I need some advice.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nix
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You say you can't give up your holidays and its only thing keeping you going, but it is also the same thing keeping you in a rut. You have to compromise and skip holidays for maybe a year or two to help build up funds to move out, when i moved out (also from essex) to London i haven't been on holiday for 3 years but the funds allowed me to move out to where London where there are more opportunities.

You really need to figure out where you want to go/be, so you can figure out a path to getting there, i would advise you in seeking a careers advisor or maybe doing volunteer work in different fields to get a taste of whats out there and to get some experience.
 
wozza2k said:
You say you can't give up your holidays and its only thing keeping you going, but it is also the same thing keeping you in a rut. You have to compromise and skip holidays for maybe a year or two to help build up funds to move out, when i moved out (also from essex) to London i haven't been on holiday for 3 years but the funds allowed me to move out to where London where there are more opportunities.

You really need to figure out where you want to go/be, so you can figure out a path to getting there, i would advise you in seeking a careers advisor or maybe doing volunteer work in different fields to get a taste of whats out there and to get some experience.
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I know you're trying to help, and thank you for that, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice the holidays. One is already booked and a friend has paid for, I can't back out. The other has been in the works for a very long time and the other person has also booked time off to accommodate it. It's not just as if I'm skipping a holiday that I have every year. I've never really ever had a proper 'holiday'.

I need these to unwind just as much as I need it to have something to focus on. The first holiday is something I've promised I'd do with a friend for nearly 6-7 years now. The second, probably just as long. It's been put back a year and half already too so as I could sort out my debts and other things first. Indeed, they're also being done on the cheap, so it's not as if I'm throwing thousands at them.

If I'm not saving the money for the holidays, it'll just be spent anyway. As I explained, I'm not saving enough regularly because I simply do not earn enough; it's below minimum wage. I'm 24 and can't even afford to run a car. I've never even had one, and I see 17 year olds driving around nice new models. Can't exactly say I feel validated here...
 
What I did, because I didn't know where I wanted to go was take a week off and just drive off to various parts, find somewhere that's appealing (or several) then target those areas. Many of the local press lists jobs in the area on a certain day each week and you can get this edition posted to you. But unless you are willing to take the first thing that comes up ( that's what I did ) you need to find out what you want to do, so it might be a trip to the job centre to speak to an adviser.
 
Didn't realise the holidays weren't paid for by yourself, but you should probably look to do a full budget anyway so you can figure out what you have and don't have etc. MSE have a good one you can use.

Why they hell are you not even on minimum wage? Do you work for a really small independent company, you should be on minimum wage at least, even Tesco offer above minimum wage....
 
wozza2k said:
Didn't realise the holidays weren't paid for by yourself, but you should probably look to do a full budget anyway so you can figure out what you have and don't have etc. MSE have a good one you can use.

Why they hell are you not even on minimum wage? Do you work for a really small independent company, you should be on minimum wage at least, even Tesco offer above minimum wage....
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Hourly wage is, but it works out less due to the hours per week. I'm contracted I believe for around 7.3k p.a. or thereabouts.

My friend paid for me, but I need to pay him back. As you can see, I can't back out of that one. :p
 
I know how you feel about 17yr olds with cars, I'm 23 and never been able to afford a car!

I was on the road to nowhere too, Uni didnt work out and ended up a crap part time job which makes me feel like a ripped carrier bag, working part time hours, compromising anytime I wanted to buy myself something for food, to live, paying ridiculous rent claiming benefits.

Luckily I'm on the road to recovery, but yeh It's crap.
 
stoke1863 said:
Can you not use your degree for anything good?
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At the moment, it's very, very difficult to get your foot in the door anywhere.

You will spend hours upon hours filling out applications, only to never hear back or ever get invited for an interview.

I'd love to use my degree. Other people seem to have other ideas though.
 
I'm sorry to hear of your predicament Nix, if possible stick it out until you have found a replacement job. You have highlighted how you really couldn't go back to not having the income you have so just jacking it in is clearly not an option.

So you're an Essex lad ey? I wont judge :p However being in Essex would put you in commuting range of London. Would you be prepared to go that far? There are still jobs around in London and the South East, in fact it's probably the best place to be looking at the moment. Unfortunately i know very little about careers in geography so i can't really help on that front.

You may have already looked into this but i'd say the city is your best shot.
 
Try all the London agencies, Gumtree etc would be my advice, let them know you are available for short-term contracts, temping, all-sorts - if you don't want the 'risk' of moving out you could even commute for a month or something to see how the job seems then move once you are secure.

Treat job-hunting as a job in itself - you work 25 hours so you have at least 15 hours a week you should be dedicating to getting your CV off, filling in applications, calling up firms etc. Look for whether there are any job fairs in your area, any professional conferences (you might have to pay for this, but networking costs money) in a field that interests you, call the organiser and introduce yourself and ask about it.

Also good luck :)
 
Nix said:
Not yet, but it will be, very very very shortly. Hence the panic setting in.



The holidays have been the only thing keeping me going this far. It's not an option I'm afraid.

No, I don't which is why I'm stuck. I just don't know.



I agree, which is why I want to change. Where do I get the advice from?

I'm not scared of moving or jumping in the deep end, especially as it's what I want. The problem is, I can't move without knowing I'll have work when I do as I don't want to just end up back here again having tried and failed because I couldn't pay the rent!



