Would you take a second minimum wage job if you earned £36k per year?

[rabidruth]

I need some savings desperately - losing my main job soon. Main job is skilled professional but I can't find a viable alternative.

I've applied for a second job to help me start making some savings but it only pays minimum wage - will clear only about £6.30 an hour after tax.

A family member has criticised me for "selling myself short". I'm always very stressed anyway and short of time. I'm due to start second job this week and I don't know what to do. We have a cleaner and dog walker, both of whom we pay more per hour than I'll be earning in second job!

Would you take a second job in these circumstances?

Are none of your skills transferable - perhaps to the NHS?

A part time minimum wage job isn't going to solve any problems long term is it? Unless you could live on minimum wage full time when you lose your current job, you absolutely need to replace your primary job not burn yourself out doing 2 jobs ultimately fairly pointlessly. Especially as you have a DC. Have you factored childcare into the usefulness of the minimum wage job?

If you have a DP living with you in a mortgaged home that may well seriously reduce any government top ups if you went down to minimum wage full time.

Well firstly can you physically manage to work the two jobs whilst caring for your children without making yourself seriously ill? Ending up on no wage on the sick isn't going to help. If you're working 60-70 hours a week then you really aren't going to be able to get rid of the home help!

In terms of specific jobs though, Ultimately you work what you need to to pay the bills. Would those saying you're selling yourself sort prefer you sat on Job seekers until the perfect job came along??

Working a PR job on top of a FT job is very draining, and that’s even before you put kids in to the mix too.

Unless you desperately desperately need the money, then I wouldn’t.

In most major cities there’s always temp work on the go. I’d imagine you would easily be able to pick up some work once your current role comes to an end.

So you're loosing your job and takimg on a second one until you can find one more suited for you?

I don't really get why you are getting criticised (or feelimg conscious) of getting a minimum wage job. It's an income and any incone is better than none.

Having a minimum wage job doesn't mean you have to stay in that job forever although by the sounds of it, you may have to more creatively about your career.

I agree with the others about querying why you are paying other people more than you are earning.

I did this so not impossible. I earn just over £30k in my main job as a professional which I worked from 7am - 3pm and then did care work for just more than minimum wage from 7pm for another 16 hours per week (over 4 evenings a week) to pay off some debt. I was working 56 hours a week and have 2 children in primary school.

My husband just picked up 100% of the household chores during the week, except cooking as I was home from main job earlier. And we shared chores at the weekend. We (would have loved) didn't need a cleaner. I preferred fitting in all in the weekday so I had two full days off and honestly it wasn't as bad as it sounds. It was doable and I wasn't at all burned out - but - I only did it because it was necessary and didn't see it as selling myself short at all.

Yes, of course the best option is a higher paid main job but in the short term it's going to be easier to get a minimum wage job to top your income up and get the extra money you need quickly.

I am a professional who has also just taken on a second job part time (£9.20 / hr) because at present, needs must. I don't see it as selling myself short (although some others seem to) but as doing what needs doing at this point in time.

It doesn't mean that I am not remedying the professional job situation but at least am doing something proactive whilst still reviewing the main situation.