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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think I'm never going to find well paid work

150 replies

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 19:52

That fits around school hours?

Ideally I'd want to work in an office; sales/admin/customer service etc.

AIBU to think that I'm never going to find something where I can be there to pick up and drop off my DD from school?

OP posts:

babybigapple · 29/08/2017 00:57

Bloody hell - just caught up with this and totally agree with PP suggesting OP wants the moon on a stick. From the drip feed - aged 26 and not willing to consider anything that's slightly inconvenient or out of your comfort zone. Fine for now but where do you stand in 5-10 years time when DC are in secondary and you're further out the job market. Presumably had you not had DC you'd have had to go into something in the workplace so no reason why you shouldn't still do that apart from your 'nothing is good enough' attitude

user1497863568 · 29/08/2017 01:05

It IS possible to get well paid work during school hours. Usually it requires having worked for years before kids and having being educated in something always in demand eg medicine. Then you can pick the hours that suit.

LastAnni · 29/08/2017 01:29

Gosh you're SO young OP - my advice would be to accept, for the moment, that you're not going to find your perfect job right now, and use this time to study for qualifications. There are plenty of courses you could start online, or have a look at an OU degree. Studying with young children is no fun, but it's really the best pathway towards a better paid job in the future.
In the meantime, how about talking to your DH about him working flexibly to allow for school pickups etc.? My DH takes our DC to school one morning a week and does one pick up so I can work. He works late a couple of evenings a week in order to manage his workload, and sometimes attends (virtual) meetings on his phone in the playground.
Also, there ARE jobs which work around school time, but you have to work towards them. I'm a contract academic; I teach from 11.30-2.30 most days, with one morning and one later afternoon class weekly. I take home more than 1K a week for about 15 hours teaching time. BUT I've been in this field for more than ten years, it didn't start out this way. Pick an area you're interested in and start working towards some qualifications ASAP. Good jobs for mothers are out there, and with some hard work could be yours.

Rinkydinkypink · 29/08/2017 02:03

Local charities can offer these hours. Ive done my job for 10 months 2days admin) and changed my hours after 2 months of working. I need more work now so I'm looking to move but it's not easy op.

upsidedown2017 · 29/08/2017 06:21

I really want to go down the purchase ledger route when I go back to work working my way up to accounts assistant and and then find a company who will support me through the AAT.

However, I cannot for the life of me find a way in - every job I look at for Purchase Ledger work expects experience. I've not found one entry level job which trains you in the position - does anyone on this thread know anything about this? Is the course I can take whilst I'm still a SAHM? How do I get started? I have a very good degree and good work experience in office roles but nothing finance related at all - I believe I'd be suited to the role and willing to work hard but how do I get started?? How does anyone get started as a purchase ledger with zero experience in the field??!

Horsemad · 29/08/2017 06:55

Upsidedown, you could do AAT by distance learning and maybe volunteer in an office/charity to get some work experience?

Once you have the experience, you will have many more jobs in that field open to you.

cheminotte · 29/08/2017 08:21

Upside - my company seems to get it's finance staff in as apprentices, getting qualified as they go. Year one is on the apprentice NMW but it is living wage (regardless of age) from year 2 onwards. Normally a 3 year apprenticeship.

BitchQueen90 · 29/08/2017 08:38

I'm your age OP and I have just landed a job working 10-2 in a call centre. Basic wage plus commission so I have the potential to earn a full time wage working PT hours. I'm very lucky as the manager is a mum herself and so understands the childcare situation, she hires a lot of women PT working these hours. But I am a single parent so I really cannot work weekends as I have no childcare at all.

For the past year I have been working nights because it was the first job I could get after spending 2 years on benefits. I am permanently tired but I sucked it up to put food on the table. Sometimes we have to do whatever is available until we find something more suitable. Look around and see what options are out there.

Allthewaves · 29/08/2017 08:44

Prob hospital admin best you will get but won't be 9-3 but you could apply for term time working

SomeDoNot · 29/08/2017 08:45

This is a nonsense comment. We view all earnings as family money so when I had 3 dc and childcare would have been 1k more than I earned each month, why on earth would I make my family poorer? Once we'd paid for childcare from both combined salaries we'd not have had enough to cover the mortgage and food ffs. This is the reality not my bastard dh forcing me to give up work. Very few people enjoy work enough to be financially worse off by doing it (and I love my current job).

When i had my 2nd child our childcare expenses were more than my salary- but we didn't just look at my salary we looked at both.

20 years later I have a very good career and earn a very decent wage- I wouldmt have that if I had stopped work. You need to look long term and make sacrifices to achieve what you want in life.

RandomMess · 29/08/2017 08:45

Regarding the family having less money...

