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

Well done to Islandlady!Shows what attitude and determination can do.

It's interesting to see how all the very useful,helpful advice and encouragement is being taken on board by some on here.

All except the OP who only hears what she wants and fits her view of reality.

Hi all well I've just got off the phone. One hour free call to a lady careers woman. But she had to admit that all she could do was redirect me to a local careers office to get my CV looked at. I was told it wasn't a bad one at all. So there we have it. I followed up the Careers Office suggestion but gained sadly no goals.
I also had my appointment cancelled. No warning again to be given a new date of 5 th July. 11am so yet again go away stay at home mother come back another month. So I complained and informed the G4s woman who is also not answering emails. So there you have it. Avoidance tactics. So nothing's changed just the odd Dear John letter. The Remploy lady said if I could move my kids and house and hubby and sell my house and live in London or Home Counties then they might get me a bit of training. Contacted Skills Funding Agency. LOL. They are supposed to offer courses for unemployed. They get EEC funding NOT money from the British Government. Only interested in under twenty fives Bev said my adviser. They get reimbursed for under 25's. She also said to me that in months; and I kid you not, she said in months meaning 5 Or more, she said this office has only managed to secure 2 training jobs for Next. And only because they paid Next to train them for a six months. Period. Then sack them.
I really am VERY VERY VERY worried for anyone out of work now. There are NO jobs for stay home mums. And especially over forty year olds unemployed in my area with any sort of career. The people at the Jobcentre confirmed this to me when I complained yet again. They all tell you that they're all on short term contracts themselves, so could be sacked themselves any day now. The Jobcentre plus people hate who they work for. It's dire. We haven't got a hope in hell. Unless your hubby is rich or knows lots of people who will take you on...unfortunately that's not an option for us. Hubby has only six months left on his contract. We may seperate. It sounds a good idea if we gain help and get priority to gain some sort of a job. I have kids to feed remember and will be costly to home. But I doubt being rehoused in Stoke on Trent will be an option for us. We live in Warrington. LOL.

We are not long off 100% full unemployment in Greece and about easily 10% where I live now.

Have you phoned local schools op?
You've had conversations like the phone call before, and written about them and been advised to investigate volunteering, invigilating, marking, tutoring and working part time. Any progress?

What about private tutoring?

Haven't read whole thread so this has probably been suggested already.

I shall see what they can recommend with the Agencies for tutoring pupils. If they will employ anyone who has not been in the classroom in the last two years. Unfortunately they do have rules.
I even regularly phone agencies I have previously registered with that say. The Academies are only willing to pay for the NQTs. And I'm at the last count too experienced.

And I do appreciate all your suggestions but so many are now no longer do able. NQTs are cheaper. But also freshly trained and easily mailable.

But surely schools simply won't employ someone who has been out of the classroom so long without update training? You said you'd done a retraining course in 2004. - can you not do another one to get you current? And then do some TA work or ask a School for a six week work experience or work shadowing placement?

I must have missed something in the posts but you can't be elgibile surely for a full time teacher job if you haven't got up to date skills?

You're not listening.
Have you phoned or written to local schools to say you're a returning teacher looking to update skills and could you come in and observe.

EEC?? O-levels? OP if you are still using those terms no wonder employers are concerned that you have no recent experience...you also seem to spend a lot of time complaining. Can't you try to channel the energy into something more positive?

No I'm definitely not. So do I drink wine and sit on the beaches as in Greece or in my case a cold house in winter all day. But not raining today so I can at least wonder about aimlessly as so many women in my circumstances find themselves having to do. I couldn't pay into my pension even if I wanted too. I'm not an NQT sadly. Oh to have my time again. I would certainly get my kids a childminder. But time cannot be turned back. And unless women can get time reduced as in Sweden or Finland from work with their families then it's pointless having a career and kids. Give it up temporarily and it soon turns into INDEFINATELY. Why educate our women then you might think I'm saying? But I'm not I'm just advocating some female support for returning to full or part time employment. And sadly I cannot do two returners to teaching it isn't allowed. So I shall keep you informed of the next door I get slammed in my face. But all I can do is warn you all. This is what could so easily happen to any of you...and sadly depression quickly sets in..and your friends rarely say hello much because they do not want reminding of how horrid it really becomes in the end...

Oh and if I didn't personally thank enough of you then I shall do now. Many Thanks all on here. Just wish the country would stop down treading its mothers as a way of showing appreciation for producing some hard working and well behaved children for our society. Sadly it's only the ones that cause trouble would make the system sit up and take note. Surely this has to be wrong.

Have you contacted local schools asking to come in and observe as you're a returning teacher looking to update skills?

