To think it's next to impossible to find a job as a single parent?

[NoJobsExist]

Im beginning to think it's impossible to find a job as a single parent unless you have family support for childcare or a specific qualification like teaching or you already had the job before you became single? At least where I live anyway.

Every job listed at the moment that isn't something qualified (like the teaching or accountant jobs that have daytime hours) wants fully flexible people, weekends and evenings, or it's shift work with 6am starts or 10pm finishes. Even the McDonald's and shop jobs (i.e. jobs you'd assume would need people for any opening hours) I've found expect you to be able to do any hours. Or it's zero hour jobs or bank staff so no guarantee of getting any shifts if you actually get hired. I've looked at factory work, cleaning, receptionist jobs, admin, retail, order picking, catering assistant jobs, care work...

It's not as if I can train up in anything to get one of the qualified jobs either. That requires money. Money comes from a job. Which I can't get.

How do single parents find jobs? Is there something I'm missing here?

Also look at universities and colleges. There are admin, finance, IT, library, catering, cleaning - all sorts. I manage a big professional services team, and gave three line parents working for me. One does standard 9-5 M-F, one 8-3.30 M-F, and one 9.30-3 M-Th. obviously depends on needs and negotiation....

Have you considered working in a nursery? Lots employ unqualified lunch cover from 8-2 or 10-2 could be something to think about?

My mother was a single parent with no family over her or any money paid to her by my father.
She worked full time and I was looked after by a friend across the road she paid. There were no after school clubs or breakfast clubs.
When I was 11 she was a mature student and trained to become and Drama and English teacher which she was for many years before retraining to become a counsellor.
It can be done!

No, sorry, I don't. I work and I'm a single parent.

Have you looked at General admin type jobs in the NHS or local council? Most of those are Mon-Fri and 9-5. They are not the best paid, but they are solid jobs and reputable employers. No zero hours shenanigans.

This is what I do. I get to walk out at the end of the day and leave my work behind, and take home a little over £20k a year.

I've no doubt it's harder in the private sector, but I've been employed consistently for the 8 years I've been a single parent, apart from 6 weeks where I was redundant a few years ago, but I was just waiting for my new job to start. But all the same I went from one 9-5 job to another, and I've done that 3 times in 8 years(career prigression).

You're not wrong. It's so hard. For a long time I couldn't earn enough to pay for the childcare costs that would have been involved. I was finding it impossible to get even a low / modestly paid job. I'd been out of the workplace, didn't have a degree.....
I'm working now but kids teens. I still end up leaving them on their own for longer than I want to.

It's HARD. And, when I wasn't working, people judged me for being on benefits as though being 100% responsible for two children and yet somehow working and earning enough to make it feasible is EASY.

I hope it gets easier.

ime, school jobs are always gone before they're advertised. Big competition for those

I'm in the same boat op! Apart from I'm still with dp and we are still struggling to make ends meet! The rent prices are crazy where I live it's actually painful to watch that money leave every month and then bills on too fooking heck its a lot! I'm currently trying to set up my own business as I honestly can't see a way round it cannot go back to work as they don't offer childcare vouchers and I'd be minus £5 every day so no point in that! Start having a think about what you can do and see if you can do it online ... think info not a product necessarily as you want to make money while you sleep etc. You can earn money just from advertisements so if you start a blog for example and get lots of people looking you will attract adverts.... write a book and self publish it might only earn a bit but it's still something coming in ... if you can bake you could sell cakes for a few quid locally or offer car washing thats cash in hand xx

I employ 3 mums. One of them single. They are all part time, 20 hours per week and totally flexible. One is very senior and very trained. The others are in admin roles.

We are out there I promise. Keep looking!!

you sound like a silly bitch