Skip to content
Sep 5 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

Jobs in Occupational Therapy are still available, despite reforms

It is less certain than ever what effect the government’s shake-up of the NHS will have on various parts of the health service. To begin with, it appeared that the coalition would be doing away with the Primary Care Trusts, or PCTs, and putting doctors’ surgeries in control of their own budgets. The thinking was that this would allow them to order their own services. Under the umbrella-policy of Big Society, the reason for this is that localism and decentralisation is felt to be an inherently good thing. GPs know their patients’ needs – which will change from area to area – far better than top-down, centralised management. However, at the same time, the government stressed the need for savings. Front-line services would be protected, it promised, and the NHS budget would definitely not be cut, but efficiencies were required. What this meant for allied health jobs – such as jobs in radiography, speech therapies, counselling, jobs in occupational therapy and the like – wasn’t clear.

Now, whatever clarity there was has gone with the ‘listening process’ that has led to revolt among both politicians and health professionals, and far-reaching changes to the slated reforms. This essentially means that the Sword of Damocles has not yet fallen, and the date of its falling may have been postponed for a few weeks or months – in other words, the only certainty at this point is uncertainty. This is infuriating for people in those positions, since they are prevented from planning their futures. It’s not certain what the situation will be for them, either in the jobs they currently have or the career landscape that will exist at some point over the next year or two, when the reforms (whatever shape they take) are brought into being.

Those in allied health jobs would be forgiven for looking around for an escape route, and it’s well worth knowing what’s out there. Check out one of the specialist job sites that deals with this niche, and hunt out those jobs in radiography or jobs in occupational health that you might need as a safety net. Also bear in mind that different areas might deal differently with different services. For example, in some areas counselling is delivered directly by the Primary Care Trust. In others, it is arranged by the individual GP surgeries. Knowing which is which could be handy if you think you might need to find a new job at short notice.

Jun 16 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

School clothes without the stress from Uniform 4 Kids

Every year, for millions of parents and children, the lazy haze of the summer holidays is blown away by ill winds and replaced by a grim September chill – and the name of this chill is “the back to school shop”. The rigmarole of traipsing around the shops looking for school uniforms with truculent children in tow is a prospect which gives parents and kids alike just one more reason to dread the end of the summer holidays. As well as the bother and inconvenience of this marathon shopping trip for school clothes, there is also the substantial expense to consider. It’s enough to make a parent feel like the whole institution of school uniforms is some piece of unfinished business: a final, fiendish exam sent to haunt us from the world of school, long after we have made it out into the adult world.Â

So what can be done to remove the bother and anxiety from this upsetting ritual? In a word: Uniform4Kids. This online London schoolwear supplier has done the hard work so that you don’t have to – hunting down and purchasing not only school uniforms and school clothes which are appropriate for dozens of schools; but also lunchboxes, stationery, school bags, sports and ballet equipment, and all other much-needed supplies sure to drain the stress and strain out of the end of the summer, so you can bid so long to the vengeful ghosts of schooldays gone by! Not only that, but Uniform4Kids sells uniforms for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts; and Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.Â

But the comprehensive range of products available isn’t the only thing that Uniform4Kids has to offer. The major anxiety involved in purchasing school uniforms  – in fact, any clothes – online relates to sizes. What if the sizes turn out to be wrong, and the whole process of purchase and delivery has to be repeated from square one? Uniform4Kids has solved this problem as well: with the exceptions of blouses, shirts, socks or tights once opened, Uniform4Kids operates a 21-day returns policy on all its school clothes. What’s more, if your school participates in its school delivery programme, they can even be collected from your school itself, free of charge: just put the clothes you want returned in a bag with labels and receipts, and Uniform4Kids and your school can take care of the rest!So don’t let the end of the summer be a struggle for you – cut out the shopping nightmare with London schoolwear supplier Uniform4Kids.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.uniform4kids.com/

537a75bad9d21

Nov 27 / Jo

Get first-hand advice on graduate jobs

How do you decide which career path to pursue? Some people follow in the footsteps of their family simply because it’s expected of them. Others pick a career centred on their best subject at school or a recreational pastime.

Picking the right career is a predicament that we all face and it’s important to get it right. Remember you could be working in this job for between 40 and 45 years, so your decision should not be taken lightly.

Boys may dream about a career as a pilot whilst girls visualize themselves becoming a nurse. For most university students these images are long gone by the time they start looking for graduate jobs.

Now that we live in a world influenced by the Internet it’s not surprising that numerous job boards have sprung up, all displaying lots of graduate jobs and internships. But there are very few that give information about specific career paths. And yet that’s exactly the information that students need to know.

