Work adverse/ misfit
Character Profile
26 year old, Tom lives with his mother Mary in their Moston council flat, just outside of Manchester. Since graduating school eight years ago, Tom's been in and out of work, preferring the comforts of home over the grind of the 9-5. Mary helped Tom out with some of her savings for his airfare, hoping the trip will change his life.
“He was wasting his life here,” says Mary, “There’s much more to life than playing video games into the wee hours of the night. Waking up at midday and doing little else ”
Mary’s offer came with a condition that Tom stayed the full two years in Australia and completes the farm work.
“I don’t want to waste my life here. I want to make something of myself, I think getting out of this shite weather and spending time at the beach sounds like a life I can get into. ”
“I’ve not seen him this focused and happy for a while,” says Mary. When asked about how she thinks Tom will fair doing hard farm work in Australia, she was optimistic.
“He’s not a natural worker, so it will definitely be an adjustment for him; whatever the outcome maybe, he’ll learn something about himself and I hope it gives him a sense of personal pride. I miss him terribly when he’s gone, but I do believe it’s the right thing.”
The farm work isn’t something that Tom’s been focusing on, “To be honest, working on a farm isn’t really what I’m thinking about. The beaches, the parties and the weather come to mind first. Sure, if I have to work. I’ll do that, but I’d be lying if I said I was going with a dream of being the best potato picker in Australia.”