Yes, that's what I thought too, which is why I'm hoping I can find something in the agencies tomorrow. Even a full-time, regular 9-5 job would be better than this as I'd have more money so I could save for things faster. That, and I'm sick to my back-teeth of evening work and working weekends. I want a life outside of work! For what I'm paid, it's just not worth it, it really isn't. It was only a stop-gap as it was better than being unemployed.

The problem being - as I've said - is that there's just not much going and far too many people applying.

Thank you Castiel, it is appreciated.
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Definitely take your holiday, it will give you a break from your situation and may allow you to view things with a different perspective when you return.

I spoke to my wife and she doesn't have any specific contacts in the area, but she did agree that moving from the bookies into a different retail environment would be beneficial for you in the short term.

Agencies won't be able to help you with that sort of employment specifically.

Go to your local supermarkets and enquire, Tesco, Sainsbury and the like. If you have a Waitrose or John Lewis then try them, their unique business model is highly supportive of their employees and is an excellent place to work in that respect.

If nothing else you will shift from a very low paid, poor social environment into one where the social aspect is excellent and you will be earning more than the minimum wage. This will give you options you currently do not possess, which is what seems to be the main driver of your despondency.

Retail offers good prospects for graduates on a higher level also, if you are so inclined.

Remember that local jobs are normally only advertised locally or in-store so it's worth the leg work to ask in person.

Good Luck Nix, don't let a 25 hr a week job get you down too much and remember positivity breeds success, it sounds trite but it's true nonetheless. Take it from someone who has been there.
 
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I m in the same boat, although I did start mine as a student and stayed there only cos I had to...I too can't bare the thought of no job, it was fine at school as I had ATC to keep me occupied
 
Agree with Castiel.

There are always opportunities if you are prepared to work hard and pay your dues by starting at the bottom. The retail places Castiel are prime examples ... I have friends now just hitting their 30s who started as a shelf stacker several years ago, but now have very decent management positions.

Don't quit your job before you find something though - employers are always wary of people with gaps on their CV, particularly anyone who voluntarily left a job.

It may seem futile - recruitment agents will often tell you there is nothing out there etc, and job applications that are easy to find are usually so over subscribed you don't even hear back. However, if you look harder, if necessary literally knocking on doors of interesting companies in your area and asking to speak to HR, and being prepared to work hard from the bottom, you'd be amazed what turns up, and how quickly you can be promoted.

Nothing is more appealing to an employer than someone who has a real "can do" attitude.

Now go get em ;)
 
I'm in a similar situation. I work 42.5 hours a week at a job that is sucking the life out of me. Like you, I also fear I'm going to snap. The customers treat us like crap and the HR treats us even worse. It's making me so miserable that I dread having to get up in the mornings. I definitely feel your pain. Only thing that is stopping me from relocating to a bilingual job in Gibraltar or something, is the fact that I found myself a boyfriend here.

I echo the relocation suggestions here, and don't be afraid to relocate to other countries as well. There are plenty of countries where the primary language English if that's the only language you speak. And what's stopping you from moving somewhere where you don't speak the language, it's an adventure in itself. :) In case you haven't heard of them, these two sites are great for jobs listings: http://www.reed.co.uk/ and http://www.londonjobs.co.uk/. http://www.toplanguagejobs.co.uk/ is a great site for finding work in other countries, it might be a little difficult to find something that is not bilingual, but I suggest you give the site a try. Best of luck to you.
 
Just a couple of ideas for a change of pace, to get a break for a year why not try for a couple of rep jobs one in winter at a sky resort, my friend did a group leader type roll looking after groups of kids in the day while their parents were off or whatever and school trips for a company and in her free time got to ski and go outwith the people she met in the job.

Then maybe a summer roll doing similer but if you don't fancy the hectic clubbing islands lots of camping companies like key camp and eurocamp have people on site running the plots and doing the kids groups. They then get time to go to the beach or have fun in their own time.

You don't save much money but you do get money and an experiance and a years break in which the economy could have changed abit and you have also been working and could maybe come back with a fresh look on life and the drive to do something.
 
Nix - you work 25 hours a week - is this rotational or is it fixed shifts?

Degrees are useful however, so many people have them, experience is what counts. One slightly more radical approach that will involve sacrificing your own time could be to do some volunteer work in a sector that you want to move into.

Write to companies and explain that you are in part time employment, want to move into new areas and are willing to work as a volunteer to get the experience. This shows that you are motivated and it might help you get a foot in the door.
 
Nix, is a transfer out of the question?
Or even applying to another bookies in another area? Not ALL bookies/place of work are the same mate.
My best man's dad has been a manager of ladbrookes for about 20 years now. He's moved all over Notts.
I'm not saying you'd love it, but a change is as good as a rest. You're at an advantage as you have experience in the job you'd apply for. A fresh start, elsewhere is a familiar role but with new faces could be just the tonic. You may find a job offering 37hours p/w, thus upping your income.
What about a 2nd job in a pub or something? I've worked in 3 different pubs in Nottingham whilst having a full time job. I really enjoyed it as well....meeting people, earning extra (not much, but enough seeing as i actually enjoyed it).

I wish you well bud, its not a nice situation to be in, but there are options.
 
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