So poor and jobs are impossible.

[BellaJessica]

I am increasingly getting down about my life. Today i have finally realised how poor i am. I earn £5000 a year working 14 hours a week in a job that was supposed to increase in hours but 2 years later and 3 new people later they are actually trying to get rid of me instead. I am applying to other jobs and just not hearing back from them at all. I have a degree in the arts and even jobs i would be great at wont accept me due to no experience or less than 2 years experience in that field. I think this is just a rant really. I have no savings and a big loan (£1,000). I can pay the loan off in time but its depressing isnt it? I live with my dm now and she works short hours so we get by but neither of us have savings or free money to do much. Just need to spend hours job searching again until someone accepts me.

I'm always amazed when people think they can walk in to a copywriting job. My husband has his own copywriting business after many years as a journalist for a national publication and it is fiercely competitive. You really need to be excellent at what you do to earn a decent living from it.

I will look into makers academy thanks.

Op I understand full well you came on here feeling pretty sorry for yourself.

I know people have already commented on your writing here and you said how this is an informal chat room.

I think it's just worth bearing in mind (and anyone else lurking in the same position) that there are some really really successful, clued up women on here. A lot of them care. Don't treat it as an 'informal chat forum.' You're talking to people in all sorts of interesting professional jobs. If you impress people with your attitude/posts there are even employers on here sometimes looking to give someone a leg up/fill positions.

This isn't meant to sound patronising. If you're from a traveller background you've done amazingly getting a degree. Sometimes life flattens you and you need to mope. But you're young and presumably childfree and lots of people here will support you if you want to make real changes in your life.

You've had some great advice so I hope it helps you move forward. And lots of people your age are definitely still finding their feet, don't worry.

Bella, when I graduated with no experience I ended up in insurance doing personal injury claims. Have a look at any jobs in Manchester in insurance that would take you on without experience. Even if they say they want experience, apply anyway and tell them what skills you have. You've got to be in it to win it after all.

You're only a relatively short train ride from Manchester (as am I) so you shouldn't be struggling on 5k.

I think temp agencies are the way to go for you to make some money right now, OP. You can fit them around the job you already have. I got offered a couple of permanent positions through temping (neither of which I took, for various valid reasons). They're great because a) you don't have to go through the enormous, soul destroying faff of doing job applications; b) apply for 2 or 3 tomorrow and you should be working by next week; c) if you DO intend to do something else, something creative, you don't get that "trapped in one job for ever" thing. Your jobs will always change.

I would not, not, NOT view an MA as a way of getting a permanent position in the arts (speaking as someone who did an arts MA). You'd be better off dedicating your time to writing, drawing, entering open exhibitions, doing creative voluntary projects, networking, turning up for private views, getting a social media profile going, working up a nice portfolio, approaching galleries, etc.etc.etc.etc.etc..................!

What field of art did you concentrate on at college? What did you really enjoy? What do you WANT to do??

Sorry, I meant "sign up with", rather than "apply for".

Being young and living at home is a good place to start though. You’d only need to be doing a few more hours than you are already and you’d have all the rest of the week to study/volunteer/find where your passion lies.

If there are small independent galleries near you, they often rely on volunteers to invigilate exhibitions. I have a friend who runs art and craft drop ins for people struggling with their mental health (fyi it started as a project she set up by herself and successfully applied for lottery funding for) and they always need volunteers to support the sessions, have a look and see if there is anything similar in your area. Half the battle is establishing yourself in a network in your area and getting to know people with similar ambitions to yourself.

Forget what happened with the fall out in your current job - stop dwelling on it. It’s the past, get yourself out of the door and move on to the next thing.

In the short term if you want more hours and money..then you need to look at an agency..I've been doing agency work for 6 months and they are always desperate for people. Yes it's sometimes shit work (as in bottom of the rung type of thing) and mininum wage,but doesn't sound much worse than you are now.

It a bit rich that the posters who are being snotty about the OPs English seem to have trouble with reading comprehension themselves. 😂

I don’t know why as the OP was very clear.

My typing is shit on here because i have a shit old button phone and problems with hand/eye.

Junior communications manager in finance. Lots of jobs available

elephant, I said we actually know someone who has made a substantial amount of money from self publishing. She has spent a number of years doing it around having children and now earns a considerable residual income from it. So why is it crap advice? Did you not see the other thread about these 'silly' women giving up 'proper' careers to make 'tat' presumably on fb or etsy. Yet several posters come on to say they make a good income from crafting and selling 'tat'.

