Still unemployed

[NKfffffffff897b902X11f54eb6c66]

Im now 53 and my youngest is now 16. And I'm still out of work. I find that every single application I make never gets a reply let alone never an interview. I was a full time teacher for fifteen years but Mr Blairs government started training loads of NQTs which means as Agencies now control the job markets then they only want to register teachers on the bottom of pay scale, straight from college. Then they can make more money from the schools. I cannot be blamed for my experience surely. Nore can this be blamed on the recent resession as I have been trying for well over ten years to get a job. Women who stay at home to be full time mums are TOTALLY ignored by this country. Do not do it unless you are married to a millionaire or a man that can get you a job later on. And if you get on a works program then they will just ignore you because you will have no job seekers entitlements. G4s only get paid to help claimers and not for women that can only claim a pension credit until they are 66. So they ignore you and just cancel your appointment. Being at home means you never see people or network jobs. It's dire. Woman signing on is desperate now. Do not have kids and give up your job or you will remain stuck and forgotten by your country INDEFINATELY. If you have had a similar experience and Are still in this position as me then please get in touch. Bev

Have you registered with the National Careers Service and contacted an advisor?

I am over 50 and an ex teacher. I volunteered for an agency in the criminal justice system and secured a job 8 years ago. Since then I've done a range of roles, undertaken loads of training and have been promoted several times - most recently last year. I refuse to believe that the over 50s are routinely ignored.

Get out there volunteering. More than 85% of jobs are currently filled by networking and are never even advertised. Get your CV checked. And get some training on how to tailor an application specifically to the requirements of the post.

Once again many thanks to everyone. But unless some one actually says the job is yours then it isn't going to happen I fear I'm already done for. The writings been on the wall for ages. The recession just added to it.

I once heard on Radio 4 a program about unemployed older women about two years ago. Does anyone remember it on woman's hour I think? It said statistically that if female, x teacher and stay home mum, then this group are highly at risk of never getting a job again. I nearly stopped the car in its tracks when I heard this. That's me girls I shouted, that's mummy. At last I had been recognised as being forgotten.
Did anyone listen to Radio 4 tonight at 5 pm. It was rather shocking statistically how older women are treated ? Absolutely despicable. I thought.

Yes it is tough out there but if you worked on your attitude, spelling and poor writing skills that might be a start...

Are you taking on board any of the ideas and suggestions?

god almighty, your poor daughters if you are so negative all the time.. you must be wearing them down.. :(

You havent taken one bit of notice from all the posts on here, and just carried on wallowing in self pity.

There are many positive posts on here, people have taken the time to try and help, and you completely ignore it just to have another long whinge about your situation.

Yes, your life is over. Either stay in the home and do house work or just give up and die.

You need to be more realistic, you chose to take ten years out of the job market so cant expect the perfect high paying job to be handed to you on a plate.

Volunteer in a school, work on getting experience and more upto date skills rather than winge about how unfair life is. Nobody forced you to stop working when you became a parent, thousands with children carry on teaching.

I don't think I'd want to employ you - so negative and entitled. If you have applied for so many jobs you may want to consider " if you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you always got"

I think everyone is being a little bit harsh on the OP. I am struggling to get a job and its very disheartening. As for correcting her spelling and grammar - really? My sentences on here are often incoherant, but that doesn't mean that my CV is the work of an illiterate.

I've recently employed a woman aged over 50, but she is a recently qualified teacher. I had a 5 year career break myself and returned to teaching. However, 10 years is a long time. There's no two ways about it. When I went back to teaching, it was like people were speaking another language. I would not be put off by age, nor by career break. I think I would be looking for some evidence of continued untreated in education. Exam marking would be fab, as it would suggest a familiarity with current specifications and assessment. In my career break I marked exam papers and did another degree, offering another subject for teaching and recent experience as a learner myself.

Continued interest that should be. Autocorrect...

@ vj32

Yes, the OP is quite negative, but there are some interesting issues raised here. I was made redundant from my post as a local authority careers adviser last year after the government cut LA budgets and LAs started shutting down careers services. For six months I applied for 2/3 jobs a week, in careers work and similar, and didn't even get an interview, in spite of meeting or exceeding all the job criteria. In my case, there is an oversupply of careers staff due to cuts and redundancies, but I also started to wonder whether my age was an issue (I am 50) and started blogging about it. I am currently working part-time in a very low paid admin job in the NHS.

So, I think there are real issues finding good quality jobs because we are in a recession and a lot of professional level public sector jobs traditionally done by women have been cut. I'm still not sure about the age thing and to what extent it's an issue - maybe, as people have said, it's more about being out of date than being older.

I think you need to get some honest feedback as to why you're not being considered for jobs you've applied for. There certainly are teaching jobs out there for older women. My parents are teachers in their sixties and have both recently got new jobs without much difficulty I think there must be rather more to it than not being an NQT and being an older woman.

