To ask how did you know when a job wasn't right for you?

[MrsKiplin]

I've worked in a nursery for the past two years, minimum wage and just feel like I'm going through the motions, I don't feel inspired by what I do. But it's very convenient for school holidays and school pick up. I'm wondering if it's me or the job or both. Just wanted to know other people's experiences of when they felt they weren't right for a job, what the reasons were and what they did about it.

When I worked at a Nursey as a family worker and they demanded I do after school club or be sacked

You need to look for a job in a school or can you childmind I assume you have a level 3 already

I don’t know. I think a lot of people genuinely love their jobs but I think sometimes a job is just a job. I do an admin job from home. I don’t enjoy it. But it pays well and means I’m around for the kids.

When the pay isn't enough to compensate for the horror inconvenience of working there.

I think there's more than one version of 'not right for you'.

The first type is going home, can't switch off, worrying about going to work the next day, talking about it incessantly, feeling stressed. With this I would say leave ASAP- no job is worth your mental health.

The second is that the job is ok- you're happy enough in your position, got some nice colleagues, don't actively hate going to work but don't love it. In this situation it depends where you are in your life. Are you trying to make a career? Then leave, and find something that's exciting. Are you happy to have a nice life and work is just there to pay for it? Then do that job unless something better comes up, it's serving its purpose.

In your situation, I would stick out the job until secondary school, and maybe look to evening retraining or skill refining so that when you no longer need convenience, you're in a good position to look elsewhere.

Would you consider retraining as a childminder?

Never met a poor childminder, 4-6 kids at 8 quid an hour, 8-10 hours a day, all your out goings are tax deductible, including your car, house insurance, working clothes, food etc

When I'd come home and cry about how shit I felt (which actually started not that long after taking up the job). I gave up my entire life and moved 400 miles to take the job and stuck it out a lot longer than I should have. I absolutely had to leave, I wasn't just uninspired I was worried for my health. It doesn't sound like that's the problem for you so there's more for you to consider as it sounds like you have a good level of flexibility.

Thankfully I absolutely love my job now. I would honestly do it for free if we could afford for me to!

I don't love my current job, but I don't hate it either. I care about the job I do, and try to do a good job when I'm there, and implement ideas or things I think work. I'm contentious and told I'm good at my job. But I work to live, not live to work and although I care I don't let it consume me.

I've left a job I loved, which I grew to hate and realised that it was going to destroy me if I didn't get out. I cared too much I think and employers will let you run and run when you're trying to prove something, even if you already have. I'd much rather be like I am now than like I was, yes I felt passionate and driven, but it took over everything, like something does when you're passionate about it. I save that passion for my home life and hobbies now, and still do a good job at work.

When i was crying at the thought of going to work and totally miserable.

As a parent I'd want you to leave and find something you're passionate about, not look after my child.

For me I start by looking at my wage and my outgoings so I know what minimum I could cope on.
I then do pros and cons (old school, with a pen and paper). The main ones have to be if the job pays enough and if it does, am I happy?
I've had jobs where I've literally cried between shifts. I've looked longingly at a wet floor sign and wished it wasn't there so I could slip. I've done jobs where I will try to take on new tasks to avoid doing my actual job... I've also had jobs where i wish I could stay forever, but didn't pay enough

Going through this now- it has become glaringly obvious that my boss’s management style is incompatible with my sanity. Like someone else has already said, the pay doesn’t compensate for the misery any more.

I knew on my first day in my last job that I had made a mistake and it wasn't right for me. In the three months I spent there the fact that one manager was a complete git to me and I was dreading going to work every day pretty much proved my initial opinion.

When I completed a task that I did every September and thought very clearly 'I can't do this next year'. Gave myself that window to find something better.

@NewYearNewMe18  your post cracked me up! I live in an affluent area with higher than average hourly rate at £6-£6.50ph so bar central London I be surprised if many childminders charge £8ph and I know of some who charge as little as £3ph! We can only have 3 pre-school children at a time and that includes our own so I assume the 4-6 children must refer to the couple of hours a day we have school children who are more often than not on a set (cheaper) rate to compete with after school clubs yet eat twice as much as the smaller ones! Op please don't retrain as a childminder based on @NewYearNewMe18 previous post or you'll be sorely disappointed .

Eh, I dislike my current job but it has decent pay and lots of flexibility.

It’s a hell hole on the rare occasions that I have to physically attend the office but there’s enough pluses to paper over the cracks until I lose my shit and just walk out

I’m yet to find the perfect job - for me it’s just whether the pluses outweigh the minuses. At the point that the minuses take over, its time to leave.

When I was given a tour round and noticed that 90% of the staff were 20 years younger than me. It all went tits up anyway, I have 2 weeks left and I’m desperate to get out.

@mymadworld - info for you to absorb - and you assume England of course - different across all 4 UK countries and surprisingly there are also 13 weeks holiday in a school yearwww.pacey.org.uk/working-in-childcare/childminders/working-with-other-childminders/childminding-ratios/

Thread from 2011 (old I know, but it was first one up) suggesting £6.50 to £7 in London was reasonable [[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childminders_nannies_au_pairs_etc/1177999-How-much-does-your-childminder-in-London-cost

I'm a calm and patient with children and enjoy their company but I can't help comparing myself to the bigger personalities who are there. I feel like they're better and more suited to it than me. I'm quite reserved and don't go round high fiving the kids but I do listen to them and help them.

I think the trouble is that I thrive on having a clear task to do and getting on with it whereas at this nursery you kind of have to come up with your own activities and occupy yourself.

I realised I wasn't right for a childcare job so resigned. What is more sensible is to accept that the job was right for you for a while, but isn't what you want to do forever and to start making future career plans.

I work in sales and I know it's not for me. I'm not actually bad at it but I don't have the passion for it, it's a very "money motivated" type of job and that's not what motivates me. I do enough to keep my head above water and that's it. I'm just not bothered about improving. I took the job because it was the first one I was offered when I was on benefits and I didn't want to be on benefits any more.

I am leaving in 3 weeks though for a new job thank goodness.

If you get up with a spring in your step and bounce into work then the job's right for you

If you trudge into work and watch the clock and can't wait to get out, then the job's wrong for you