To feel I've reached my limit with my job. But don't know what else to do.

[Circuscats]

I used to come on here a fair bit but not so much now ... Anyway, I am 37. I have one DD who is 21. She is at university.

I've done a couple of different jobs but for the last 4 years I've worked in home care. I feel I've reached my absolute limit with it. I spent most of the 4 years working for the same company for £6.70 an hour, obviously this went up April 2015 to £7.20. But it was never £6.70 or £7.20... you get allocated times in quarter of an hour slots so 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes or one hour. Most calls were fifteen minutes so to make £6.70 you had to go to 4 different people. No travel time. Anti social hours - up at 5 to be at the first one for 6. Home past 11 at night. Up again early the next day. Weekends, Christmas, baking hot days in a traffic jam and sweaty uniform.

I mean I am saying the worst of it there and don't get me wrong I enjoyed some too otherwise I wouldn't have stayed so long but no doubt it did have an effect on me.

When my bed calls got to 14 people I decided enough was enough, I went to a new agency and this was in June. I really don't like it even though it's better run than the old one. You have to log in and out so you're on less money a lot of the time. Not enough hours either (opposite problem to the old one) and so you have to take what you can get to pay the bills. The people are quite rude too, not all of them but I have four calls in the morning and three are nice and one isn't but I dread it for the one whose rude.

So I'm desperate to do something else, away from care. But I've no ideas at all. I don't think I can retrain. DD has said when she's finished at university she will move in with me for a couple of years and pay the bills so I can refrain but I think that's a big ask of her and I don't feel it's fair to make her commit to that (she's a for offering though, that's something I did right!)

The other thing is I love DD to bits but I have been having these thoughts that maybe I'd love to have another baby. And I need to meet a man so is that possible/practical when being a FT student? And when I finished I'd be 40 which I know isn't totally past it in terms of having a baby but is pushing it.

Oh I don't know, I am just wondering, what would you do, if you were me?

[Circuscats]

It's doing any sort of training, and paying the mortgage, that's difficult.

[IJustLostTheGame]

Loads of stuff you can do you just have to word your CV right.
Working in care will have given you great communication skills. Customer service employers always look for that. Find a way to put in in your CV with examples.
You have time management and prioritisation abilities, a history of working to deadlines.
There are quite a few bookkeeping courses online too.
If you get say a retail or a customer service based job for starters and look at what you can gain from them such as computer experience etc.
Retail sucks but it did give me several jobs afterwards purely because I am able to talk to people not just email. And the customer service work I did afterwards (much better pay) gave me conflict resolution experience and admin skills and I ended up on a good wage.
the fact I quit it to become a seamstress doesn't count

[MoonStar07]

Have you thought about visiting your local college and looking at voacational training? There might be minimum entry requirements for teaching and social work. That doesn't make it impossible but you many have a period of time where you gain the entry qualifications. It might be you have to work around your study which wouldn't be great as having to fit that in.

[Circuscats]

I agree I have plenty of skills, but nonetheless knowing what sort of job that isn't zero hours, through an agency, preferably is weekdays between the hours of 7 and 7 and might contribute towards a decent pension, is hard!

I have GCSEs and I have A levels.

[iseenodust]

What about something like this vacancy - it for a funded place & training scheme to be a teaching assistant. A levels are the entry requirement so you meet that.

[Splandy]

This isn't the sort of job you've mentioned, but would accountancy work for you? I'm currently studying AAT whilst looking after my second baby. It can be studied online, through distance learning, so you can work and then study in your own time. You would also take exams when you were ready, rather than being held to a timetable. I'm now on my last year. Once finishing AAT (or even during) you would be able to get a job and decide whether you wanted to continue your studies. My plan is to finish AAT, find a job and then study ACCA, so I will be a chartered, certified accountant. You can apply for a student loan to pay for the courses, too. It's a non-degree route into a better job for me which works around my family.

[KitKats28]

How about looking for a job that could lead to on the job training for further qualifications. For instance, if you like working with children you could look for a nursery assistant job and then train to be a nursery nurse

This is just an example, but quite a few places offer entry level jobs than can lead to a degree. Aldi for instance offer places on their management training programme for career changers

[Circuscats]

Thank you for sharing, unfortunately I'm a long way away from London and to be quite honest if I was going to go for TA work I think I might just as well stay in care - if I'm going to retrain it needs to be for a better paid job, if you follow me.

[Circuscats]

Well, I was hoping for secondary teaching really. Sorry, I'm being awkward! :) I just really want out of minimum wage jobs if possible!

Accountancy may be possible - my maths skills aren't great but I can have a look.

[Splandy]

I also have GCSEs and A levels, as well as having my first baby young, so our situations aren't too dissimilar. Fell pregnant during my first term at uni and then my future looked very bleak. Doing this has done wonders for my confidence and reminded me of what I'm able to achieve.

