I don't believe this. I'm a contract operator for small water systems. I'm right at the point where I need to pick up a few more to make up for one reducing my hours.
I got a call on Friday, and played phone tag until last night. When we finally connected, the lady had four small systems that needed an operator with my specific expertise in contaminants. Fantastic! Until, that is, she stopped the phone interview and said that she needed to check on something. It seems that the company is very concerned about biosecurity, and they can't have anyone on the premises who has poultry at home.
My heart sank. I have a big flock, probably close to 70 birds, and I have a little fowl pox running through it. Up until then, I thought she was talking about the dairy branch of the company, but no. It's the poultry branch, and the biggest producer in the state. The water systems are at a hatchery and other sensitive areas, so even if I went nuts with the boots and clothes, it wouldn't be worth the risk to them. And getting rid of my flock at this point wouldn't do either of us any good, as the diseases hang out in the soil. They can't afford to lose thousands of chicks at a time, even for a really perfect operator. Of course I came clean; I'm an honest operator and wouldn't do that to a customer. But I'm ineligible to work there.
So I have to hope that another system comes along, or that I get a regular job in a different field. What a roller coaster, I swear.
I got a call on Friday, and played phone tag until last night. When we finally connected, the lady had four small systems that needed an operator with my specific expertise in contaminants. Fantastic! Until, that is, she stopped the phone interview and said that she needed to check on something. It seems that the company is very concerned about biosecurity, and they can't have anyone on the premises who has poultry at home.
My heart sank. I have a big flock, probably close to 70 birds, and I have a little fowl pox running through it. Up until then, I thought she was talking about the dairy branch of the company, but no. It's the poultry branch, and the biggest producer in the state. The water systems are at a hatchery and other sensitive areas, so even if I went nuts with the boots and clothes, it wouldn't be worth the risk to them. And getting rid of my flock at this point wouldn't do either of us any good, as the diseases hang out in the soil. They can't afford to lose thousands of chicks at a time, even for a really perfect operator. Of course I came clean; I'm an honest operator and wouldn't do that to a customer. But I'm ineligible to work there.
So I have to hope that another system comes along, or that I get a regular job in a different field. What a roller coaster, I swear.
