Am I unattractive to employers?

[StillSmiling92]

I'm almost 28 years old. Average GCSE's, terrible A levels, good Access to Higher Education (level 3) qualification and university drop out.

I have a 4 year old who starts school in September and I've mostly been a SAHM living off my partner. I've also been cleaning part time for 1 year now and worked in retail prior to that.

So, being a mother and a university drop out I know that employers would likely throw my application in the bin (childcare and lack of expertise). Not for retail roles, but for professional roles such as accountancy or software development for example.

What can I do to improve my circumstances when I'm not eligible for any training or funding?

Please help

In addition.. A family member has just completed an apprenticeship at 26, aAt 28 years old you are definitely not too old!!

I wouldn't consider university again as I'm not eligible for any government funding- I would have to pay the fees myself.

That's the same for every other student - get a student loan.

4 years funding for uni. You've used up one year so you have 3 left. 3 is the length of a standard English undergrad.

You do understand student loans don't need to be repaid until you earn above a certain amount and it just comes off with your NI and tax. It is not a loan that affects any credit rating etc. Take the money and laugh!

OP I’d also have a look at some free Excel courses online. Accountants use it a lot.

If you have 2 A levels, you could register for Acca and start your accounting training via evening classes or distance learning. You will need another job to pay for this, until you have a couple of years worth of exams - it is not cheap. Shop work or entry level office work will help pay the bills and you will need to tighten your belt. While you are unqualified and as you have no degree, there are going to be many jobs closed to you, as a degree is now the minimum entry. It can be done, but you have to be really committed over several years.

Another option could be the civil service. If you can get in at a low level, you would be able to apply for something like the Faststream as an internal entrant. They are very flexible for parents. Again a degree of long-term commitment and dedication is needed.

Civil Service? They have an apprentice scheme, (don't think there's an upper age limit), or direct entry at a junior level. It's not all pen-pushing - covers all departments and related agencies, lots of different roles - everything from customs officers, to Foreign Office, to health, to the environment, transport etc. They have roles all over the country, and are very good to work for - flexible hours and WFH days in lots of cases, decent salary, good holidays and pension scheme. If there's nothing going at the moment set up an alert on their vacancies website and it tells you when your area is recruiting, and what for.

I work in a gvt agency and it's great and really interesting. I have a colleague who joined as a teenage mum and worked her way up - she's now an extremely senior economist.

I'm no longer interested in humanities or the arts, so no HR or anything like that.

I did my psychology degree for 1 year and absolutely enjoyed the stats and research aspect, I got 80% into that module. It's not really maths, but i liked working with data which I really liked.

I've considered accountancy because I feel confident working with numbers, business interests me and I'm sure there are some analytical and research aspects of the career that I would enjoy too.

Do you really want to work in an office?

What about something a bit more hands on like plumbing? The Stopcocks are an all women plumbing service, i think they franchise, and they do pretty well and a lot of them have retrained or started after children.

Plenty of work, too, i think

Do you have any IT skills if you've been out of the job market for a while? Do you know how to use Microsoft office packages such as Word & Excel for example.

Would never consider hair and beauty either. I dont even wear make up, let alone do up my own hair

It's not that you are a mother. Most mother's do.work. But you have very little work experience, a huge gap on employment (4 years a Sahm) and you couldn't finish either.

Is there a reason you never had a proper full time job at almost 30?

Not for retail roles, but for professional roles such as accountancy or software development for example.

if you want a professional role, you need professional qualifications but you don't have them. You need to gain qualifications first.

Well, you only really have three options.

1. Apprenticeship
2. Uni
3. Join a company in an entry-level admin role and hope that they see enough potential to fund your accountancy qualifications

Is there a reason you never had a proper full time job at almost 30?

I've mentioned depression in my OP. low self esteem perhaps? I've been bullied at school and at work. I dont want it to hold me back anymore as I've had to live on the bread line for too long.

Hey op, if you can sign up to recruitment agencies (not sure if you can atm but when things settle down a bit) you may be able to get some temp work in admin. I've done that a few times and ended up getting taken on full time in the company in a more interesting role. It's a foot in the door which is often what you need, then once you're in a company if you show you're a hard worker and can do beyond basic tasks then if they have more work, you'll get it. If they don't have a job for you, it's a different form of experience to add to your CV.

I second what a PP said. I entered the civil service as a level 4 apprentice. There are quite a few different routes you can go down such as finance, cyber security, software development, commercial, project management etc. Honestly it is a bit of a luck of the draw as to where you end up placed but you do still get paid around £24,000 and upwards dependent on govt department. Once you're in there are all types of professions you can go into. I did my apprenticeship in Business Admin, but was in a project management role and I've just got a promotion into HR and will be getting put through the CIPD. I wouldn't worry about your age at all! We had apprentices raging from 18 to 50!

I know being a mother shouldn't hinder my career choices, but I've had bad interview experiences. Last year I was asked who would look after my child when working. My partner proudly announces that he's a father when applying and it's always a talking point. Last job he got he wrote about being a parent on his application form.

I also am stuck in a bit of a rut currently. Have been working mostly in retail and hospitality nmw roles and feel stuck since having DD. I have previously got some quite interesting work through temping though. I was able to get into a tech role through one company and then developed this further. Until I had my DD, now I feel too far behind to go back into that.

Statistics and data are a massive thing at the moment.

You could look at doing a degree in data science. Maybe get your A level maths or look for a degree with a foundation course.

I know I need professional qualifications to enter a profession, I just need to find a way in first.

Bluebooby, that's exactly how I'm feeling- stuck in a rut. Hope you can get in to something you enjoy :)

Well the way in as you just said is to get those qualifications. Either at uni, college or through an apprenticeship. All of which posters in this thread have given you good advice about...

OP I wouldn't mention being a parent on a job application. In place of work the application is competency based. We want to see examples of how people can match the criteria. If someone started talking their family life I would find it odd. As I asked earlier are you IT literate because if not I would get these skills up to scratch first.

Sorry, OP, missed the depression thing. If it helps, my DH and a good friend are clinically depressed and both work full time. It doesn't have to be a bar to full time roles.

I think I would think about what you like doing and find an entry level job and work your way up - or first settle into full time work and take things from there.

Sign up with a few recruitment agencies, try temping maybe.

Baby steps. build it up slowly but steadily. Aim to get back into employment instead of your dream role. They mostly don't exist exp not of you don't have relevant qualifications.

Oh yeah OP if a prospective employer asked me about my child care arrangements I'd walk.