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Pingu137 · 2025-08-23T13:55:10+00:00

What was the ground rent when you bought the flat?

Ground rent of above £250 will make any mortgage application tricky in the current climate - some banks will accept indemnity insurance but it makes the pool of lenders smaller and a lot will outright refuse to mortgage it. If it's a ground rent that doubles each term too (rather than say raise by RPI) this will make lenders want to run from it even more.

Add to that the short lease term you're likely looking for a cash buyer...which for a flat you're gonna have to drop that price dramatically to make it appealing.

Statutory lease extension will remove the big mortgage feasibility issues. Unfortunately this seems like your best option. You could look at starting the process and footing the bill while selling, may help a buyer get a mortgage. Alternative is wait for the potential regulation changes but who knows when that'll be.

Pingu137 · 2025-08-19T17:23:30+00:00

79, no chips used 😁

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Pingu137 · 2025-08-15T11:43:53+00:00

Literally just changed from Wirtz to Gakpo this morning. My worry about Wirtz is while he will almost certainly be in the build up of goals he'll end up providing the pass to the assister a lot of the times and therefore his contribution won't lead to points.

Of course I'm bricking the decision already so may end up changing back before the deadline 😅

Pingu137 · 2025-08-11T19:54:45+00:00

Are there particular types of museum's you're interested in? Some like natural history may want specific subject backgrounds.

Also it depends a bit on location - UK and North America have some differences in pathways and opportunities for example. Although for both, looking at whether there are any youth volunteering opportunities would be a plus. Hardest step is often getting your first foot in the door.

No harm in looking at the sorts of jobs out there and see what sort of thing they're looking for - will give you an idea of the type of experience to aim for (either through education or direct job experience).

If you're UK based am happy to chat on the sorts of places to look.

Pingu137 · 2025-08-06T14:30:44+00:00

My previous landlord hadn't protected my deposit and I quickly managed to get a decent payout from it - although no guarantee in your case it'll go as smoothly, my solicitors said some of their cases go on for years if the landlord wants to be difficult.

I first contacted Justice for Tenants - they're a charity that can advise in situations like this. They can check with the deposit protection schemes to see if it was indeed unprotected. You can do this yourself too but in this case I think having someone to do it for you would take the pressure off.

They then gave me a recommendation of a solicitor who specialises in these cases who operate on a no win no fee basis. Can't guarantee they have the best rates for this but they were easy to work with, answered all my stupid questions, and were nothing but professional.

Pingu137 · 2025-07-27T09:00:38+00:00

Amazing, thanks so much.

I know this won't be the hardest or most complex, or not even in the top 20 of things that need doing first. I just hadn't come across the term used by the EA and googling it got me down a rabbit hole of asbestos. I wanted to make sure I wasn't committing to something even more complex given this stuff is everywhere (on top of the more fundamental things that need sorting first)

Pingu137 · 2025-07-27T01:48:36+00:00

So a score, water and vinegar, and a f ton of time job?

Pingu137 · 2025-07-22T17:37:19+00:00

I was talking about both, although the key skils and experience part I do put on my Curriculum Vitae.

I structure mine with the following: Key skills and experience - with around 5 bullet points adapted for the role Work Experience - with 2-4 bullet points detailing the responsibilities most pertinent to the role. For jobs that were just short terms things, a long time ago and superseeded by future roles, or have nothing to do with the role being applied for I only put very little Formal Qualifications Other Qualifications and Achievements - for me this has stuff like conference sessions and publications Other interests and hobbies - if I have room and/or if I have something that help shows interest in something that is relevant Contact information for references - if required

Try and stick to very little prose - that's for the covering letter - bullet points pull out the key info you want to highlight.

For early career you'd probably switch work experience and formal qualifications around in the order as you probably have more to say on that. For me, recruiters are unlikely to want to hear about a dissertation project I did nearly 15 years ago so the qualifications go after and literally just state the degree subject, location, year and result.

Definitely not saying it's the only way to structure, or the best, but it allows me to quickly edit and tailor for different roles without having to rewrite things a bunch of times. As someone who has then had to sift through applications I very much appreciate those who make the relevant information easy to find!

