To resign? Or should I try to stick it out?

[fiveacres]

I started work last month after almost 4 years 'out' - just 5-8 hours p/w (zero hour contract) at £7 ph so not really hugely well paid! However, any extra money is useful.

But - I am exhausted. The hours I do are anti social; this morning I only did one hour but because I had to get up so early it's wiped me out for the rest of the day.

I sometimes have to deal with people smoking - I really don't like that.

I'm not paid for travel time so my hourly pay technically is less than £7 ph.

I would be finishing mid July as I am expecting a baby in August anyway.

I suppose it's a WWYD really - am I being silly and should I try to stick at it? Or should I give myself a break?

Carer jobs are so poorly paid and really hard work. You could resign now and still find a job like it further down the line. The jobs are fairly easy to obtain. If you resign it is your business and you can tell future employers it was for pregnancy related reasons.

Thanks, yes, I was thinking it might be easier to just try again later down the line.

Sounds so defeatist though.

i wouldn't bother unless it is going to get you mat pay. you will be able to do the same job later on. it's your third child. i was knackered earlier on with every pregnancy. probably all the running round.

Thanks. I'll have a think and see how I feel next week. I'll definitely do the shifts I've got this week.

Although you are not entitled to be paid to commute to your job, you are entitled to at least the national minimum wage for time spent travelling between visits (I am guessing from one of your posts that you carry out visits of some sort to different service users eg a carer going from house to house?).

The only exception is if you have time to go home in between shifts. Some employers in the care sector deliberately schedule big gaps between shifts to get around the obligation to pay the national minimum wage for travel time - but as this is inefficient, most don't do this. (This may be happening to you if you have eg only one hour of work in the morning).

If you get only £7 per hour and are not being paid to travel between different visits to service users, your employer is probably breaking the law and you can take it up with hmrc via the pay and work rights helpline.

quit. its not worth the hassle.

I think I might although the money was useful.

I'd stick it out. Its only a few hours a week for another few weeks. You said yourself the extra money will help. You'll be able to get a reference too.

I've got to say, that not finding a job rewarding is no reason to give it up for the sake of a few weeks. My job of 8 years isn't rewarding and is totally dead-end but its a trade off (I get a reasonable amount of flexible hours with no childcare costs). If you were being bullied or otherwise abused then obviously it would be different.

Hi, the clients shouldn't be smoking around you, whether it's in their house or not. Difficult to enforce it though.
I would stick it out, start counting down the days! And then aim for a change of job after mat leave. Perhaps an office based job in the healthcare industry? Your care experience (I'm assuming it's care) should be an advantage.

It's not just the not being rewarding though - it's the tiredness and sickness and smoke.

I'd stay.

You're only picking up on all the little reasons to leave because you've given yourself an out.

Everyone could list some reasons to leave their job. You are tired and pregnant and people smoke around you. I've been at work since 8am today and I'm already ready to leave, I'm shattered, people keep eating really noisily, someone has some type of fish curry, there's someone with a Maccie D's, you can guarantee that by the time lunchtime actually comes round the room will be full of even more smells, it's so loud nobody can concentrate, I'm hungry and too busy. The doorway stinks of smoke because it's wet so nobody wants to go outside properly to smoke.

I'd think about the reasons you took the job - the money is useful, presumably, and you are getting a reference, and you're achieving something now rather than pushing it back to later, when you'll have another child to think about and circumstances could change. You're getting one step closer to your goal. You're also just doing the daily grind with the rest of us. You have an end in sight!

I'd stay.

You're only picking up on all the little reasons to leave because you've given yourself an out.

Everyone could list some reasons to leave their job. You are tired and pregnant and people smoke around you. I've been at work since 8am today and I'm already ready to leave, I'm shattered, people keep eating really noisily, someone has some type of fish curry, there's someone with a Maccie D's, you can guarantee that by the time lunchtime actually comes round the room will be full of even more smells, it's so loud nobody can concentrate, I'm hungry and too busy. The doorway stinks of smoke because it's wet so nobody wants to go outside properly to smoke.

I'd think about the reasons you took the job - the money is useful, presumably, and you are getting a reference, and you're achieving something now rather than pushing it back to later, when you'll have another child to think about and circumstances could change. You're getting one step closer to your goal. You're also just doing the daily grind with the rest of us. You have an end in sight!

What were your reasons for starting to do this work in the first place? Are they still valid reasons?

Has your employer done any risk assessment relating to your pregnancy?

If not then I'd just leave tbh - if you're ever asked to explain why, this is a perfectly valid reason.

I suppose my reasons were - for bits of extra money, to try to get some experience, to show myself xh I could work ...

Just leave if you can manage without the money by cutting back. There's no point in being exhausted for so little reward. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. Can't see much point in soldiering on just for the sake of it.

Thanks

I have just resigned from a zero hour job running parties, similar hours per week. I enjoy the actual work but I hate missing out on family time at the weekend - the job is by its nature weekends only, and I value that time too much. We are like you as in no benefits etc and the money is nice to have but doesn't change our lives one bit.

You only get one life and your kids only get one childhood.

Thanks one

It's very difficult - my Ds's behaviour is a real concern to me at the moment and I do feel I should be giving him as much 'one to one' as possible.

Are you a home carer by any chance?

For a few hours a week, yes!

I think you're being a bit precious TBH. You've had 2 children - surely the odd early morning won't kill you.

And it's insulting to full time working mothers to imply that working can somehow damage the baby! Surely sitting around is more damaging, no?

BUT and its a big but - if you don't need the money -and the job isn't going to lead into something bigger and better, I'm not sure I'd be bothered either.

I didn't say that, I don't think, and if it was insinuated then I apologise as that wasn't my intention.

It isn't the early mornings killing me - more making me really sick

I done care work years ago walking house to house. I could be out the house for six hours and paid for two because the visits had half an hour between them and you were only in the house 15-30 minutes and thats what you were paid for. There wasn't enough time to go home in between as was too far away. It was horrible in some houses granted and thick with smoke.

I lasted a few weeks. The care company's are shocking and have such a high turn over due to the hours your out vs hours paid. It's unfair and I defo would be quitting if I were you. By the way I then went on to get a much much better job. Id say it was my worst job without a doubt and the reason why I think carers deserve to be paid a lot more.

OP, if I doing your job for that kind of pay and could afford to quit, you wouldn't see me for dust! There is no merit in working a shit job under crap conditions for terrible pay. Either join forces with your coworkers, put pressure on your employers to pay you for your travel and insist on a smoke-free workplace, or - if you can afford to - leave. Being part of the workforce does not make you a better or more capable person! Workers in the care industry are notoriously badly paid - because that's what the companys are allowed to get away with. Why would you want support that by working under those conditions?