The OP can go ahead and get a full time job in a call centre, supermarket whatever, but most people in the arts will self-start and have some sort of self employed gig going on in the background, which could 1) build a name/business/reputation with potential to go full time 2) provide a residual income in addition to regular paye income.

I follow an artist on twitter. She started selling on ebay, not even a dedicated website like etsy. She is prolific so comes out with new listings almost daily. She promotes her work through twitter and pinterest. She says herself that it is only from being a prolific ebay seller, appearing on pinterest, did her art catch the eyes of major retailers to mass produce her art.

The internet/SM has made it easy to sell and promote creative work. I do it myself, it is not hard! I could make a good residual income if I put the work in (which I don't as I don't as have a regular job and dc). I've not worked on my website for ages and I still sell items and attract followers and 'likes'.

Getting your GCSE maths or equivalent will make a big difference. A lot of jobs will simply screen out anybody without it so not having it is preventing you from even getting past the first stage. Many colleges offer level 2 maths free, try learn direct or adult learning centres for more information on it. You might find even some retail and call centre jobs are off limits without maths GCSE and limited progression in companies that will take on someone without it.

All joking apart, could you travel for a while? You mentioned a Paris attic, so I wondered what's stopping you spreading your wings a bit? You're young, no mortgage or kids to tie you down, so why not? It sounds like you're in a bit of a rut, not sure what direction to take, and doing a bit of a scatter gun approach to job applications. Why not work your socks off for a year - in anything, call centre, McD's, Tesco, carework - anything. Then take yourself off to Paris, Camp America, Nepal, Uganda, or wherever appeals. You might feel clearer about things?

I was in a very similar situation at your age, and I wish I'd gone travelling when I had the opportunity. I wish you all the best

Thanks everyone. And thanks jock i would love to travel eventually. I actually had a minor love affair in paris once when a nice sexy parisian invited me to stay in his home there when i was much younger. i would love to travel properly.

The OP has a degree - she doesn't need to take GCSEs!

Where did the OP say she was a traveller?

Get some admin experience, the brook street link will help. You doing any skills improvement? Loads of free courses and resources online. Youtube how to's in ms office for business. Get 6 months/year under your belt, then hunt down admin support roles in the arts. Off you go, good luck!

Elephant, I said we actually know someone who has made a substantial amount of money from self publishing. She has spent a number of years doing it around having children and now earns a considerable residual income from it.

If she has, she's on the minority. It's not as easy as people think it is. And has the OP said her burning desire is to be an author? no?

The internet/SM has made it easy to sell and promote creative work

Easier than it used to be, but you need to put a lot of time and effort into building your following and then keep posting interesting and relevant content so people follow you. Doesn't take 5 mins.

The OP has a degree - she doesn't need to take GCSEs!

The OP does not have GCSE maths.

She says above she is a traveller - way back on page 1?

Many jobs (and courses) specify maths/english gcse grade c or above though @Hollowtalk, even if they’re not graduate positions.

Seriously, can you imagine a man going for a supermarket job after getting a degree?

My brother has a 2.1 in a STEM degree from a top ten university. He spent three months working in a supermarket post graduation whilst trying to find a graduate job.

I’m a copywriter OP. It’s a tough gig to get into and many people aren’t realistic about what it involves. It’s not always as creative and fun as people think.

If you’re doing 14 hours a week, you should have time to pick up freelance work. You could start off on people per hour etc, but only for the experience, the pay is shit on those sites. There are always badly paid junior copywriter jobs about, although they’d be over 15k, so don’t be afraid to get applying. Simply having the confidence will put you ahead of a lot of graduates.

Not RTFT but in your position I'd work for myself. If you have proper training in art (you say 'the arts' so I'm guessing it's art, but may be drama or Creative Writing) then you can set up Kids' Clubs in schools and after school, teaching that subject. Schools might pay you regularly to run a lunchtime or after school club, or you pay them for a classroom hire and then parents pay you directly. This is really worthwhile, high satisfaction work (assuming you enjoy working with children) and quite well paid. You could also run summer schools and full day workshops or start to offer sessions to adults. That way you'd easily be earning around £350pw minimum for 14 hours contact time though there would be planning, admin, marketing etc, which might add up to another six hours a week. Even so, £350 for 20 hours pw is good going.

Sorry was looking up voluntary work in the tate gallery. My dm is from a nomadic travelling family from europe. I dont know much about my dfs family. Jobs and careers were not a focus of our lives and now its quiet hard. But i am going to look up volunteering in galleries.

Even though she has a degree, some jobs will still specify GCSE grade C or higher in English and Maths.
So Maths could well be worth resitting.