Finding a job

[LilyLily1999]

Need a bit of advice, I’m 23 and a single mum, currently on universal credit but my daughters just turned 3 so now looking to get back into work. Universal credit said I should get into waitressing or retail jobs but that’s not something I’m interested in and it wouldn’t help with my mental health, no judgement to people with these jobs, I’d rather have a job that I can develop in and make a stable income, my mental healths bad and I get very depressed but for the right job with the right income I’d be very motivated to work I’m quite ambitious. I’d love a job in the council and from what I’ve seen the pays good (35-40,000) but they all say you need experience or qualifications in the roles which I don’t have so I’m not sure where I start. I’ve seen one local apprenticeship working in the council where I could gain experience but waiting to see if I get it. Where do I go from here, I really don’t want to work in waitressing or retail as I was suggested, it’ll benefit me mentally if I have a job I look forward to going to and I really want a well paid job just don’t have the qualifications for the jobs. 😕

What about something in sales? Not an area I know about personally but I believe you can earn decent salaries fairly quick if you have the motivation and aptitude for it.

I think training is key if you want to forge a career for yourself. If you don't get the apprenticeship, would recommend looking for part-time college or online courses to upskill. Showing a commitment to developing yourself will look good at interviews.

Maybe also need to manage expectations as well in terms of salary. It could take years to work to those sorts of levels. I started as an apprentice in my field 10 years ago and although I have had a few promotions I'm still under 35k! And the higher you go the more stressful the jobs tend to be, so would need to take that into consideration to look after yourself and your mental health 😊

Not everyone has the knack for sales but if you do, you're golden!

In your shoes I'd maybe look at getting admin work in a sales environment eg recruitment, estate agent and show an interest in progressing to a junior / trainee sales role.

There is a reason sales is easy to get into though, it's tough so turnover is v high. You may love it though

How about a HCA role in the NHS ? Starting salary of about £23,000 and they give you the opportunity to gain both experience and qualifications to further your career.

If you think you might want to do office work, you could see if a temp agency would take you on. It would give you a chance to try out this type of work. I did this in my 20s and ended up being taken on full time. Ignore the naysayers, I think they are misreading your OP and deliberate taking offence. Of course you should think carefully about what type of work you wish to do. So many people are stuck on jobs they dislike. Now is the perfect time to gather information and this should be a useful place to do that.

And a LOT of resilience

Social work with your mental health conditions is not good at all. Get a call centre job, you will be taken on without any experience and then work at developing yourself from there.

OP I think you've had a bit of a hard time on here. FWIW I share nearly all your mental health issues (with another on top - C-PTSD 😬) and there has never been any way I could do waitressing and retail - I tried waitressing once while at uni and ended up sobbing in the toilets on day one and quitting on the spot ha. So I get you there.

I think office work would suit you. I work in an office with limited client interaction and it suits me down to the ground. Do you have good IT skills? Word/Excel etc? Can you type? If so I'd look for an admin assistant role. There are also often free courses on IT at local colleges if you might be interested but arent sure if your skills are up to scratch. At the moment I wouldn't necessarily look for your 'forever job' but just something to build up experience, even if it's not something that exactly sets your world on fire!

One thing I would say regardless of what area you want to go for is not to get too focused on the obvious employers like the council, NHS, Civil Service etc. Look on Indeed, sign up with employment agencies, and be open to smaller employers which may not pay as much but will allow you to build your CV.

Good luck!

So do I OP, along with bipolar disorder and 3 sections in 3 years under the m/h act after several suicide attempts.

Despite me saying I didn't want to get a job in hospitality (mainly because of my anxiety) I am now working in a cafe bar and have been for the past 12 months, which also happen to be the most stable 12 months I've had in 20 years.

I always wanted a job in copywriting/editing or journalism. After being out of work for so long due to my m/h issues, I gladly took the first job I was offered (and with such a gap on my cv, there weren't too many offers!)
I will work my way to where I want to be eventually but I'm doing it at a comfortable pace, there's no pressure, I'm earning some money and I've made some really good friends.
Don't knock it til you've tried it.

Wow lots of people being very unkind in this thread. Please ignore all the people making horrible comments about mental health…let’s just hope they never have to experience being unwell. I think it’s brilliant that you are ambitious and want to better yourself and get a good job. I completely understand that you wouldn’t want to go back to waitressing or retail and you are looking for something that sets you on a ladder of progression. What about some internships? They are often not paid but are a great way to get experience. Have a look at your cv and run it through chat gbt it’s great at writing a summary for you and a covering letter based on what you have written. Explain how ambitious you are and really want to learn. Your posts are very articulate I am sure you will go far :)

How are your computer skills?

If you want an office job I would try to do a free, basic IT course and then apply for admin/reception roles as a start.

I can completely understand you don't want something in hospitality/retail/care as these jobs are poorly paid and the conditions are not great.

You are still young so as people have mentioned a paid apprenticeship could be good. They are not just for trade jobs.

Also I wanted to mention that I have mental health issues too and I have mainly worked for charities. I did find that doing frontline work with people with mental health issues and other complex needs was too challenging for me. I initially thought it would be good to help people who have similar issues but in the end it was just too draining. I still work for a charity but in an office-based role. Something to think about: sometimes being around other people with mental health issues can make your own issues more acute, so it is not for everyone.