It's probably not the ideal time to be looking; but I need a new job

[lucysmam]

I've just had a quick scroll of Indeed (just to see what's about) and then our local council website, and there's very little I'm actually suited for by the looks of the job descriptions/requirements

No advice sorry, I'm in the same position so I'm keen to follow the thread :)

What job do you currently have ?

I think I just wanted a moan really . I'll find something :)

Oh please can I tag onto this thread?

I applied for a job a couple of days ago that I don't even want but it made me feel better for a few mins. The thought of going back to my own job is unbearable.

Meh!

@bigchris I work in a school kitchen in a morning, then as a dinner lady.

I recently tried for two slightly better positions & was told I'm not quite good enough for either. So I think it's time to move on if someone will have me :)

Can I join in - I’m trawling indeed for anything part time. Totally had enough of my job. - low level bullying and just the sheer pointless tasks created to make targets.

Round here there are plenty of care jobs, but obviously it's not for everyone

What sort of thing would you like to do OP? What sort of hours? Do you want to stay in catering? The job market seems pretty bouyant here weirdly for public sector jobs.

What qualifications/experience do you have?

Do you want to stay in the same area or go in to something different?

I’ve applied for a few part time positions but had no luck yet. Trouble is not knowing when DH will be able to return to work or Dd to school makes planning ahead difficult. We are just about managing financially but won’t for much longer.

Remember to think like a mediocre white man! Ie you do not have to fulfil all the requirements perfectly. In fact apparently men tend to apply to positions where they meet roughly half of the spec, whereas women think they are unsuitable unless they exceed all of them. You have nothing to lose by applying. I've actually changed my mindset about this successfully to the point that I see a failed interview as a success because it means I went ahead and tried something out of my comfort zone. You get some very interesting feedback as well from this kind of thing. Obviously don't apply to anything where you think oh god I couldn't do that in a million years, but if it says something like needs experience in X and you don't have that experience, try anyway, because if the job appeals to you then you likely have some relevant experience, interest or skills even if it's not exactly what they say they are looking for.

The only experience I have really is bar/waitressing when I was younger, I worked very briefly in a nursing home kitchen but left that because I wasn't keen & went back to bar work.

Then I had the girls & our previous Head Teacher offered me the dinner lady job. & the kitchen one was advertised internally.

So no real experience of anything much else.

I did have a temp position as a 1:1 with a little boy with autism last summer but that was only for 3 months.

Qualification wise - GCSE & A Levels but I left uni after less than a year (MH issues) and never went back.

Oh, and I worked at McDonald's for less than 6 months last summer. It was awful.

So, I'm not sure I'm actually going to find anyone who wants to take me on over another candidate 🤷‍♀️

I'd like a classroom based job, I think. I spend a lot of time in school as well as working there, reading & doing various activities with several classes & really enjoy it.

I actually think I'm just having a bit of a 'poor me' moment now I've written that down! I might leave it alone for today & do something else instead.

Support worker roles? I used to work with children in care/leaving care and loved it!

Supermarkets? Care homes?

The only jobs where I am are in care homes. Not for me.

I’m civil service and we’ve been told there will be a recruitment freeze. Again.

Would you consider going back to university?

Why live your life bouncing from one shit job to another?

So when school is open you are already volunteering as an assistant? And you've got experience of working as a one to one for a child with send? And GCSEs and A levels. And customer service experience . And you're an experienced midday assistant and still in post? With a head teacher who'll write you a reference. Fantastic start. Could you talk to the Head and explain your ambition. You're in a great position to achieve this. Ask the head/ senco to let you know of any free/cheap training for mdas on behaviour management etc - they might have books already in house- and help you gather a portfolio of different experiences in your volunteer role - different key stages, different send etc.
Would someone in school help you pull all that experience into a CV? Agencies might take you on depending on local need and how far you're able to travel
Also do you have any other skills - art, music etc

I'm afraid that this isn't helpful but one of my team has resigned and we're going to be short staffed until we can find a replacement. There's a general recuitment freeze at the moment but as soon as it's lifted, I'm sure that a lot of companies will be advertising and very keen for people to start as soon as possible.

@Gymtonic I just wanted to say thank you for your post yesterday, it lifted me a bit & I did speak to our HT today who is happy to help with any applications/interviews in the future, and (once we're back to normal) will help me gain some proper classroom experience & curriculum knowledge. So I'm feeling a bit better today too :)