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

squeaky you're a fine one to accuse anyone of being negative

As a 32 year old who has been almost constantly employed since the age of 18 (last eight years with the same employer, who I never plan upon leaving- evar!), I can't empathise with the OP's situation or understand how hard it is for her and I wouldn't like to judge her. But I do wonder if she has applied for any other sorts of jobs apart from teaching? So many wonderful suggestions have been made in this thread, but she hasn't responded to them.

Some really constructive advice on here - especially from Tortu - couldn't be more relevant! I am your age OP - it isn't easy but you are not unemployed because of your age or the fact that you are a woman, (especially in teaching). It is hard, really hard but not just for us. I have friends with boys in their twenties desperate for jobs. Act on some of the excellent advice here and maybe come back and let us know how you got on,

I have been personally replying to people on here. Not sure why it hasn't shown here. I have correctly responded personally. And appropriately.
I have also placed messages. Explaining much. I myself have never been rude. Never felt a need to. Words must be chosen carefully if directly intended.
Lots I have personally replied to and said thanks to. And I say again. Much of the advice I have already done. I will try a careers helper at the Jobcentre. And just keep sending out CVs. Not had much luck with CV it was even checked over by many careers people already...but it's now looking bleak. If I have no income just nat ins credits then I have no money spare for courses. And the Jobcentre only see me monthly now. And Remploy on behalf of G4S keep cancelling appointments and have yet to offer me a job to apply to. They are doing nothing. Only concentrating work on under 25 s or just unemployed. Not me.

These people at Remploy I'm sorry to say are costing the state money. They are employed by G4S who have no idea what's going on or if they do are just looking the other way.
When they finally do send me out a new appointment I shall attend but then be asked to sign for all the cancelled appointments. They will look all embarrest at this, cough a bit then smile awkwardly. G4s do not seem to be policing Remploy. I know this is inappropriate to mention but I feel I should warn you all. They treat people like this all the time. The government isn't sorting it out. Instead tax payers money is being thrown to the wind deliberately.
And once more I say thanks. Most work seems to be centred around London and the Home Counties now. This is a very dangerous game to play with people's lives. The Governments who are in power must help good mothers back into employment again or they will cost much more long term.
Thanks everyone for kind help...Bev

What's rem

Remploy? Do you have a disability?

Soz, what's remploy got to do with it? I agree with other posters, yes it's tough etc but you make your own luck and you need to get out there instead of wallowing,

And you do sound totally out of touch with the world of education. When was the last time you were in a school?

Please take on board the advice of the people who keep telling you that you will not get a job unless you can:

a) write well
(quite frankly, I would not want my children taught by somebody who writes like you do)

b) show that you are keeping in touch with the world of education- this is your responsibility and not the job centre's!
(why aren't you keeping up by tutoring, volunteering, supply teaching etc?)

No no disability. Because I'm on pension credits the G4s lot will ignore me.
They make no money out of me. Nothing only for under 25 year olds. Males with families. And just lost a job people.
When G4s was appointed they employed Remploy to do the work.
I have been attending for months when my appointment is not cancelled that is.
I've even written to my MP. He recommended a job club. That's been now shut down. Sacked the person running it. It's sad but true. Even went to that. They found me some websites. Applied. Heard nothing. Nobody is offering interviews.
If you cannot get an interview than you have no chance of getting offered a job.
CVs have come to nothing. And I have done lots of career visits. Even managed to do an MA part time using the last of all our savings. Just keep getting the Dear John letters. It's dire. The streets are full of people without work walking about all day...just look at their faces it's dire here.
Thanks everyone else for your kind thoughts.

We all know it's dire. It is dire for everybody. But within that framework, there are things that you can do for your own employability. You need to do those and spend less time thinking about the general situation. Otherwise, even getting a job wouldn't be much good to you: you wouldn't be able to do it.

Seriously OP stop obsessing about G4 and Remploy and the world in general and concentrate on your employability. Are you apllying for part time as well as full time posts? Have you applied for Cover Supervisor Posts, or for work as an invigilator or as a TA? Which would give you some up to date experience.

Then you move to London/Home Counties if you want to continue to work in your chosen field.

You are right there are many more teaching jobs down here. You could also tutor up there. Follow an online tutorial for a website, do a leaflet for schools, use all your previous contacts to get your name out there for tutoring.

If you charge less than the current market rate you will find work.

I couldn't take any of this seriously after the OP said she couldn't find voluntary work because they don't want stay at home Mums. Complete and utter shite. There's loads of voluntary work out there, charities are screaming out for people. You just need to apply for it and then turn up and do it.

Have you applied for anything other than teaching OP?