It's clear from the op that it isn't family money, she is fed up of not having any money it comes in and goes straight back out... Don't appear to be on the breadline it's appears to be that if op wants to work she has to pay the childcare whilst her DH carries on enjoying his income...

Lucysky2017 · 29/08/2017 08:54

This is the thread all 12 - 14 year old girls should read really so they can know what types of qualifications to get and professions to qualify into. I was 14 when I got a book from the library on what people earn and I picked law not just because it's really interesting but because it's well paid.

You are where you are at 26 but you aren't prepared to make the sacrifices most of us are to further a career so that is likely to hold you back and nor are you prepared to take on work that doesn't meet some ideal eg you won 't child mind or do care work and won't work weekends. My children's father and I have both done loads of weekend work - yes it's not easy or nice for families but it's necessary at times. My son was up before 5am today for his Ocado shift. My other won hasb een doing Deliveroo - if you can cycle why can't your ghusband mind the childrren and you get out ther eno a bike and deliver meals with Ocado for example? He is also on task rabbit where you can register to do various odd jobs. I have done work on peopleperhour. I have also made money from writing whilst the babies were at home.

I think your biggest problem is not being prepared to take on really difficult things like working all weekend whilst your husband has the children.

PoppyPopcorn · 29/08/2017 09:13

Agree Lucy - but not just teenagers. It's about working out where you are, where you want to be, and then breaking the path between the two into achievable chunks. So in the OP's example, she wants to work part time in (probably) an office environment. Her skills are out of date and her qualifications fairly low.

So she could be doing things like logging onto the Google Digital Garage and following their free online marketing course. (Very few companies not online these days). She could be approaching local colleges to enquire about building on her existing qualification. She could be registering with Coursera or EdX and taking free courses to broaden her knowledge of all sorts of things. She could be contacting local charities to offer help in their back office - I volunteer for a large UK charity in their shops and we have someone who comes in every week to audit figures as a double check that the money going through the till matches the banking. She could be asking any Cubs/Brownies etc that her DC attends whether they need any support with managing a website, doing social media or sending out newsletters.

Loads of things.

Or, she could just moan about it on Mumsnet.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 29/08/2017 09:20

LucySky, yes! The trouble is, had I read this at 14 I would have ignored it. There is no way I would have understood that in 20 years time I would want school friendly hours. At that point I didn't even think I wanted kids and wanted an exciting job and nights, weekends and long hours were part of that.

Original poster

Halfsack · 29/08/2017 09:29

So I've requested some prospectuses from the OU. I'm also going to ask the school office if they need anyone in there on a voluntary basis to brush up on some skills and take it from there.

OP posts:

PoppyPopcorn · 29/08/2017 09:33

Well done OP - make a list of other things you could be doing to brush up on skills and knowledge too.

Fozzleyplum · 29/08/2017 09:41

I was going to say school administration. Or see if a local business needs non time-specific administration doing on a term time only basis. I have pharmacist friends who do non-urgent drug reviews on these hours, but there must be other local businesses which might need ongoing administration.

Also, am mighty impressed that this thread has got to p6 without the mlm hunbots jumping on!

upsidedown2017 · 29/08/2017 09:46

These apprenticeships while you train are geared towards young people though aren't they? Not 30+ like me. I think they're fantastic and I wish I'd done one whilst young.

MyHairNeedsASnip · 29/08/2017 09:59

Keep an eye on the nhs websites, there's 2 I think. The nhs one and trac jobs. Sometimes 15 hour admin jobs come up and I've seen 10 hour ones where they want someone 2 hours a day. Pay is basic but once you're in, you're in.

GreenTulips · 29/08/2017 10:06

Well done - it's a good start

Agree with the NHS websites. I have seen A&E counter staff and GUM/Out of hours doctors admin posts for a few hours a week as well as clinic receptionists.

Getting experience and qualifications is the way to go and it looks good on your CV

GreenTulips · 29/08/2017 10:07

Also - if you volunteer in school they may be able to payoff or you do so first aid courses or school admin, some are more bespoke on systems etc - they don't cost the school much - so be cheeky and ask

AmysTiara · 29/08/2017 10:11

I work for the Civil Service and work school hours.

They seem to be mainly hiring full time agency staff now but there are some part timers and it's a chance at a permanent position.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 29/08/2017 10:13

I'm a private home care for the elderly, my hours are incredibly flexible and I earn between £600-£1k a month, I have no qualifications other than basic experience form my own home life and I have to provide a DBS and get myself liability insurance. I love the job I do too which is a bonus.

2ndSopranos · 29/08/2017 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cheminotte · 29/08/2017 10:58

Most applicants are 16 or 18/19 upside but not all, and I do know of at least one who started in their late 20s.

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