Please help me help dn

[strawberriesarenot]

My nephew has indicated to me that he is miserable. He has had severe depression before, notably in 3rd year uni. He nearly quit, but hung on and got a 2.2 He graduated straight into the pandemic, and despite applications by the dozen, and using his university re CV help can find no work but covid testing at an airport. This is his 2nd winter of it, and he says he can't stick it much longer. The work is outsourced to an agency, its zero hours, and freezing cold. How can I help him? It seems to me he needs resetting on a career path. He's done bar work and odd shifts of ecology survey work and a lot of wildlife volunteering. He has been applying for NHS admin jobs but having no experience except good literacy and organisation skills, never gets anywhere.
Is there any place he can train for such things?
I hate to hear him so miserable. He was a very bright boy, musical, fluent French, fond of reading, well spoken. He lost his way after a shattering love affair 2 years ago and hasn't found it since.

It may be worth getting someone pro to look over his CV, a good CV does make a big difference! From a quick Google I did see quite a few NHS bio jobs he could maybe apply to? In the meantime he may enjoy doing some TEFL - I know with a degree and British passport he'd be in pretty high demand, if it's something he's into. Pays relatively well too

Has he tried applying for NHS bank (internal temporary) work? As it's temporary they are less demanding re experience. Especially if he doesn't mind working unsocial hours it's less competitive. Then once he has experience in bank he can apply for staff jobs and will have a good chance.

I’d echo civil service jobs. Environment Agency and Natural England are recruiting extensively at the moment at graduate levels in many roles…. His ecology experience would go down well particularly in NE

www.environmentjobs.co.uk/job_search/job-search-results.asp?o=0&

There's a specialist website and you can also try googling for environment type jobs with accommodation.

I hope he finds something soon.

What about being an Au pair in France for a year?

www.environmentjob.co.uk/ (no S at the end) is where a lot of the nature conservation sector put their vacancies. Council parks depts and gov don't usually use Environmentjob, and small charities won't either because it's expensive to advertise there.

However, as you already know it's badly paid (looking at you, RSPB and National Trust) and it'll take most people years to get a career/permanent role. A membership selling job is an entry role at the RSPB. People who do hands-on work have often done 6 months+ residential volunteering, supported by either family money or several pub jobs.

If he's not prepared to do 5+ years of voluntary/badly paid part-time/seasonal work with lots of networking, I'd definitely look to completely different sectors for a grad scheme or similar. If anything, charities especially put a (overestimated) value on people with corporate experience moving into the nature conservation sector, so he could come back at a later point into a more senior role.

Or if he'd like to see a real local difference... Start a community (wildlife) garden, apply for grants, recruit volunteers, and build your CV that way.

Yes I'm jaded

Thanks @Agapornis I don't have any experience in the field, just did a quick google and that was the first site that came up.

It's a horrible situation, having a passion but it not paying a realistic wage, or being desperate for any kind of work to pay the bills.

Thank you so much for all these really helpful suggestions. I am starting a list of possibilities to have ready to talk to about him at Christmas. Yes, he has thought about a Masters, and he has done so much volunteering it might be possible to get in. He's also done as much NHS as he can- he did hospital cleaning the summer before last which wasn't much fun but paid his rent. It made him think of postgrad nursing, but I don't know how difficult that would be to get in to. He has done St John's Ambulance training too. He does try. He is really aware of chucking his chance of a decent degree and beats himself up a lot.
His parents are wary of 'babying' him, (which they did for years.) They pulled themselves up from nothing by their own very hard work.
But I think it's tougher for young people these days.

Something like this?
www.environmentjob.co.uk/jobs/84301-operations-assistant

I think wildlife/conservation is a wonderful hobby/second job, but no way to earn a living. I speak from experience- it's largely staffed by volunteers (some sections up to 80%) and very insecure. The pay is awful too. DN has been volunteering for 5 years plus, doing all sorts + on badger vaccination teams but there is no opening beyond a little seasonal survey work. (Which he's done.)

Also, I should have said, he has a few close friends where he is. He values them very much and I don't think he'd be mentally strong enough to move away from them, especially now that things are so detached with his family.

I used to recruit Ecologists and it is one of the hardest jobs to get into.
Either do a masters or get on the graduate jobs for the large companies like Jacobs, Capita, Arup etc.
It is seasonal. There are a LOT of freelance ecologists that travel all of the UK for projects.
He will need a mentor to help him sign off for his licenses.
Would he consider relocation? There are 'hubs' where these companies work from. Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol is the biggest for ecologists, high Wycombe.
There isn't a lot of roles in London as it's more urban.
I hope that helps.

He could join the Navy. They have environmental research type jobs (not the technical term!) and they’d give him the stability, family and friends that he needs. I think he needs to try to move away from ‘bits’ of jobs and try to get into an actual career ladder.

Could he move down south to find work?

@LadyCatStark

He could join the Navy. They have environmental research type jobs (not the technical term!) and they’d give him the stability, family and friends that he needs. I think he needs to try to move away from ‘bits’ of jobs and try to get into an actual career ladder.

I agree. Not the Navy though, he needs security more than anything. And he's very much a pacifist.

Thank you Wantabub
He is in one of those cities that you list (not Bristol).
I have wondered about a masters but I don't know how much further forward it would get him. If it would be full time not seasonal work he could manage on minimum wage. It would be a bit of a gamble though, and he'd have to agree to take some financial help from me. I won £5k and put it aside to help him but I don't know if it would be enough.

Has no one told him that his degree classification doesn't matter at all, unless he wants a very selective grad scheme job that only takes straight from university? He's clearly made up for the 2:2 by doing hard work since. Many of them will consider a 2:2 + relevant experience.
I work in nature conservation, but have an non-nature subject 2:2 and 13 years experience (got my first permanent 'career' job after 9 years).

Also please don't bother with another masters, unless it's a not-nature subject, or a job that involves doing it as a qualification.

Agapornis no, nobody has said that to him. Also, of all the people who graduated that year (his 2.2) is the lowest of them, only 1 has gone on to find work in the field and he is very much financed by family.
DN just has to make his own living. He has no financial help and won't get it. He has younger siblings to get through uni from a working class family and didn't end on Springwatch like his parents truly expected.

Oh sorry, misread, I thought he already had a masters. Regardless, I wouldn't bother, unless as above.

Agapornis is there such a thing as a job that involves doing a masters as a qualification?
I am so out of knowledge re. the young person's job market. It's changed beyond anything I recognise from my own experience.

Ah, so he's been informed by the expectations of people who don't work in the sector... Lateral thinking is required! Maybe he could join the CMA for networking and training purposes: countrysidemanagement.org.uk/membership/

Not in the nature sector as far as I know, though I did a paid traineeship with a Level 3 NVQ. Graduate scheme jobs can come with higher level qualifications (e.g. accountancy).

Thank you this.
Have looked up Kickstart but he's just out of the age bracket.
Yes, he is in LinkedIn.

One of the troubles with zero contract hours agency work is references. He says it's really hard getting them to give them.