Vacancy

No, no; I haven't been thrown out yet. Probably only a matter of time though. The vacancy we've been advertising has been for a Programme Administrator for the Extension/Distance learning department and interviews were on Friday. We're needing seriously to strengthen the admin side of things now, not least if the BD is going to expand and - maybe - we paddle toes in the water of on-line delivery. So we cast our nets for someone skilled in databases and student record keeping and basic financial management and with a great phone manner and with a heart for chasing up backsliders kindly and for inclusive, ecumenical working and with attention to accuracy and detail, and an excellent punctuality record, and...and...  You know, recruiting for the angel Gabriel, basically.

I haven't been involved in recruitment and selection for a while, though did a fair bit of it in previous lives. It's also a very different thing when in an unfamiliar culture and context. There's something about the inevitable globalisation of recruitment procedures and human resources requirements that makes it appear the same superficially. But you just know that beyond every politically correct and professionally executed question and answer, there's a world of other information that's sought, really. Not least about things which are so, so vital here: birthplace and family background, ethnicity and confederacy, not to mention faith. 

We had a really encouraging set of applicants and got it down to a shortlist of four. My indispensible right-hand woman and man through the whole process were Lynne and Sanjeet. They're both busy enough with their own responsibilities here at PTC, but made time to assess applications, shortlist with me, and be on the interview panel. My thanks to them both is here on record. They were wonderful colleagues and guides to this still relative 'newbie'. So grateful.

Here's lovely Lynne. She's been an administrator at PTC for over 20 years. Her present work is concentrated with the God's Pacific People programme, where she does a great deal of personnel work making sure that participants on short courses from all over the Pacific have everything they need, not least flights and visas etc. While helping us out with the PTCEE interviews, she was simultaneously managing the departures of the English class students who were travelling back to Maohi Nui and West Papua.  Multitasking or what?

Sanjeet, below left, is our Finance and Administration team leader; previously working for the Raffles hotel group. Always such a help to PTCEE when stuff needs sorting. If you're after the right spreadsheet, ask Jeet. He had a few timely questions to the potential recruits about bank reconciliations and unclassified deposits..

So we've made an offer and we wait to hear yay or nay from that someone. We'll let you know. 

They won't escape the blog. 
Watch this space! 

And so we pray,

Faithful God,
You know your children
better than we know ourselves.
May our new administrator
at PTCEE be your gift to us in
human form for the ministry
of theological education here
in the Oceania. 

May the chosen person 
be ready to both give and receive; 
work professionally and serve wholeheartedly. 

May we grow together, 
in colleagueship and community, 
and be as you would have us be.

Amen.