Have you offered your services as an invigilator? Cover assistant? Mentor? Examiner?

Concentrate on you.

I've just skimmed the thread, and don't mean to be too unsympathetic, but it sounds as though you chose to be out of the workplace for an extremely long time, and tbh I am not surprised you're finding it tough, specially with the recession. Education is an area where you need up to date knowledge and experience.

It sounds like you've learned a tough lesson, but I don't think it's fair to blame the government. I think women (and men) need to think long and hard about the implications of staying out of the workplace for years and years. It's tough times and you need to think through how you'll get back in

Good grief - I'm really sorry I returned to this again - I have no idea why as it would appear that nothing has changed.... OP I was at the Warrington job centre last week - spoke to a great woman who loves her job, is super helpful and certainly doesn't hold or share your views. Infact, she says that many employers value the more mature candidate as they are seen sometimes to be more reliable, more tenacity etc.

But hey, you just don't want to listen. Be careful though, the more times you tell yourself that your working opportunities are over the more you will believe it. Oh, hang on....

Oh and by the way, moving to London won't necessarily help. Unless someone has forgotten to tell you this is a global recession... Warrington is no worse or better off than a great deal of the UK. See here www.bbc.co.uk/news/10604117

And please - if you do come back and post, could you just maybe well, change the record a bit?

OP I can't think of any profession where you can go away for 16 years and expect to come back and take up your old role without updating - its nothing to do with being a SAHM, it just common sense

And until you stop whinging and see that, you'll get nowhere

OP - You really do have a persecution complex! Everyone's against you - or so you perceive. You really are your own worst enemy.

You cannot seriously expect to walk into a teaching job after such a long break. Skills fade - every employer knows that.

My friend's daughter qualified as a NQT 2 years ago. She was complaining that she cannot get her first teaching job. That's strange, if you consider that all teaching jobs go to NQTs.

I looked at Warrington Council's current job vacancies. There are 11 teaching jobs advertised. So they obviously recruit directly and not, as you're saying, only via agencies.

So that makes me think you need to take a long hard look at why you're being selected for interviews.

I'd start with your CV. Ask a teacher who is currently employed to see if it's up to spec - not a career advisor from the Job Centre who knows bugger all about what a 'good' CV for teaching should look like i.e. the 'in' buzz words etc.

But I'd also look at other work. I'm 55. I shall be redundant by Christmas. I'm optimistic because, despite being in a senior role with a high salary, I shall look for all sorts of possible work. I don't mind cleaning!

But just bemoaning perceived slights against you by the world and his dog and becoming bitter to the point of paranoia, is not going to get you anywhere.

Grammatical errors like "embarrest" and "INDEFINATELY" won't do you any favours on an application form. I hate to say this as I don't like to kick someone when they're down, but my take on your posts is that you worked quite a long time ago and are now too angry / disillusioned to really concentrate on presenting yourself in the best light. You do seem to be ignoring good advice on this thread, preferring to believe that you are hard done by and the world owes you a living.

Your posts have touched a nerve with me because I have a friend like you. We started work at the same time. I have bust a gut hunting online for vacancies, studying up for relevant courses and making myself employable and am now (finally) seeing the rewards. My friend has sat around moaning about how the system is so unfair and why isn't work coming her way...........

You need to take responsibility for yourself. It's a bad time to be looking for work, you may have to lower your sights, but I find it hard to believe that someone who really wants to work cannot find ANYTHING AT ALL, paid or unpaid, permanent or temporary, full time or part time

Sorry if I have offended people with spelling errors but I use an iPad that's jolly awkward with a habit of substituting words of its own.

I find it increasingly hard to believe that the OP is really a teacher trying to return to work. It seems quite clear that her one aim is to make a point about the political situation in the country.

Which is absolutely fine- MN is open to political rants any day, and there are many, many of us who dislike the way the country is presently being run. But she would have got a lot more sympathy if she had not muddled the waters by pretending that she wanted advice on getting back into teaching.

Posters who have wasted time on the alleged question are naturally going to feel a little irritated.

Just once more, for the OP, in case you are genuine:

you shouldn't wait for agencies to get you tutoring- you should be out there advertising yourself

you shouldn't wait for an advisor to get you into contact with the schools- you should be ringing up the schools in the area and asking to volunteer

you should be spending your time upping your skills in areas such as IT, not expecting somebody else to be offering you training courses

OP, it's not just the spelling errors, it's your sentence construction as well.

"muddied" the waters, even

Whoops, cross-posted.

Amy O'Callaghan (@amylerose)
20/06/2012 10:12
Reports that UK unemployment has fallen by 51,000. Of those employed, only 1000 are women. Am I missing something or is the Government?