[vdbfamily]

There are some jobs where you can train and work at the same time. I am an occupational therapist and lots of the OT assistants I have worked with have got themselves on a 4 year course to qualify as an OT. They work part-time/study part time. It is very tough and you would probably need to work as an assistant for a year first. OT is a great job and your care experience would be invaluable. There are lots of Carer Support type organisations around with some paid jobs advising and supporting carers.

[Circuscats]

I did my GCSEs at about eight months pregnant and went on to do A levels, but things at home got increasingly tense and I moved/was thrown out at the end of my first year. Moved in with boyfriend and his parents and lived there for a year then we got our own place when I was 19. Then the relationship ended.

[Splandy]

So you were essentially brilliant. Interestingly, one of the women on my course (I studied part time at college initially) had her first baby at 14 and had a similar story to yours! Also, not totally sure of how it all works, but there were changes to apprenticeships. A lot of the people on my course suddenly became an apprentice. They were still working four days a week, still paid a proper wage, but their employers covered the costs of the course. I think there used to be an age limit with an apprenticeship, but it changed. I'd always associated them with being paid a pittance, but that wasn't the case.

[hotdiggedy]

I would absolutely have your daughter move in and help pay the bills as in sure it would be beneficial to both of you. You would need a degree to be a teacher. go onto the teaching website ( the government one) and you can speak to someone about your options.

What are your school grades? If you want to do that in a couple of years when she had finished university why not get a supermarket job/ private nursery job (yes, low pay but at least in education). If you want to do teaching then a few months before applying try and get some work experience maybe in a youth club? I think bursaries for some secondary pgce subjects are quite good.

Or what about fostering? Or nannying until then?

[TheoriginalLEM]

Think about what you enjoy doing.

What aspects of your job did you enjoy?

cooking?
Cleaning?
interaction with the nicer customers?

or would you enjoy something more admin based?

What are your interests?

Is this just about more money or are you looking for something more challenging and rewarding?

You have mentioned secondary teaching - is a degree feasible? what subject? You are looking at 4 years before you are earning.

what hours do you want?

its so difficult i know.

write lists.

what you enjoy

your strengths (it sounds like you have plenty!)

priorities

wants versus needs.

then match the jobs to those.

[Circuscats]

I know - I need at least 4 years to study a degree and be a teacher and 5 for social work. Nursery work doesn't really interest me: it's still minimum wage, no sick pay, and it's also enormously competitive and I'd need an NVQ.

But, our mortgage is £500 a month and other bills ... phone, Internet, maintaining the car, groceries ... It's hard.

[gladisgood]

Have you tried private care work? If you are an experienced carer, you would be snapped up.

The going rate for private care work is between £100 ( no personal care) - £200+ per day. The Lady magazine is a good place to look for jobs like this

If your daughter isn't planning on coming home, you could take up a live-in position and save more money (I took a job with accommodation in my 20's, rented out my house, and also built up savings for a deposit for a second house - 20 years later, both mortgages are paid off and I still have the rent coming in every month - much better than any pension scheme!!)

[Circuscats]

Private care work is the pits, honestly.

It's comparatively well paid but with good reason.

In any case I really can't face any more care work.

[Splandy]

My sister in law wanted to become a secondary teacher but developed ME during uni, so had to leave. She recovered a little and managed to get a degree with the open university instead. I've just had a brief look at open university degree and teaching and they have a downloadable booklet with loads of advice. So you could possibly get a more 9-5 job now, wouldn't particularly matter what it was, then spend your own time studying for a degree. I say that as though it'd be simple and easy and I'm sure it'd be difficult and tiring, but possibly a good option? The only issue then would be gaining the teaching qualification, but another poster mentioned different bursaries for various subjects. I had an ex who was training to become a secondary science teacher which was apparently in demand.

[Splandy]

She did also manage to find a part time teaching qualification course nearby, but I think it was one of a few or possibly the only one in the country she saw. I know part time would mean it would take longer, but may also mean you could work alongside, if you could cope with the workload.

[Circuscats]

Finding a 9-5 job is much easier said than done, unfortunately.

I don't know; I probably will just have to carry on with care work. It's getting to the stage where I'm dreading every day

[19lottie82]

Why I am private care work so bad? The money seems decent. I'm not arguing, I'm genuinely curious!

[19lottie82]

why is....... stupid iPhone / fat fingers!

[hermione2016]

Could you take on lodgers for a few years?

Why not start the process of applying for Uni so you have a focus,.There will be ways to earn money trust that it will happen.

Can I just add caution about the baby.I was a similar age, previous child and was so keen to have another baby, met a man.My drive for happy ever after let me overlook red flags and I'm now separating.It feels worse 2nd time around.

My dd is slightly older than yours and we have a great relationship so very fortunate that I had that.I would say focus on getting that Uni place and other things will start to fall into place.

[CodyKing]

Have you look at OU courses?

A lot of academies don't employ fully qualified teachers - if any are local

Apply for school jobs - either secretary or TA - they are school hours and you'll have time to study

On low pay you should be able to get a grant

Take the plunge!!