GRADUATES GET CREATIVE ABOUT JOINING THE DAILY BUMP ’N’ GRIND
IT SEEMS the yoof of today is becoming ever more resourceful when it comes to securing a first job, despite all the sympathetic noises from older generations over the plight of school-leavers and graduates.
One enterprising young chap, about to head into his final year studying economics at Nottingham, wants to use the money he would have spent on a masters in finance to pay a City firm to hire him for a year.
Vishal Sharma, who already has an internship in corporate finance at Deloitte under his belt, tells me he’s looking to pay out for a junior analyst position at an investment bank, prop shop or hedge fund – and that it’ll be a “better investment” than stumping up for a costly further education course.
An unusual proposition, that – though it’s nothing compared to the lengths his peers are going to over the pond in the US. One “young ambitious MBA female student” has even put up a classified ad on the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist – the place for postings dedicated to casual sex – with a view to exchanging her body for the benefits of a fat contact book.
“This is a serious posting – I am not looking for résumé reviews or just interviews – have done a lot of those before,” says our negotiating vixen. “And we will not proceed to anything until you find me a job…”
Times are clearly even harder than we thought.
HORSING AROUND
Square Milers who have honed their skills on horseback in line with the recent explosion in the popularity of polo should watch out.
The Hurlingham Polo Association – the sport’s regulator – is introducing the widespread use of breathalysers to prevent players coming onto the pitch under the influence of alcohol.
All very sensible, I’m sure – though players are indignant. “It’s very rare for us to go out there having had a drink at lunch,” one amateur enthusiast from the City tells me. “We leave the boozing to the spectators…”
The Capitalist will certainly toast to that.
HELL OR HIGH WATER
City sailors already feeling the twinges of nostalgia after Cowes Week earlier this month should be cheered by the news that there’s another nautical outing in the offing.
Who else to lead the way but Mike Slade, the chief executive of property group Helical Bar, who’ll be out on the water yet again later today aboard his Icap Leopard yacht, aiming to break the record for the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race in under seven days, four hours, 29 minutes and 40 seconds.
This time, though, there’ll be the chance for landlubbers to compete in the race too, since there’ll be a virtual competition going on at the same time on the Leopard’s website, www.leopard3.com.
Perhaps Slade’s employees back at base could use the opportunity to score some points against their seafaring boss in absentia?