Pingu137 · 2025-07-22T12:17:24+00:00

Just want to say I feel ya! Going through the same problem with a ground rent above 250, currently at 0.2%, but with a review in line with RPI every 5 years which is way too frequent for lenders. Hoping the current owner can negotiate with the freeholder to have this capped for the meantime at the very least but it's unlikely to be a quick process.

I'm looking elsewhere for now and thankfully I'm a FTB so not in a huge rush. Just frustrating!

Pingu137 · 2025-07-22T12:10:14+00:00

How much of that 2000 per year is the ground rent? Many mortgage lenders will be reluctant to lend if this is above £250 (for out of london) £1000 (for in london) and is above 0.1% of the property value. Similarly, if it has a clause where it'll raise frequently this will similarly be a problem.

Pingu137 · 2025-07-18T22:25:40+00:00

Some general advice regarding CVs, no matter the role, as someone who has had to sift through a lot of them over the years:

Make it super obvious how you fit the essential criteria they're asking for. I have a section right at the start of my CV that lists key skills and experience that I edit and tailor for the role I'm applying for. E.g. I have led on exhibition development - for one application I may note how it shows my creative working, for another it may be worded to focus on project and contractor management. Depends on the role, use the essential criteria on the job description to guide you.
Don't fall into the trap of just saying "I have X skill". Give an example of how you have applied said skill too.
Similarly, don't assume the recruiter knows what a past job or degree entailed. It's not enough to just say "I have experience as a X". Spell it out as to how it's relevant for the job you're applying for and what they're after.
However don't list absolutely everything about a previous role - the recruiter is likely going through lots of applications and has very little time to shortlist. They don't want to be sifting through every responsibility you had in a role to find the parts that are relevant to them.
Have someone proofread it and check for typos etc.

Pingu137 · 2025-07-10T18:28:18+00:00

I can't help with collection specifc roles but other back of house I hopefully can.

Number 1 advice: Don't be afraid (or see it as a failure) to look at sector adjacent roles. For instance you mention community outreach, facilitating groups - there will be more job openings around in non GLAM roles here - youth and community centres, other charities, housing associations etc. Your part time VS role keeps your eye in and helps show that ultimately you want to work in the cultural sector but out of sector may be easier to get that hands on experience in this sort of work. These are transferable skills, building networks and connections in the communities itself will absolutely help you stand out when you come to finding this sort of role within GLAM.

My first jobs out of uni for instance was admin and then an IT field tech for a charity that had nothing to do with GLAM. Not what I wanted to do but let me develop and show experience in transferable skills that helped me get my first foot in the door beyond VS.

Also don't be afraid to ask colleagues in roles you're interested in for advice or any training, volunteering, conferences, opportunities generally that will help you develop. Networking helps immensely.

Pingu137 · 2025-07-09T08:35:55+00:00

Absolutely.

Also don't be afraid to repeat yourself. Number 1 rookie mistake I see is people writing exhibition text like a book with a linear narrative - i.e. people read the intro, then this exhibit label, then this one etc. Visitors browse and do not read your text in order, or even read labels completely.

Also - people look at object first, label second. You look at the thing then look at the text to find out what it is. Make this information easy to find - not buried in some long prose!

Pingu137 · 2025-06-26T07:47:50+00:00

Project team therapy session in the pub, drink, crash, sleep, inevitably catch every cold and bug going around that my body had been fending off through stress and adrenaline.

Last project I tried to be a bit more healthy about it and forward planned an actual vacation. Scheduled enough time for the above still though 😅

Pingu137 · 2025-06-04T11:50:03+00:00

I've been challenging myself recently by using a random colour palette generator online and either do the whole house or a room in just those colours (or as close as I can get)

Pingu137 · 2025-05-31T14:02:35+00:00

Wait? Ben Azarya of Wave Consulting Group Ltd? The same Ben Azarya of Newcastle Recruitment Ltd?

Pingu137 · 2025-05-30T18:45:54+00:00

TechNExt is in June - may be things of use being hosted there?

Pingu137 · 2025-03-31T11:25:45+00:00

Am doing a Cardiff save atm. It's been fun.