OP, here's the volunteering link that someone posted earlier:

www.do-it.org.uk/

I think you have 2 choices - you either sit on your arse waiting for someone else to do something, crying about how being a SAHM has hurt your career prospects or you can take ownership of your own life, have a look at what is around you (e.g. volunteering) and get stuck in.

All I'm hearing on this thread is wah, poor me. Which is never going to get you another job.

I'm not sure how easy it is to get voluntary work - people assume that because it's voluntary it'll be easy to find a work placement, but that's not necessarily the case. When I worked for the careers service, many young people struggled to get voluntary jobs because charities and such were overwhelmed with applicants.

So in summary:

There is no work outside of London and the Home Counties (anyone actually want to define which they are? but anyway...) Everywhere else is a barren wasteland.

There is no work anywhere for women with children or who are over 50. They have sacrificed their lives for the next generation and are relegated to the scrap heap.

The job centre are shit. And favour men/the young. Contractors of the JC are extra especially shit, mostly because they have not given you a job yet.

I am getting a bit angry, which is probably the point of the OP. I just chose to have a child, and have (hopefully temporarily) given up teaching. I am working in a support staff role in a school instead as it is better for the LO for now. I was unemployed for 4 months. I applied for 5 jobs, got 4 interviews, got the third job I interviewed for. Being in a school I can keep fairly up to date with new initiatives etc and I am still working with kids every day. I am earning less than half what I would teaching but I really enjoy the job and it will help me go back to teaching in the future. You have to have a plan if you want to resume your career one day. You can't just assume someone will give you a job because you think you deserve it. Get out and do something about it.

Or as others have suggested, move to London!

TheFarSide I went to see my local volunteers co-ordinator recently. She had a list of about a hundred vacancies. Some very specialist, some that would welcome anyone. You could do many things working with children - work with young carers, play groups, nurture type groups, family support, support children in care. Plus all the obvious Scouts, etc.

I was actually very impressed, but got a job very soon after so didn't end up applying for anything. I did loads of voluntary work as a 'young person' (just) back when MV was around, and that was fab. Would recommend voluntary work to anyone, it helped me get my first job out of uni, and got me to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen!

One of the local charities shops only wanted experienced customer service staff , and I know someone in a v small town who has struggled to find voluntary work, it's not easy for absolutely everyone.

Of course there are exceptions vj32 but in my extensive experience of working with young jobseekers, it can't be assumed that it's "easy" to find voluntary work.

Nor does the fact that there are lots of vacancies mean anyone can just walk into a voluntary job. It's interesting that you didn't get around to testing your implied theory that you could have taken your pick of any of those opportunities. There are lots of vacancies at the JobCentre but when it comes down to it lots of employers don't bother responding to applications.

And anyone who says "move to London" like it's that cheap and simple to up sticks and relocate starts to sound like Norman Tebbit.

The OP is certainly on a downer but do you think that exhorting her to "get out and do something about it" is helpful advice?

TheFarSide loads of people gave helpful, sympathetic advice up thread, and the OP just ignored them. So yes, I think after that get up and do something, whatever it is is useful advice if you are trying to get back into employment. As many other people have said.

And I have also worked with young jobseekers. Most refused to consider voluntary work at all. Many had serious barriers to doing anything - like homelessness. None of which the OP has, or at least she hasn't mentioned them.

As I said, I have done voluntary work before. And unless you are really picky, or clueless, or wierd, most places will take you. Unless, as I said, they want specialist skills. And yes, I could have had my pick of any of those unpaid jobs, largely because I am not wierd or nutty and will turn up, work hard and be polite. And nobody else wants to do them sadly. Because for some people it would really really help and open doors for them. Which was, actually, my point.

It is a shame charity shops are saying they only want experienced staff, doesn't make any sense to annoy people like that in the long run.

We have a lovely cafe here nearly entirely run by volunteers and they take kids still at school up to over retirement age. Lovely place to spend your money and know it is going to a good cause and helping local people at the same time.

Its always harder to find work in rural areas. Guessing Warrington isn't a rural area though?

doggiemumma Wed 13-Jun-12 22:11:33
"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."

No, but the fact that the OP keeps mis-spelling common words and making apostrophe errors even after this has been pointed out does perhaps indicate that this is normal for her- not something one would like to see in a teacher, really.

FarSide, I think it might be a little unrealistic of the OP to expect the jobcentre to set her up with the kind of experience she needs.

If she sits around waiting for schools to advertise for volunteers rather than ringing them and asking, she might well wait a long time. And as for tutoring, I don't know any tutors who do not do their own advertising. Wouldn't have thought exam marking is something the local job centre knows a lot about either, but very valuable practice for someone like the OP. For the kind of job she is after, she needs to demonstrate more initiative.