Can I have some job advice please.

[IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece]

Started a new nannying job 6 weeks ago and have just been told due to a change in circumstances, they won’t need me and I have about 3 weeks to find a new job. This came completely out of the blue, I had absolutely no idea this wasn’t going to be the long term job we’d discussed..

I’ve nannied for 14 years and I think I’m done, this feels like the last straw after a difficult job last year and just when I’d left it and felt settled and finally happy this has happened.

I have dabbled in the world of PA and was hoping to move on to it in a couple of years when my new nannying job ended but that’s obviously come around a lot sooner then I planned.

I don’t know what to do, I don’t want to continue nannying but I can’t see how else I can find something quickly. I have no qualifications that are not nanny related, I have done nothing but this since I was 17, I’m now 31. I have no idea where or how to find another job quickly that pays what I need (live in London so to just about muddle through, I need to find a job for a minimum of £22k). I have no time to move away, retrain or gain qualifications.

I feel completely lost, completely stressed out and at a complete loss of what to do. This so wasn’t the plan!

I'm no expert in London recruitment but I'd think that you could get a job that pays £22k there for a Team Assistant or somesuch that doesn't require that many transferable skills.
What are your Word / Excel skills like? These would be the absolute minimum requirement I'd think. Powerpoint also maybe.

If it is of interest to you, try getting in touch with a (principally) Charity-supporting agency. Various others are available but I have had good experiences, and a placement at reasonable speed, with Prospectus - was temp/contract work but might be something that can align a little with some of what you have been doing (e.g. child and youth work office or programme support).

Thank you both.

My word skills are good, excel is ok but I’m a pretty fast learner with computers

I can’t see the wood for trees right now, burying my head in the sand would be stupid but it sounds like a great plan right about now!

Could you work part time in an office but find an after-school/weekend nanny job too?

A receptionist at a big company in London can make £30k and you don’t need much in way of skills other than good grooming, professional demeanour and basic IT skills. If you can’t find anything else and need money quickly there’s a lot of temp work out there.

Or Private PA might be a natural transition from a nanny since you’re used to working in someone’s home.

Are you in a position to temp short term? I found temping quite handy previously and it give you time to think/look

Thanks all, some great ideas.

I thought of temping but really, I need to know exactly what’s coming in each month and am worried temping wouldn’t give me that

It’s just the short amount of time to find one that I’m finding the most stressful

Temping doesn’t necessarily have to mean casual- it could be a 12 month maternity cover for instance. My last ‘temp’ job started off as maternity cover and I ended up working there full time for 4 years (got made perm after 18 months)!

How about nursery work - possibly in an office position / admin role ? They might appreciate your experience in child care and see that as an asset ??

Thank you!

I’m currently looking at temping and nursery work, I’ve never worked in a professional setting, have nannied all my work king life so not sure how potential employers will feel about it

Lord I’m stressed!

Could you speak to some household recruitment agencies that recruit both nanny and PA roles and get some advice on transitioning across to a PA role and also see if they have any combo nanny PA jobs that are more weighted towards the PA side of things so it’s a broader role for you and builds up the PA experience. Depends a bit on if you want to stay in the private side of things or move across to corporate.