep us updated!
All the best!
Your blog is great, more than happy to support! Hang in there, hope something comes up very soon.
I’m not sure if it’s relevant but the adsense block on your page is being rendered as a grey block for me.
Hope your situation improves soon! I love the blog 🙂
Well done for saying something as it’s clear many love your blog and want you to be able to continue doing what you do. Good luck with the job interviews.
Ian,
Spend a little time on buffing up your LinkedIn entry, including your full name and CV. It can be a good place for recruitment. Join appropriate groups and get your name put about. Ask everyone you know to go there and give you an endorsement or a recommendation. And if there is any time left over, devote it to bringing down the unelected neocon posh-boy government that has with malice aforethought put so many people in your position.
Good luck,
Clive Maier
It’s not embarrassing at all. I wish more of our top London bloggers (you, DG, etc) had the facility to receive a no-strings donation. We readers get a huge amount of enjoyment and information from your hard work, skill, and money you’ve spent in the past on travel and entry to attractions. It’s only right that we should be able to pay for the content you provide – we’re happy to do it for print newspapers and magazines, and we should be able to do so for good internet content. Good luck.
Without your blog there is no way I would have seen a helicopter fly through Tower Bridge, nor would I have been one of only about twenty people watching a massive firework display on the Thames one evening. Very happy to pay back a little.
Ian, thank you for all the invaluable information over the years which has allowed me to catch up with all sorts of surprising events and thank you also for publicising Fowlers Troop and the Deptford Jack in the Green and other activities. I hope you get work and money! I have put in a donation.
Best of luck, Ian. Even though I’m now living in Tokyo for six months, I still make an effort to check in every couple of days. No matter what you might think, IanVisits is still one of the best blogs in London.
I hope something will come up soon, and that my small donation will keep you ticking over until then.
Best
Chris
Ian, have you considered setting yourself up on Patreon? I’m sure there’s a large core of readers who’d be willing to be patrons to support your blog!
http://www.patreon.com/
Hey, there. Found you first on reddit, then twitter, signed up for your emails, and here we are. I’m in the States currently, but will be back in London from next week. My entire professional career over here has been spent as a broadcaster, so of course my first suggestion is “Have you ever considered selling advertising?” With your insider knowledge of London, I think you’d be a natural. Of course, everyone has suggestions for you, and I don’t want to just be piling on, so forget I said anything, and get on with your evening, hopefully being cheered by the fact that so many folks really adore what you do to the point of ‘putting their money where their mouth is’, to use a colloquialism popular in America.
Chin up! Thinking of you.
Cyn
Things I’d have missed without your blog/tweets/facebook page:
i) 150th tube anniversary steam trips
ii) Kirkaldy testing museum before it (hopefully doesn’t) close
iii) Tottenham Court Road station deep visit
iv) unexpected chance to visit the Thames Tunnel
so my small really doesn’t reflect the value of your work.
Best of luck with the job hunt.
Mike
Hi Ian,
Best of luck with the job search. I have sent a donation as a small “thank you” for your production of this excellent website.
Hi Ian, no need to be embarrassed – money issues happen to the best of us. I’ve sent a donation – it’s small, I’m afraid, but I hope it helps somehow. Good luck with the job hunting and a big thanks for this website – I absolutely love it!
Hi Ian – glad you’ve shared your current predicament with us. Chin up and hope my donation will help. Let us know how things are going.
Hi Ian,
A small (tiny) donation on it’s way for all the visits inspired and all the visits I’ve jealously read about.
Thanks
Ian –
Thanks so much for the blog. Like other readers, I’ve enjoyed some great visits to places that I wouldn’t know about if not for you. Hope things look up for you soon.
Steve
I sent you some dosh – I’d be happy to pay an ongoing subscription fee since I get so much pleasure from your blog and Facebook posts (this year’s April Fool was especially brilliant) and from the exciting and unusual things I get to do after reading it. The highlight so far is the Tower Bridge engineering tour.
Hi Ian,
Sorry to be a bit slow with this, but hope my small contribution helps. Many thanks for your brilliant blog, which succeeds in reaching so many of the interesting corners of London and London life that other blogs just don’t reach. Job or no job, I am always amazed at how you find the time and energy to look into all of this stuff. Hope you will be able to keep it up for a good long time yet, and good luck with your job search.
Hi Ian, I read your blog regularly (from Canberra Australia) as it gives us inspiration and it reminds us of how much we are looking forward to going back to London for a longer visit.
I hope that this helps, and we wish you all the best. Many thanks for many enjoyable reads!
Tim.
Just donated. Wednesdays wouldn’t be the same without you. Good luck.
As someone who blogs, but far less frequently than you, I am aware of how much it can cost in reality in travel, sustenance, buying others beers to get information out of them, time and buying books triggered by the need for them for research. I am lucky. I am at that time in life where money for me isn’t a major problem but, who knows, a few years ago I might have been in the same situation that you are. Hope paltry donation at least does something to show you are appreciated and does a little bit to improve matters.
Again , like others , a small donation but it is sent with good wishes and hope for a brighter future for you . Keep persevering , my football team ( Wolves ) has a great motto ” Out of darkness cometh light ” – it kept me going when I had redundancies. Finally , thanks for all the great info you have provided over the years . Keep up the good work !!!!
Ian, please check your e-mail (or update it if it’s changed).
I’ve never used PayPal because having created an account it asked for landline number etc which I prefer not to give out. It all seemed a bit pointless when other sites just need one’s credit card info.
I’d rather post you a cheque but I’m wondering whether your postal address is up to date: it doesn’t seem to match up to the riverside views.
Please reply to me and I’ll be delighted to pop a cheque in the post as a thank you for all the interesting stuff you’ve published. (You may also find that others prefer to send a cheque rather than mess about with PayPal’s bureaucratic idiosyncrasies !)
I dunno whether Paypal swallowed my “special instructions to vendor” or whatever it was called, I think it did, but any what I said was roughly:
“I view your site, like all the rest, with an adblocker on, so I am grateful to be offered this opportunity to pay for your useful service.”
And what I didn’t add was: please keep on posting random stuff about HMS Bulwark, the LT150 steam runs from Moorgate, one-off open days, strange little exhibits full of architectural models, etc. – all the stuff that we might otherwise miss.
A small donation, but hopefully it will provide a little help and show my appreciation for the site. Best of luck! Paul