Some large companies will be looking for students to join their annual graduate scheme. Getting a place on a graduate scheme is tough. There are many hopefuls and the selection process is rigorous. But is that going to be the right choice for you?
That’s where CareerPlayer.com comes in. The staff at CareerPlayer have been amazingly busy filming inside offices and getting the inside scoop on graduate jobs and how to proceed into them. The result is a website full of videos that give a first-hand insight into a wide range of graduate roles.
The videos are interviews of real people working in real jobs. They could have begun their career on a graduate scheme, proved their merit through a summer internship or been offered a job during the university milk rounds. But all the staff have one thing in common. They explain the job exactly as it is; including the good parts, and the bad.
You owe it to yourself to see the wide  range of information available on gettingobtaining an internship, finding graduate jobs or applying for a graduate scheme.

Please click http://www.careerplayer.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.careerplayer.com/

4c3ce7a5a1ce1

Oct 8 / Neil

What are the benefits of joining a contractor umbrella company?

As contracting has really taken off recently, and especially since IR35 became law in 2000, there has been a increase in the number of contractor umbrella companies.  These companies offer the opportunity to be on the CIS payroll, working for a number of different companies at once.  You can then take advantage of the payroll services provided by the contractor company, who will handle your timesheets themselves and send invoices to clients on your behalf.
Joining a CIS payroll has a number of advantages.  It gives you the autonomy and flexibility that comes with being a self employed construction industry professional, and enables you to be subcontracted to most UK construction companies.  Being self employed boasts advantages in itself.  You will pay a smaller National Insurance contribution, and will be able to offset certain expenses against your tax liability on your Self Assessment tax return.  There is also the bonus of being eligible to work for companies who will not necessarily contract you directly.
It is fairly simple to start working for a commercial contracting company like Liquid Friday, which provides services within the commercial and public sector.  You will need to discuss the paperwork that needs to be completed with the company in question.  The first step is to register online or fill in the registration forms.  This is necessary so that you can be verified with the Inland Revenue.  Provided that you are eligible to work in the UK, the process should be able to get started.  If you are self employed you will need to send a timesheet, usually fairly early in the working week, so that the appropriate client can be invoiced.  When the client approves the invoice, your timesheet will be processed and the money will be transferred into your account.  It is important to verify what the insurance policy of the company is, as this is obviously particularly relevant to the construction industry.  As a general rule of thumb, you should make sure you are covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance and Combined Liability Insurance.
The benefits, then, of belonging to a contractor umbrella company are surely clear.  One of the most time consuming things about being self employed is dealing with your invoices and liaising with clients, and being on the CIS payroll will quickly eliminate all these tasks.  The payroll services these companies offer will almost certainly make it worth your while filling out the small amount of paperwork that is needed to sign up.

Please visit http://www.liquidfriday.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.liquidfriday.co.uk/

4cb50bb52a6c8

Nov 27 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

External louvres: a green choice

The modern tendency for office buildings is large, open rooms with tall windows. This gives a fantastic impression of space and light, very different from older buildings in which you might have worked – which can feel more cramped and gloomy. However, the light open-plan office can come at the expense of comfort and the environment. Air circulation can be limited, and the enormous windows mean that the building can heat up fast – necessitating air conditioning in the summer – or be cold in the winter, with expensive heating bills. A brise soleil will reduce direct sunlight (the chief cause of overheating) and the glare that can be uncomfortable and, depending on your line of work, destructive to materials. Glass louvres can likewise reduce extra sunlight, are fitted to existing windows, and can be used in conjunction with solar PV generation. They can be adjusted. external louvres are another option, mounted to brickwork and coming in a wide range of designs.

The advantages of these systems are several. Firstly, they reduce energy bills. Excess sunlight in the summer requires air conditioning to be employed if the building is to be at an acceptable temperature. Louvres cut out the high-angle and hot summer or midday sun, whilst allowing in the heat and light at cooler times. This is especially the case if motorised louvres are used. That means you get the benefits in both summer and winter – reducing the need for heating.

Secondly, staff are more comfortable without the extremes of temperature, dryness and glare – meaning that they are more productive, too. Additionally, some materials are damaged by bright sunlight. Paper can become brittle and inks fade; art galleries and design companies need to be particularly aware of this. However, at the same time these premises need to be airy and well lit to make the most of the contents – a tough balance to achieve.

Lastly, glass louvres or a brise soleil can be an appealing addition to a building, or even an aspect of its innate look if they are included at the design stage. external louvres can be very attractive if installed properly and in the proper style. These three reasons – energy efficiency, comfort and appearance – should give every business reason to consider investigating these means of controlling the amount of sunlight and heat that enter their room. They come in a huge range of designs, suitable for almost any kind of building.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

50919a129db4a

Feb 22 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

Duplicate payments are expensive for your business

Conducting an accounts payable audit is an enormously important activity for all businesses. Installing recovery audit software in your business’s accounts department can make the process a lot simpler and could save your business a large amount of money. Potential duplicate payments, for example, can easily be tracked down and weeded out when your organisation uses this software. Auditing software is designed to be quick and easy to use for any finance professional and can help shrink costs, detect fraud and optimise working capital. A great many businesses have installed it already.

