I got on here with a bit of contriving

[longxianchen]

Hi,
Here are some words from the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover(page 441, chapter 19) by DH Lawrence (planetebook,here):
(background: Mellors got a job on a farm. The following is what he said in his letter to Connie.…）

I got on here with a bit of contriving, because I knew Richards, the company engineer, in the army. It is a farm belonging to Butler and Smitham Colliery Company, they use it for raising hay and oats for the pit-ponies; not a private concern. But they’ve got cows and pigs and all the rest of it, and I get thirty shillings a week as labourer. Rowley, the farmer, puts me on to as many jobs as he can, so that I can learn as much as possible between now and next Easter.

I take the blue part to be I made pregress(=got on) here because of a lot of my efforts(=a bit of contriving).
Is that right please?
Thank you in advance

 

[Barque]

I understand "I got on here" as "I got the job here".

because of a lot of my efforts(=a bit of contriving).

You've got the general idea. It means he planned his way in, by speaking to Richards and asking him for help, perhaps a recommendation, rather than just applying to the company that owned the farm and waiting for them to decide.

 

[Dale Texas]

I'll just add to Barque's comments, though, that to "contrive" often carries further nuances of stealthy scheming or creative invention of the plans, which I think would apply here. So it's more than just a lot of effort.

(cross-posted)

 

[longxianchen]

THANK you a lot. I see

 

[Hermione Golightly]

Mellors' problem getting a new job would have been that he would not have a letter of recommendation from his previous employer, Sir Clifford.
Without such a recommendation, it would have been almost impossible for him to get a job. His former army mate was willing to vouch for him. 'Conniving' sounds worse than it really was.

 

[longxianchen]

'Conniving' sounds worse than it really was

I‘m afraid you saw it wrong. It's contriving in the quotation, not conniving.

 

[kentix]

I agree with Dale. He had to do something a little bit out of the ordinary to get the job. He doesn't say exactly what that was, but it's definitely related to "pulling strings" with Richards.

"I got on here" specifically means "I was hired for the job here".