Authorthefacelessbureau

Being an ambitious person, I’ve just started juggling full-time work with night classes at university. It’s not easy, but I’m grateful to even have the chance to do it; the university faculty schedules classes specifically at night so that people like me can study without sacrificing our ability to earn a crust. Unfortunately, it seems consideration for students like me doesn’t extend to university administrative services. Despite my efforts, something as simple as getting my student ID card has been very problematic, and of course not having the card affects my ability to study effectively...

Have you ever wondered: “what is the point of a scanned certified copy?” It is, as I learned many years ago while delivering frontline administrative services as a baby bureaucrat, to stand in place of originals when the originals are unavailable. Many organisations, quite sensibly, demand certified copies when they need to keep a physical record of something that their clients need back, like passports or birth certificates. Certified copies also have a place when sending physical applications or documents through the mail, because you can’t reasonably expect someone to put their passport in...

There’s an online store that I buy jewellery and cosmetics from, and I’m very loyal to them, despite them being based interstate. Not long ago they changed the courier they use for breakable products, which has caused a real headache for me.  When the package from my most recent order was late, I called the online store for an update on the status of the delivery. They told me that my order had shipped out, and was now with the courier.  So I called the courier for the whereabouts of my order. This is where the “fun” began.  The courier company gave no explanation for the delay, other than to...

I’ve just started booking a long overdue holiday to Europe with my boyfriend, where we’re planning to take our sweet time venturing through every country, exploring every inch to our hearts’ content. We agreed spending anything less than six months over there should be considered a failure. I fully expect to encounter my share of headaches when booking a huge trip like this, navigating bureaucratic messes both here and abroad. Between sorting out working permits (for if/when we decide to do some bar work along the way), background checks, and the myriad other documentation needed to travel...

Where I live, public transport means a state government-run bus service. These buses are so frequently late – especially during peak hour – that lateness has just become the norm, accepted by all. With bus timetables so completely unreliable, passengers leave home much earlier than we otherwise would, allowing ample buffers in the hope of getting to work or other commitments on time. Yesterday I had a job interview in the late morning. Even with a generous buffer for public transport disasters, I still arrived at the interview late and embarrassed. One scheduled bus didn’t turn up at all, and...