Errors in processing payments affect all businesses, however expert and diligent your accounting staff may be. The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), established in 1941, has researched the problem and estimates that as many as one in every thousand payments may be a duplicate. Other common problems that affect the accounts department of organisations are overpayments, process and input errors, typographical mistakes, fraud, compliancy issues and data inefficiencies. All of these can be stamped out by using auditing software.

Auditing software can be run on a daily or on a weekly basis which means that your accounting systems are being monitored frequently and regularly. They can be set up to run alongside an existing system, or they can be integrated into it directly. In addition to the time that auditing software will save your staff, the software will also serve to give you peace of mind. This will permit you to concentrate fully on leading your business and allow you to manage your business’ working capital more effectively.

Although money can be recovered after an error has been caught in the accounting system, prevention is certainly vastly better than cure. There is a low cost for ownership of auditing software and the fees your business pays to external auditors will also be reduced. In addition to increasing your level of control over your business’ finances, running auditing software in your accounts department can lead to process and compliance improvements. Auditing software will help make certain your business has first class automated accounting practices.

Recovery audit software has been available for a number of years and the best providers have been consulting with their clients over that period to ensure that the best possible service is provided. When choosing a supplier, consider asking for testimonials and accounts of the success of their software being used in clients’ businesses. An accounts payable audit is a requirement for all businesses, but, with regular monitoring, costly errors such as duplicate payments can be avoided.

Please visit http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/

4cb5028d2a8df

Feb 12 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

Community broadband means no community is isolated

Implementing a comprehensive ICT infrastructure, whether you are a business park, small community or rural estate, will always give more back than you put in. In a fast-changing technological world, Next Generation Access is a must to ensure that data is transmitted rapidly enough to keep up. Recent developments in community broadband mean that no area need be without internet access.

In terms of profitability, the revenue from ICT services is second only to rents for business and science park operators. Look for an experienced provider who can advise on the most suitable implementation of ICT infrastructure for tenants. The commercial strategy will take into account business objectives and deliver a detailed project plan informed by their expertise. Investments in state-of-the-art ICT services and upgrades can make all the difference to the efficiency and professionalism of the companies who use this infrastructure.

For rural estates, these sorts of services need not be inaccessible. Try to find a provider with expertise in this particular field. A successful strategy is to cluster together isolated residents and local businesses in order to construct a sustainable Next Generation Access broadband service. Not only does this benefit and upgrade the extant ICT infrastructure, but offers a useful second source of income, and a sound return on investment. Rather like water, electricity and other utilities, broadband access is not something a community can very well do without – it is closer to being a necessity than an add-on.

Since the first loop unbundling in the 1990s, community broadband access has grown and grown. Remote communities across the world have profited from ICT communication and become connected to the world outside in hugely positive ways. Building internet access delivers economic growth and boosts local industry. Information is made available easily and freely, and all sorts of other local services benefit, including health and education. Getting the best available services to augment your area’s connectivity is more than possible with a reliable provider.

Whether you are a multi-tenanted business property or far-removed rural community, making state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure a top priority will only enhance your organisation or area. For businesses, a highly resilient Next Generation Access broadband with a number of service providers may well give them a competitive advantage. Co-operative outsourcing of community broadband projects often provides a answer of the highest technical quality and dependability. Whatever your situation, don’t be cut off from technology. Bring your ICT infrastructure up-to-date and accept the economic rewards of your investment.

Please visit http://www.broadbandvantage.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.broadbandvantage.co.uk/

4f3128223cedf

Jan 18 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

External louvres to roll out only when you need them

Brutalist urban planning is regularly decried in our times as the epitome of ugliness and drabness that exhibits a general disregard of its inhabitants. The fact remains, however, that the avant-garde architects at the forefront of this building style – Le Corbusier, for example – were in fact most inspired by the thought of making life simpler. While beautiful but malfunctioning buildings increasingly beg for add-ons such as brise soleil, glass louvres or external louvres to keep them aerated, insulated and bright, the likes of The Barbican in London has these kinds of sensible instruments already built into its structure. Of course, many people would not want to sacrifice old or attractive buildings that contain within in them quirks and memories. Most people would not want to rebuild whole towns and cities using Brutalist master Le Corbusier as a guide. But the fact remains that we still hanker after more efficient living and working spaces that are more comfortable because the air circulates within more freely and the sun does not come glaring in.

The brise soleil actually increases heat flow through buildings, meaning that distinctly contrasting ice-cold and stuffy rooms within the same building can be a thing of the past. Certainly, these features turn buildings into better ‘machines for living’. Intelligent and environmentally friendly as heat balancing systems, brise soleils have the extra benefit of helping to keep down our heating bills: you won’t find yourself turning a radiator up to full blast in one particularly chilly room any more because the device redistributes and balances heat fairly and appropriately between spacious and cold and smaller, usually warmer rooms.

