Bureaucracy in Chile Part 1:

Trip 1 to Tronwell (my previous institute where I worked 7 days when I first arrived). It was pay day. "Hi, can I please have my pay?" "Actually it will be ready in 2 weeks" "Why?" "end of contract administration time"

Trip 2 - 2 weeks later; "Hi, I`m here to pick up my pay" "Um... er.. did we call you?", "No, but you said it would be ready" "Um, er... can you come back on Friday?"

Trip 3 Friday (3 days later), "I`m here to pick up my pay" "It`s not ready." "Thats great, when will it be ready then" "Go and talk to Rosa in accounts she`ll explain". "Hi Rosa, I`m looking for my pay", "I haven`t done it, sorry I`m busy.." "Well, being that you are payroll don`t you think your priority should be to pay your teachers.." this was followed by a few more sterner words from me... "okay, it will be ready at 3 today. please come back,"

Phonecall - "its ready, please come and pick it up"

Trip 4. "Hi, I`m here to get my pay", "yeah, we need you to go to the Noterìa and get your resignation letter signed" "So why haven`t you told me this before..in my previous 3 trips or on the phone?" blank look. "okay, I`ll go and get this signed, it would be great if it would be ready for me when I return". "No problem".

Off to the Noterìa. Like a justice of the peace in NZ but a great big building with a whole lot of inefficient people working there. Took me an hour to get a resignation letter signed!! Is this the only country in the world we you have to get a resignation letter sighted, signed and finger printed by a lawyer? On top of that I had to pay 4000 pesos for the privelege.

Trip 5 Back to Tronwell. Give them my notorised resignation letter. "Oh, we have to wait for Sebastian to sign it as well, he`ll be here at 10" "Great, I`ll wait" 10.30, no Sebastian. I have to go but I tell them I`ll be back the next morning. Hopefully Sebastian will have signed it by then. Check that this is the last thing I need before I get my money. "Por supuesto" (of course)

Trip 6 Back to Tronwell. "I`m here to pick up my pay" "Yes, Sebastian is here he`s signed it, actually we have to wait for Jimena as well to sign it" "WHAT!!!, you told me this was the last thing!" "Yeah, it sucks" "THATS YOUR ANSWER!! IT SUCKS!!!, why did you not just tell me this ridiculous process at the beginning??", "yeah, um, can you come back tomorrow??" yes, this is now my life, coming to see you people every day.

Phonecall to Tronwell, they are now avoiding me as they won`t put me through.

2nd phonecall I get through... "HI yes, my money ready??", "yes, everything is ready "We just need you to go back to the Noterìa to sign that you have received your money" GREAT. Another trip to the Noterìa.

Trip 7. Return to Tronwell and back to the Noterìa, get my money and leave. Over it. My next mission is to the Extranjera office to get my visa, followed by internal affairs to get my tax number. Joy. Tune in to part 2 of bureacracy in Chile.