Hullo!

I'm just popping in from a rather dull evening reading applications for the teaching posts in my department. A few things occured to me and I can't believe it would be different in Warrington:

1. I'm actually not allowed to discriminate against somebody because of their age or because they have not been working for fifteen years. Seriously.

1. I'm not allowed to consider where on the payscale somebody is. And to be honest, I don't even look because in my school (as in most schools), the only person who would actually care is the head or whoever it is that pays the wages. That is very unlikely to be the person who chooses the candidates.

1. I would have a set of points, linked to the 'person specification' that I look for and if somebody fulfills all of those points, then they'll make the shortlist. Are you addressing these when you fill in your form?

1. Teaching is way more 'mum-friendly' than most jobs as it is so female orientated and child-centred. If we discriminated against SAHM we'd lose most of the profession e.g. I am a middle manager and am part time.

Teaching posts rarely ask for a CV, but instead ask you to show how you would fulfil the specific requirements of a post (OP, I'm giving this information for other people, because I'm sure you've filled in enough of them to know!). Without having seen any of your applications, reasons I may not choose you include:

1. Lack of relevant experience. Yep, this is the biggie. You are going to have to show that you're up-to-date, because at your level you need to be mentoring others and not the other way round. You mentioned 'O-Levels' at one point, so I would be worried. Tutoring students for an exam is how you're going to show that you've done this. Sorry, but I'd expect this.

1. Lack of drive. Are you emphasising your MA? This is exactly the sort of detail that I would require in somebody returning to the profession. Whilst staying at home with kids is lovely, it isn't mentally taxing. I'd want to see that you had been doing something else too, so please emphasis this.

1. Lack of ICT training. The significance of ICT has risen radically since you've been away. Have you ever used an interactive whiteboard? You will almost certainly expect to be teaching on one as well as regularly creating powerpoints. Perhaps do something like create a teaching video for the O2 learn website (plus there is loads of money if you win) as this would encapsulate a lot of different skills.

1. Spelling and grammar. I know you're upset, but your posts haven't been very well edited. I honestly do chuck in the bin any applications that contain errors at any stage.

OP, I know that you're disheartened because we're pretty much reached the end of the applications for this academic year, but I wouldn't discriminate against somebody who'd been a SAHM or was 53.

But I would reject somebody who didn't have recent experience.

You may shortlist people with the relevant experience. The head then appoints the cheap NQT.

I think there is a prejudice against people who haven't worked for a long time. I was accepted for a voluntary job not long after my redundancy and the interviewer commented that they find it much easier to deal with volunteers who have been employed because they understand the importance of things like time keeping, good communication (eg phoning in when they can't cover a particular day) and so on. If you've been out of work for a long time, you have to work harder to convince recruiters that you possess these attributes.

Yes enimmead. Sigh. That's probably correct......but that doesn't explain why the OP isn't actually getting interviews. In my experience (of three schools where I've chosen the applicants) the head couldn't possibly choose the applicants for interview unless the school is tiny. They just wouldn't have time to do it for every department. And they wouldn't have the expertise either as wouldn't know about the subject knowledge requirements of each department area.

Stop worrying about 'a women's lot' and concentrate on you. You only need to find one job; your cynicism is very off putting and if 1% of your disenchantment is coming over in your applications it will be the reason why you're not getting interviews.

6 interviews in last 8 months - no job. I am M6 (top of main scale). Lots of experience and in one place, I fitted the job spec perfectly. Just because I left a full time job due to bullying and a lot of stress. Am doing lots of tutoring and supply work.

But it's hard to get back in.

Goodness you must have been out of the education world for a while if you say your children are now doing O levels?

Re-training perhaps might help?!

Is it just me or does the OP and her subesequent posts read like someone writing a (rather florid) article and just looking for back up/background?

You do know that there's a fee to pay to MN if you want to canvas our input...?

rogue 'e' there in subsequent

How about training to be a nanny? My husband's cousin has just hired a nanny (not live in) who is in her early 50s because they wanted someone older and more responsible who has had her own family and knows what she is doing.
Or childminder - could probably get tuition work on the side once you are in contact with parents.
The above jobs are both jobs you have the experience to do as you have been doing them over the past 16 years with your own children.

It is possible to get back into work after being at home , I have done it twice as an expensive teacher , although after five years not ten. I probably would not have taken 10 years out but that is not about women but about how we view parenting , budget cuts and fast changes in teaching.

After returning from long gaps at home I did struggle and in both cases I had to take a demotion and teach in schools that most teachers would not wish to.

You need to get someone to look over your cv and perhaps do some practice interviews. If they get a whiff of your negativity you will not get anywhere.