TEXT

    Trying to make some money before entering university， the author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse……

    My First Job

    While I was waiting to enter university， I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short money and wanting to do something useful， I applied， fearing as I did so， that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim.

    However， three days later a letter arrived， asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey： a train to Croydon station； a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter to feel nervous.

    The school was a red brick house with big windows， The front garden was a gravel square； four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner， where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main from a busy main road.

    It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache， a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair.

    He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval， as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone. 'Ah yes，' he grunted. 'You'd better come inside.' The narrow， sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage； the walls were dirty with ink marks； it was all silent. His study， judging by the crumbs on the carpet， was also his dining-room. 'You'd better sit down，' he said， and proceeded to ask me a number of questions： what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate； how old I was； what games I played； then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes， he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy's education. I mumbled something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common.

    The school， he said， consisted of one class of twenty-four boys， ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art， which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park， a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

    The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels； and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket； most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.

    I said shyly， 'What would my salary be？' 'Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.' Before I could protest， he got to his feet. 'Now'， he said， 'you'd better meet my wife. She's the one who really runs this school.'

    This was the last straw. I was very young： the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity.

    PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

    be short of

    not having enough of  缺少

    smell of

    have， give out the smell of 有……的气味

    judging by

    forming an opinion based on

    attach importance to consider important 重视

    in common

    shared with someone else 共有的，共同的

    consist of

    be made up of

    in turn

    one after another 轮流