I’ve been reading these blogs and thinking ‘Why not me’? Maybe there are more SLI’s like me?
Interpreting has, for me, been the best career choice I’ve ever made, until the pandemic hit.
Lock down 1.0 hit me hard. I went from being an in demand Medical Interpreter, to being out of work and relying on my husband’s salary.
I didn’t qualify for any financial help (18/19 tax return sent in late) and Universal Credit was a no go because I did one job a month, sometimes two, and UC didn’t like that.
So, my mental health suffered, so much so, that I even considered the unthinkable. Thank you to my husband who kept me going. He did ban me from watching the news though! I enjoyed sitting in the garden, enjoying the sunshine so it wasn’t all bad I suppose.
Since the first lock down, work started to come in, but slowly. I was back to being the quickest fingers on the e-mail response to a job request, well, not always the quickest. I was just getting back on my feet when 2.0 hit.
Here we go again. Has this one really put the last nail in the coffin of my career?
Answers on a postcard please.
I’ve started working part-time as a CSW in a local college. It’s hourly paid and the wages aren’t what I’m used to, but it’s better than nothing. I’m also contemplating leaving the Interpreting world behind and becoming a teaching assistant. It’s got to be better than not being paid right?
