Paying to find young person a first job

Have just done the same for DS, with coaching specifically from someone in the field he wants to move into.

@mothersdaywoe you would be so surprised I was working in Bristol and the calibre of grads young people and companies were brilliant I’m a natural sales person and the batching I did was very self satisfying - nothing to lose !

@nongnangning why not ! It’s a total nightmare out there for young people and some of the grads I placed were bloody grateful for the really good jobs offered. The jobs were not basic they were good entry level these companies are not going to take on just anyone they want a good calibre so why not ?

What about the civil service fast stream or HMRC tax specialist scheme? Or even just a bog standard civil service job at this point? Has she applied? They’re very supportive in getting through recruitment

@Parsley4321 Are you suggesting that grads with Russell Group degrees should sign on for 6 months to make themselves eligible for Govt-subsidised jobs under the new £3K scheme? 😮

My daughter paid for a professinal to look over her CV and suggested rearranging a couple of things.

She was offered, and attended, a seminar on how to present well for a job interview and what things to study to prepare.
Where best to spend one's efforts and time.

DD thought paying for assistance was worth it.
She got more interviews immediately.
She got her desired job after fourteen interviews.

Oh bless her @mothersdaywoe. Yes that’s a niche area and I can see the issue. To be honest if you are satisfied the credentials are in place then I suspect it’s worth trying. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge amount of money and a tailored and structured plan may help.

The shitty call centre job i had between the ages of 18-22 lead me into my career, where I also met my now husband and now me and my husband run a successful financial advise firm.

@mothersdaywoe what industry does she want to work in? And is she still working her retail job whilst looking for work?

there maybe someone on this thread who can give hints/tips to get her on the ladder:

Maybe part of the problem is her attitude of “crappy shitty cleaning jobs.” I’d not be hiring someone who sneered at the job they applied for.

A relevant degree, experience in your target market and membership of a professional association are minimal really. It’s a lot to charge people who are unemployed. I’d want to see a clear offer in terms of concrete actions, how much time they’ll spend with your daughter and a personalised plan to support her employability for £500.

I would expect someone charging £500 to have these qualification as a minimum!

But hey, if you're happy paying all that money without the guarantee that they're actually qualified then that's your call. I'd want a qualified professional though.

@Redhairandhottubs who did you use ? I have looked at my professional hat

If she’s not at that stage yet, is she going to be able to engage with a coach? It’s a lot of money to spend if she isn’t able to brush her teeth at the moment? I know as a parent we want to support and open as many doors as possible for our kids but it sounds like your daughter has issues that need to be resolved first, to enable her to benefit from coaching.

Has your child seen GP for help with their mental health? That is something you could tackle and might make the job coach have more impact.

I would suggest carrying on with the Tescos part time or signing on for UC, for the NI credits if nothing else.

'Coaching ' seems to be very popular at the moment. They will be of variable quality Given your daughter has a science background but doesn't fit lab work, a coach with that sort of background would be helpful.

I paid for my son to have some online interview coaching. I think it was about £200 and worth every penny. It really boosted his confidence and meant to he could go into interviews feeling prepared. He got the first job he interviewed for after the coaching and is always recommending it to friends.

its all stuff I could have told him or got from ChatGPT, but like many young people, he doesn’t like listening to his Mum and really benefitted from interaction with a real person rather than just reading stuff.

I mean this constructively, but that mindset is the barrier. You both seem to have it. You will get nowhere until it changes. Even if you attend a relevant event - many are free - and speak to nobody, you can soak up information, ideas and contact details. Seeing how the landscape of the sector lies can help you target your development. Stop moaning and do something.

@mothersdaywoe same situation here. I’m considering a coaching course for my son it looks quite good. Re UC I was a work coach in the pandemic with Kick start initiative I read what Pat McFadden was talking about yesterday you have to be claiming for 6 months to be eligible BUT when I was a work coach getting a Grad into a job in the sector they wanted was easy. There is an initiative that gives companies £3k to take on unemployed kids if you get a good WC whose switched on it’s a great way in

I would expect them to have a specific qualification in career guidance or career development. This should be a minimum of a level 6 qualification ( degree level) or ideally a level 7 qualification ( postgrad).
In terms of experience I would like to see that they have significant experience working with university students and recent graduates.
I would want them to be members of the Graduate Futures Institute ( formally AGCAS)