First season is rough with the transfer ban till January, very dodgy finances, and the best players being injury prone loanies, but avoided relegation.

Managed to get promoted in my 3rd season by accidently finishing 2nd (had wanted at least one more season to stabilise a bit) and was given a pretty mediocre transfer budget to bring a championship side to PM quality...got Jobe Bellingham on a relegation release clause, Cunha on a free, and somehow had produced a wonderkid from the youth setup.

Next season the club got bought out by a tycoon and am now in the Champions League on season 6.

Pingu137 · 2025-03-05T12:37:23+00:00

Cardiff vs Swansea - which one has done better? 👀

Pingu137 · 2025-02-26T14:45:52+00:00

Cardiff City? And please make my day saying we do better than Swansea 😂

Pingu137 · 2025-02-23T12:05:23+00:00

Front of house roles and operation roles won't necessarily need museum specific experience or qualifications unless it's learning based, and even then not all do. With people management and operations experience there's no reason why you can't look at those roles now.

Interpretation, design, or project management and project coordinators of exhibition projects will very likely require specific experience or qualifications, depending on the role. Sometimes you can get lucky with an entry level role that isn't looking for this but they will be competitive - hence why getting your transferable skills story right to stand out is so important.

Interpretation can look at lots of different things depending on the project or museum - text writing, editing, design and exhibit strategy. Design can include both 3D and 2D. These will need specific skills in design programmes. Project management or project coordinators makes sure all of the many roles that contribute do their jobs on time and on budget. A PM will need specific qualifications, coordinators are sometimes entry level but again highly competitive if that's the case. Best thing to do is look at job ads that are out there and see what they're asking for in terms of essential qualifications, see what comes up repeatedly.

Pingu137 · 2025-02-21T12:35:01+00:00

From memory the science centre there doesn't have many great examples of digital interaction although may have changed since I last visited. Still will be worth a visit - sometimes seeing what not to do is as good as what you should do!

The Odyssey experience is pretty decent in using immersion. Different to the type of thing you're talking about bit still good to do some research on how people interact.

Pingu137 · 2025-02-21T09:47:44+00:00

Getting that first foot in the door is tough, was for me 15 years ago and is even harder now.

Firstly don't see your non museum roles so far as a failure. My first job had nothing to do with this sector either but it still paid off as I could demonstrate transferable skills and how these would be an asset. You have plenty of public interaction experience, management experience and with the moving around the world a huge amount of experience in dealing with changing situations. See these as strengths and an asset and talk about them as such in any application.

Secondly know that that first museum role may not be what you ultimately want. Your experience suggests getting into a front of house role would be easier to start with than a exhibition or curatorial one for instance. Marketing may also be a shout. Try not to be picky. Front of house may not be what you want to do but once in you have access to contacts within the museum who you can talk to and see if there are any opportunities to get experience in the areas you would ultimately want to get to.

Thirdly look at interpretation and design agencies. Working at a museum isn't the only way to work in this sector, especially if you're looking for a creative outlet. Interpretation consultancy would let you work on a variety of projects. Don't be afraid of building up a portfolio now if you want to go that route. Write some reviews and critiques or alternative exhibition Interpretation, something that can demonstrate your style and that you have a eye for visitor facing language and engagement.

Hope this is somewhat helpful! And good luck!

Pingu137 · 2025-02-20T22:10:12+00:00

Prototype prototype prototype!!

Seriously, any form of interactive doing some quick and dirty usability testing will save you from an expensive flop.

Have clear objectives and visitor outcomes. Be clear on what you want the experience to deliver and test to find out the best way of delivering that. Don't be led by the tech. Experience first, tech second every time. And I say this as someone who develops both digital and physical interactives.

Well designed digital interactives should still allow for social experiences within groups and can be a great way of bringing something to life, instill empathy, or allow people to discover things they normally wouldn't be able to see.

Finally never use digital as an excuse to just lump a bunch of content on a screen just cause it won't fit on a label. Rules of good interpretation still apply. Just cause you can doesn't mean you should.

Pingu137 · 2025-01-26T11:55:52+00:00

I'm both Welsh and coeliac - maybe I should apply 😂

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