At a time when we are all attempting to be thriftier though oil bills are rising, such a ventilation and heating system really is a worthwhile investment. Beyond the home, the working environment can also benefit from modern systems that maximise the productivity of our offices. Very regularly workers take pleasure in and benefit from getting direct sunlight as they work but in some buildings pleasant brightness can quickly turn into a headache-inducing glare. To minimize this unwanted side-effect an external louvre is recommended: consisting of extendible slats akin to a mechanical awning, this piece of architectural ingenuity can be rolled out at the times when the sun is at its harshest and rolled back again at will. Glass louvres can function similarly but, tailored to the individual’s needs, are often the first choice of architectural style hunters.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

4f060d798af8b

Jan 6 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

Hospitality jobs Singapore give English speakers the chance to learn new languages

Rarely do people feel they know the Gulf region well. For many it represents the rich terrain of tax breaks and luxury, but generally speaking we know little of its real historical or even present day cultural significance. Of late the latter has been changing, especially in art-world terms: The Guggenheim and Louvre museums, better known in their European and American locations, are planned to open in 2013 on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, a $27 billion art and culture programme on which construction began a few years ago. At a time like this a potential career working in hotel jobs Dubai or hotel jobs Gulf promises great things: just think of how rewarding and enriching days off could be when some of the world’s best masterpieces are only a stone’s throw away. Even now the art world flocks to Abu Dhabi for the country’s annual art fair. The most recent edition of this fair, for example, attracted contemporary celebrities such as Jeff Koons. And if the Gulf still doesn’t sound like your cup of tea there are similar vacancies in the East such as hospitality jobs singapore.

In Singapore things are really thriving. The country may have come into the media spotlight recently when Rupert Murdoch sung the praises of its high employment and pay standards but this is a good thing if you are thinking of working out there. Without doubt, he was right to point out the great living standards: the streets are clean, for example, as chewing gum is famously illegal. What’s more, the Singaporeans tend to pride themselves on being great hosts, loyal friends and fully-involved family members. This too bodes well for all those who are keen to work in the Far East but are nervous about their ability to make friends: Singapore has long attracted Western businessmen and women in their droves who have nearly always returned saying how welcome and accepted they felt abroad.

Indeed, wherever you decide to work in the East, be it in hotel jobs Dubai, more generally hotel jobs Gulf, or hospitality jobs singapore, the chances are you will thrive on a totally new and uplifting experience in a new culture. Trying out new delicacies and beginning to learn the local languages are just some of the benefits of working abroad. Besides these wonderful opportunities are those of getting a new perspective on the art world, making new friends and feeling truly integrated into life abroad.

Please visit http://www.asiacaterer.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.asiacaterer.com/

4f06366433f9f

Nov 15 / Nb59lpsgeNbc

Sales presentations that achieve your aims

Powerpoint presentations have long been a double-edged sword. Strong sales presentations using decent Powerpoint design can be a real asset to a company. A bad presentation, put together by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing, can be a liability.

One of the difficulties with Powerpoint, as well as its advantage, is that it is so easy to use. Without any experience, someone with basic computer literacy can throw together a slideshow without too much trouble. It’s extremely powerful, allowing you to embed all kinds of different graphics, movies, audio and other effects. So much is built in that a speaker intending to make a good impression can really go to town, incorporating as many as possible of its bells and whistles.

This, however, is often a fatal mistake. Powerpoint design is a fairly tricky art. Like any audio-visual medium, doing it well is hard. Just because you can put together a poster with desktop publishing software, or a home movie with a video camera, doesn’t mean that the result will convince the audience.

Worse, Powerpoint is so popular in the business world that there is often the expectation that it will be used – both on the part of the audience and the speaker. That means that presentations can be thrown together solely to fulfil that expectation. Whilst well-designed Powerpoint presentations can add a whole other dimension to a speech, giving complementary information and appealing to listeners for whom the spoken word isn’t a natural medium, a shoddy presentation will put people off. Put another way, not having a Powerpoint presentation is better than having a bad one. This can hamstring otherwise capable speakers, because they find that the slideshow actually detracts from what they are saying. This is never more the case when it simply follows the material verbatim – a mistake that is all too common.

The purpose of sales presentations is to secure a deal. Good Powerpoint design can help you with this; bad Powerpoint design can end up losing you the bid. If you are in any doubt, compare a few successful presentations – yours or other companies’ – with presentations that haven’t gone so well. What has been the difference? Where Powerpoint adds to clear and effective communication, it is an asset. Where is makes things more complicated and distracting, it’s best left out. The trick is knowing how to do it properly, every time.

Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/

4ebd6f5b531f6