To leave my job - and ask what other jobs are like !

[ginorwine]

I have been a social worker for many years .
I love the job and give my utter commitment to it .
However , I am , and have been , struggling to do it , manage the stess etc .i have always thought that stress is not in itself a negative but there is good stress that can motivate etc .
Now in 5o s - I feel worn out , losing confidence.gp feels it doing me no good .
Decision to leave may be an option .
I realise that as my only job exept for some temp work prior to my post grad , this is all that I know .
I would like a less stressful job but appriciate that all jobs have potential for stress !
I'd be Intrested to hear if anyone has given up their job in similar circumstance and what job choices they looked at as well as what jobs folk do that are less stressful ?
I have thought about supermarket work or driving - home delivery - so far .
Any ideas welcome .
I did think about advocacy work or Insependant mental capacity advisor work , but feel that I may prefer something a bit further away from a social work type role .

[AuntJane]

I took voluntary redundancy in my late 40s from a stressful position that may well have ended in me having to relocate over 200 miles. I took a lower-level job in a different field, but after a year felt I was under-stretched , so changed jobs in that same field for something with more potential. I quickly found I still had the stress, but now had very little power to improve the way the work was done, as I was no longer the manager.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Would you consider teaching SW students? You would still be using your skills and experience, you would be paid for that expertise, but your main contact would be with students and other lecturers. You might also be qualified for teaching allied professionals. Look at local courses / OU and see what is out there.

[ginorwine]

Should
I have thought about teaching sw - and I do live in a university city . However , openings are v v rare as people rare to leave .
Also it seems that people who have friends / relatives get jobs there somehow .
A friend got a job there whose husband is a lecturer etc .
I would very much like to support student s thought , such as one to one or small groups , and maybe I could write to the university ! Thank you for your thoughts .

[PansOnFire]

I'm leaving my current job as a teacher, I'm just working my notice at the moment. I decided to leave the profession after feeling much the same as you for far too long, it was impacting on my family life and I realised how much it affected my personality after I went back after my second maternity leave.

I'm starting work as an office manager which is a totally different role for me but actually requires many of the same skills. I teach English so that's useful for correspondence, a main part of my role. I'm also very organised and computer savvy which the office currently is not so I'm hoping to implement some of this to make things easier. Managing people might be a challenge as I'm used to managing teenagers but I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm brushing up on employment law so I know the ins and outs of what employees rights are regarding holiday and sick dats etc. I'm actually quite excited!

YANBU for asking, leaving or wanting to try something else. I'd go for something totally different as that way there won't be a comparison that could bring up the same feelings as your current job. Good luck!

[RubbleBubble00]

something sideways? We worked with lovely Banardoes support worker 1:1 to manage dc behaviour.

[ClopySow]

One of my colleagues is an ex social worker. He is now a volunteer co-ordinator. Have a look at jobs with charities in your area. There will, without question be hundreds of roles within the social care sector which may include roles similar to your current one, but with less money. But there may also be some really interesting roles that would really benefit from your skills.

[ginorwine]

Thank you for all your kind comments .
Pans - I too have been affected in that my personality has been affected . I'm so glad to hear about your new venture !
I think I've left it rather late to leave and my energy and confidence had been impacted upon .
I'm really not good at computers or admin and have gone to local library to do a course .
Clopy - that sounds good - I did see a job like that advertised but it was a long drive away - our city is small.- so limited charity work - maybe it is do able ! I will look again at the ad - it is to manage volunteers !

[BlueCheeseandcrackers]

So you have local children and family centres near you? Mine have positions where social workers supervise the family support workers - so you would still be able to use your skills and knowledge however not case hold and have all the other added stress? Or maybe family support work where you are not working with level 4 families with reports and assessments to complete?

[BlueCheeseandcrackers]

*do

[Alexa444]

Avoid retail if you can. I've never known another job that can make you feel quite so shit about yourself. Its soul destroying.

[ginorwine]

Blue
Thanks - I have a bit of an issue with family work .
I dealt with a traumatic case and whilst I know the odds are nothing like that will happen again and that there would be much value in it , I don't feel that I could do it .
Thank you though.

[ginorwine]

Alexa
What is retail work like in your view and why does it feel like that ?
Is it the customers , the staff or both ?!

[ginorwine]

Blue
My apologies I didn't read your post correctly ! Sw supervision - that sounds good .
There is a centre half an hr away - maybe I could contact them !!

[Alexa444]

Bit of both really gin. Workers have no rights anymore until you have worked there for 2 years so you can be sacked for pretty much anything in that time and cannot take them to tribunal over it. No extra pay for working sunday anymore. You have to work easter Sunday and boxing day for no extra pay and have no choice in it. The hours are downright unsocial and they expect flexibility from you but give none in return. In the mean time you have people screaming and swearing at you because they have lost their receipt and you won't give them a refund without it or because you've run out of stock of something and they apparently need it right now or you don't know absolutely everything about every product you have ever stocked. You also have management who assume that you have 8 pairs of hands and can split your attention twenty ways at once and if you can't scan more than 30 items per minute you are under performing and get put on review, despite your customers whinging at you to slow down. Its just an awful job and everyone I know in retail feels the same. You get really good at smiling warmly while thinking "twat!" though.

[Marcipex]

In retail, I've never actually been shouted at, but I've had a lot of sneering and unpleasantness, (especially in the season of goodwill.)
Pay pitiful, managers in big organisations often little hitlers competing with each other.
Also incompetent managers who are now your boss. One couldn't really read properly, but insisted on reading out memos instead of just letting us read them ...tricky. Then insisting we'd had all the info...but we hadn't. Etc.
I really wouldn't go there.
I'm not in retail any more.

[Heirhelp]

Is going part time in your current job a possibility or something you are interested in. Perhaps you could do it while you look for another job to give yourself some breathing space.

[Ledkr]

I'm a part time sw nearly the same age and I'm off soon too.
I'm hoping to get a job in the new jon Lewis they are building nearby.
I can no longer stand the stress and pressure and the sleepless nights worrying about deadlines.

[ClopySow]

You'd probably be surprised how large the charity sector is. I live in a small city (250k) and the sector here is enormous.

Try googling "cvs" and the name of your city. Or "third sector jobs" and your city.

[Crisscrosscranky]

I'm an HR manager and I love my job - every day is different. Sometimes I find it stressful (redundancy situations are the worst- especially as we very much have an open door policy so know most of our 500+staff by name and face) but on the whole I work 9-5 and earn a good wage (although I studied for 4 years for a postgrad and now looking to do a masters for a senior level post). I've considered that in 25years ish I might go into HE teaching- would you consider becoming a practice educator?

[ginorwine]

Thank you all .
Led - I understand !
All the best for your new venture .