Help me give practical advise to DH please!

[wizzler]

DH works PT for a large company. This allows him to do drop off and pick ups for the DC. Over the last 6 months he has started to hate his job, a newish manager has been making life hell for all the staff. As he is only pt he has no opportunity within the same company to move to a different area. This week it has all become unbearable for him and he is going to resign next week.

I am supportive of this because I can see what its like for him now, and if he doesnt get out its going to start affecting his health.

I am trying to be helpful, but it seems to me that finding another part time job ( he works 10.30am - 2.30pm now) is going to be hugely difficult, but we are going to need him to bring some money in.

I have worked for the same company for 25 years so I have no real experience of what the real world is like. Does anyone have any pragmatic advise I can pass to DH?

[PotteringAlong]

They are recruiting now for Christmas postman! Admittedly only seasonal, but would all be over quite early and woyld buy him some breathing space to look for another job?

[StillSquiffy]

It will be much easier to get a job now than after he has left his current job, so if he could stay working whilst job-hunting it will probably lead to him finding something else much quicker than if he leaves.

You are talking about hours that are slightly shorter than the normal school day. so why not start there? TA or some kind of support role? There is always a gender imbalance at the primary level which could work in his favour.

[cjbartlett]

the chances of finding another job with such convenient hours is unlikely.

for a xmas postman for example you'd need before school care and possibly after school care for overtime

have you got any realistic options for childcare?

do yuo need his earnings?

[wizzler]

Thanks for the responses. Thankfully I earn a lot more than him, so we will keep the roof over our heads etc. His money pays for the extras, and holidays, etc.. eg we would keep the TV but cancel some of the sky channels ( not the end of the world unless it affected Greys anatomy! )

I assume that most of the part time jobs in a company go to people who already work there full time before they have kids , so not much chance of being recruited. His head is not in the right place at the moment, but I think that he is looking at a very long period of unemployment which he will hate.

I think the TA suggestion might be a good one... I shall tactfully suggest it ! Do they have some sort of positive discriminatiion for men Stillquiffy?

We do have 2 sets of grandparents very local who are v supportive, but they are all in their 70s, so dont want to push it!

I think I will throw caution to the winds and put another £1 on the lottery tonight

[KatieMiddIeton]

If he was happy before then it might be worth raising a grievance? It can't hurt if he's prepared to leave any way and just might sort things out.

Good part time jobs are all too often like hens' teeth.

[StillSquiffy]

Positive discrimination is still illegal in this country of course, but - just as male dominated organisations are very keen to welcome applications from women, and support them as they progress - so I imagine many primary schools with a shortage of men might also wonder how better they can encourage men to join and progress. Which is of course entirely different form hiring someone just because they are male, or giving them preferential treatment (that would tip it into positive discrimination).

[An0therName]

If he needs to work in this current job market I would look how to make things work in the this company - any job -whether part time or not is pretty hard to find at the moment -says the unemployed person -and agree looking for one when in employment is a much better idea -
has he seen his doctor if its afffecting his health - or occupational health at his organisation could be another option.
Or could you look at some childcare -normally fairly easy to find especially with family backup - and him making a move in the company, he might be able to do less than full time even if wasn't the hours he has now

• how old are your kids - if school age a few days a week childcare is not the end of the world in my view
  

Or look at somekind of retraining maybe -