Younger generation and jobs

[Tedflowerybaker]

Currently helping my friends daughter look for a job. We’ve updated her C.V and cover letter, really trying to make them stand out so she’s got a fair chance at being invited to an interview.

Luckily I’ve never been out of work and have been in the same job for around 7 years now so I rarely ever look at job sites. Nothing spectacular but I earn a fairly decent wage, have weekends off and a very generous holiday allowance so all in all I’m happy. I’m early 30’s (if it’s relevant)

We’ve been scouring the job sites looking for something decent. It needs to be full time. She finished school with good A-levels but wasn’t interested in attending college. She doesn’t know what she wants to do as of yet so is willing to try her hand at anything.

AIBU to be surprised at the amount of rubbish jobs that are advertised?

There are the minimum wage roles offering 10 hours a week and the candidate needs to be fully flexible 7 days a week in order to stand a chance at getting the job. How on earth could someone afford to live off such a small wage though?

Or the care assistant roles which are two hours a day at £9.50 an hour. Surely they could stretch to £10 and just pay the poor carer £20 for the session.

The best one was a live in support worker role providing 24/7 care for an older man. The carer would be paid £120 for the day but have £30 taken off their wages for being in the clients home and using their facilities etc. I thought that was outrageous, especially since the whole point of the job was the carer had to work in the clients home, so why punish the carer for it?

Even if they attend uni and study really hard in a specific subject, their still not guaranteed a decent job afterwards.
I remember when I left school and was looking, there was so much more available and this was back when employers were actually happy to take trainees on and give them a fair chance. Now most employers want someone who already has the experience or qualifications.

I’m honestly so glad I found my job when I did and touch wood I will never have to look for work or be in such a difficult position but AIBU in feeling sorry for the younger generation when they leave school and have to look for a job?

What amazes me when looking at jobs is the smokescreens and creative names they make up to attract the naive into jobs that really aren't what they sound like.
Just be honest in the first place!

What about an apprenticeship? My son is the same age and has been working at an accountancy firm since January this year - he is taking exams and having training in house, whilst working full time (for a low wage, but it goes up in January and then again when he moves to the the next level). He is really enjoying it and has already recommended two of his friends into the company as apprentices. When he finishes he will be earning good money and can either continue with his qualifications with them, or stay as he is and continue working full time.

Sorry - posted too soon - he did all of this on his own - found the company, went for the interview and got the job. It was the only interview he went for, but he had several others lined up. He is in Hertfordshire (not sure where you are and where you are looking). However, he HAD to be prepared for friends to be working in supermarkets initially earning more than him.

Always loads of jobs going in care homes, but those are the jobs with very poor pay. It amazes me though that the care of our elderly is entrusted to unqualified people who are generally not the brightest. You get paid more for stocking the shelves at M&S than for giving adequate quality care to the elderly.

I second the apprentice idea. If you’re good you will move up the line pretty quickly. Daughter started at a children’s nursery three years ago as an apprentice on less than £4 an hour, and now manages it on a pretty decent wage. Apprenticeships are a good way to get your talents noticed.

Presumably she did a levels because they have to stay in education or training until 18 now. Anyway OP YANBU to think this is shit. There seems to have been a shift in the last 20 years to the point that now you have to hustle and are considered lucky if you can support yourself while working full time. Zero hours, shorts hours, bogus self employment .... this is the truth behind the historically low job seekers myth. We have become a low pay insecure employment economy with a high cost of living. As for the ludicrous suggestion upthread that prospective employees trawl through the website of every employer in the country looking for work in order to show initiative ... jfc.

I could recommend trying temporary placements through a formal job agency, eg Reid?
In my case, when relocating, I got to sample the inside of lots of commercial companies and organisations, various administrative type duties, gain experience in different environments, and also see, without committing long term, places that I would actually like to work longer term, and similarly others that I would not.

One option would be to learn to touchtype if she doesn’t know already. Maybe all schools teach it these days. That opens the door to loads of office jobs and potentially the opportunity to progress if she wants. She could do a couple of weeks unpaid work experience once she has the typing licked if that’s realistic financially to get some experience under her belt.

I agree, 100%

My niece got a couple of weeks work experience at the local hospital arranged by the job centre. This led to a permanent admin job there. She has been promoted since too.

My own DD is at uni but temped with an office agency in the summer. They were very keen for her to stay on and said they mostly recruit from temps.

YANBU OP. I’m often tempted to ask older generations how many unpaid internships (often supported by paid work on the side) they had to do to get an entry level job in their profession. For me it was four.

If she wants to learn on the job how about an apprenticeship? I know pay isn’t great but it’s a start.

Come to think of it all my friends who started working at 16 or 18 continued their Saturday jobs full time (ie hairdressing, bar work) or temped into permanent roles. No one really just went through job ads

All of these people saying there have always been shit jobs/you did shit jobs to get started ... isn't it the case that wages have actually fallen in the UK (when you take inflation into account) in the last decade or so? However, the cost of living has risen significantly. So your shit job of 2001 was a better earner than the same shit job today.

OP, yanbu. I also did the shit jobs when I was young but it's far, far harder now, especially if you don't have the support of a parent.

You are kind to help her but she is clever enough to be doing her own CV.

@Livelovebaby.
Your comments about careers not being the brightest is rather unkind. Where would society be without them, they are generally kind caring people who work hard for their money.
Nurses don’t really nurse anymore (nurse for 40 years).

Im on my second degree and i work as a carer to fund it...another colleague was a lawyer in her own country...my less educated colleagues are very intelligent thank you very much and do an amazing job. Less intelligent indeed?!

Are there any call centres near you that are part of big companies? I worked a retail shift on a Saturday while at school and then at a telco call centre during uni as hours were in the evenings or at the weekend. Because we got commission at the call centre, I actually took a paycut when I moved to my first graduate role! However there was also a lot of progression at the call centre and the big company it was part of, was willing to let you do work experience in the area you wanted to get into ie HR, Comms, Finance.

YANBU. Also too many people with a race to the bottom 'so what just do any old job for minimum wage then' attitude

'Nah, I don’t feel sorry for the younger generation, they would never have been able to stick the rubbish jobs I had to do just to survive'.

Did you have to walk seven miles to get there each day and seven miles back in the snow also?

What about the hospitality side of things through a hotel? You can start as waitress/in the bar/cleaner etc and can ask to cross train across different departments. I was a waitress through my uni days and then went on to event management and then marketing within the same company. All without having to gain specific qualifications in those areas. Eventually ended up as EA in a totally different industry but only because I have such a varied background and understanding of various business aspects. Also it's a good time of year for event companies/hotels with the Christmas season and all.

I'm staggered by the amount of shit jobs.
Mind you, I did plenty of them myself, back in the day!

Do a secretarial course.

@Tedflowerybaker I know exactly what you mean.
I work 25 hours a week so my availability is 15:00 or later in the week and all weekend and every retail job I've gone for has been a no thank you because I'm not available weekday mornings as well.
I only want 8-12 hour a week to top up my current job but they all want full time availability. Ridiculous ask.

I left education after a levels and got a public sector job. That was 20 years ago when there was a government investing in jobs. For the last ten years we've had a government stripping away workers rights coupled with stagnating wages.