To ask you to pick my career for me

[usernamechange99]

Recently single, thanks cheating exP, currently on full benefits for 2 children and apparently there's a 2 child cap which means I need to work ASAP!

3 kids 11, 2 and 6 months.

Just finishing a masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice and have a BA history. Good GCSE and a levels it this even matters these days.

Retail work on and off for 9 years - highest role was assistant manager.

No free childcare from family or anything so it needs to be stable hours.

What careers are there for me? To afford everything in my life I need to earn £27,000 minimum. AIBU to ask what career would you be aiming for in my circumstances? Also AIBU to say that I though benefits were a lot more generous. I may not have left exP if I'd have known!

Civil service or local council or local university admin / welfare

It was planned that I'd do my PHD and then go from there. I'm a researcher at heart and would have loved to go into university lecturing whilst continue to research and write papers. Planned to finish the PHD within 3 years and start earning once ds3 was in full time school.

It was all so perfectly planned. ExP clearly didn't care much for the old plan and thought it would be fun to mix things up

Looking in to civil service, some good options there guys. Thanks a bunch

Criminal intelligence analyst?

nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/criminal-intelligence-analyst

Probation Or Youth Offending Officer?

If you apply for civil service roles, I suggest getting back in touch with your university careers department and asking for advice. You need to understand what they are looking for in the questions asked in an assessment. It's a competency based interview which can be very different from anything you have done before. You need to give your answers in the right way to tick the boxes.

Probation is semi privatised now but could be worth approaching those providers.

In terms of cash, the Lidl and aldi grad schemes pay every well if you enjoyed retail and even with some weekend work, you should have enough to cover weekend babysitters as required.

Parliamentary researcher, TV news research, policy think tanks.

You should make an appointment with a Careers adviser at your university

justicejobs.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-2/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/3/adv/

Ministry of Justice?

If you haven't been working, how does your car finance and insurance cost 25% of your ex's take home pay? Because that's roughly the maintenance be should be paying for 3 kids...

Have you thought of HR? You may have done elements of that role in your assistant manager role, and legal skills are valued. You wouldn't earn £27k immediately but could work your way up.

Best
Abbi

Probation officer

I know I should, they have been working with me to support me with my plans for the PHD and finding me teaching roles within the uni. I was so excited, going back to them will be hard. I've kind of stuck my head in the sand over the relationship breakdown and what it means for my future.

It's actually hard accepting this. Perfect career and crappy DP is seeming like the best choice. I know it's not, I've practically tattooed "cannot go back" onto my eyelids - but right now it seems like I've made a really bad life choice I'm leaving him.

Still looking through the suggestions, again, thanks

@AnathemaPulsifer he pays £350 a month. Car finance is £180 a month and my insurance is £135 a month.

I was on his insurance for almost 10 years, stupidly never had my own as his was so cheap. He was the registered keeper, my finance though so when we broke up I had to become the keeper and insure it alone.

He payed for it, but already had finance for himself on his car so we decided to go for it in my name. Now I can't even afford to put petrol in the damn thing