To think about quitting my WFH job to re-train as a plasterer?

[confusedlady10]

Would I be stupid or unreasonable to consider quitting my job and re-train in a new field as a plasterer? I am a 29 year old single mum WFH in a dead end call centre job. It’s quite niche as it involves investigating specialist fraud cases but is still mainly a customer service job. The pay isn’t that great (£2k pm after tax living in London) and I’m fortunate to be able to live in cheap accommodation through family, but it’s not sustainable.

I’ve had applied for hundreds of jobs to try in earn more money and elevate, even paid someone to re-write my CV and do an extra qualification in my field within finance. But I don’t have a degree and regardless, I’m struggling to stand out. Hundreds of applicants, countless ghosting's and unfortunatelys after an odd interview. Finance, admin and banking sectors seem to be too saturated whether remote, hybrid or office.

So I was thinking to quit my job, apply for universal credit of some sort (started doing research on what they can support me with) and then hopefully retrain as a plasterer in a course to try and better myself as I heard that there’s good money if you are a skilled labour and could hopefully work for myself or another company. I would hopefully be able to work it around my son and less competition for the jobs I am not getting. Am I wasting my time and dreaming? (I have no experience in this and trying anything to earn more at the moment, whilst still applying for jobs like crazy, pls be nice!) 😣

Indeed. I actually most disliked the 'Very Important Man' types I used to encounter in my graduate bid management role. They had too much sense to say anything that'd get them in trouble but you can bet they'd never wash their own cup or plate after a meeting and certainly wouldn't make the drinks.

Amount of times I saw the office manager washing up a sinkful of dirty mugs and cups was ridiculous. If somebody did that here they'd either get told bluntly or somebody would just put their dirty plate on the seat of their truck/digger etc to make a point.

There are also other options like driving an ADT. I know a guy who got his ticket through a government scheme and is now making about £200 a day. They don't tend to leave site so you don't have to drive it on the road. Often they're just shifting mud around site. Getting loaded by the digger and then moving it down to other end of a huge site where it then gets loaded onto tippers to take away.

? driving instructor ?

If your work is offering a sideways move - take it. It doesn't matter if it's the same pay it's good to get wide experience and that might get you a foot in the door somewhere else - in a more related field. While you're exploring other options see what experience you can get out of your current role. I have just watched the BBC documentary on prisons and you'd be mad leaving your WFH job for one as a prison officer. Not sure why people on here are suggesting this. Obviously if you have no job fine - but I wouldn't quit a WFH job for that.

Yes, if OP intentionally makes herself unemployed by quitting her job, she is very unlikely to get UC.

I think it’s a great idea. Do it.

I'm 5'2" and when I was 18 (back in the 90's) I weighed 8 stone and was an electricql apprentice. I worked on all sorts of sites and it was very hard physical work but I got super strong carrying bundles of 25mm steel conduit up stairs, spending all day manually cutting chases for cables into brickwork, cutting metal cable tray with a hacksaw - it all builds up over time.

I actually left after I qualified but stayed in various maintenance jobs as I moved around the UK and being strong really helped.

At 29 I did a degree and then retrained as a PE teacher but left after I had my daughter.

It's now 30 odd years after I first trained, I'm a mum, have changed my work again and worked in IT or at a desk for the last 14 years. I still have that underlying strength but I'm nowhere near as strong as I was.

29 is no age to retrain, and you shouldn't consider your size or fitness a barrier (fitness can be built) but I would honestly think about trying various different trades before settling on one.

Seconding looking at driving instructor jobs. Based only on how impossible it has been to try and get a decent one in London. Especially for automatic only. We gave up finding anyone with an automatic. My kids are paying £84 for 2 hr sessions and they weren’t easy to get.
I expect there is a similar backlog in training of instructors as there is in the whole industry though. Might be worth looking at as a super flexible job that isn’t too physically taxing.

I really want to do this myself but fear not being able to make it work financially while training up in a trade. Then the idea of going out into the world to find enough jobs to match my current salary is really off putting. But I’d love to swap the desk job for an active trade (plumbing or electrics for me). Hey best of luck!

Specialising in alcove shelves might be little too niche 😉
But seriously, if you would consider beinfg self-employed then general handy person stuff could fit all your requirements.
My DH is in property maintenance and is always in demand, and lots of people would prefer a female coming into their home.

My cousin who was the fittest bloke around is now 50 and in his words his upper body is destroyed especially (obviously) his arm and shoulder muscles. Definitely not for the faint hearted

No I'd get another part time job to subsidize my UC. I always plan to continue working. My job don't offer part time roles sadly. I should have made that clear in my OP, but tried to clarify it further on. Thank you!

You could still be sanctioned as you have given up a job in order to claim UC, you will then be required to spend a set amount of hours searching for full time work (35hours - the number of hours you are already working). How many hours a week are you planning to spend studying? Would you still be able to work full time and study part time?

I wouldn't give up my job or go on UC/start looking at other options until I have another part time job in place. I would do an apprenticeship or look at a part time course or full time in the week and work evenings or weekends once I get a part time job.

I remember you writing that before, but if you gave up fulltime work to work parttime and claim UC you could be sanctioned, you are not allowed to just chose to work less and be topped up by benefits. A fulltime apprenticeship would be ok though, they would not sanction you for that.

If you work parttime and study part time you will be required to work search/increase your hours until you are working 35 hours a week. You will required to meet with a work coach and show that your are actively looking for fulltime work/to increase your hours. If decide to do a fulltime course you will not be entitled to any UC at all.

Just wanted to let you know so you can make a fully informed decision.

Oh! Ok, thank you. Will have to do a lot of research beforehand before I make any decisions. Wasn't fully aware of that. Will weigh up my options!

It might depend on the age of your child. My work target was 25 hours because my dc was under 12, and I got a job of 18 hours and did a training course plus additional shifts from time to time, and they were quite happy to let that situation continue. Then later I added self employment income as well. See if you can find out on that calculator website, is it called entitledto.co.uk or something like that?

Yes will have to try, my son is 6. I'm not entitled to anything atm, but will input once I look at part time wages. Thank you!

@confusedlady10 if he’s 6 the work hours target for you is more like 25 hours than FT, unless they’ve changed the rules since 2023. Good luck! The job centre might also be able to advise you on training courses.

Will look into it! I might ask on here thanks!

https://www.gov.uk/become-car-driving-instructor

It's an expectation of thirty hours now.

What, for parent of primary-aged child? Sheesh… 🙄

Built into that is an expectation that you will be paying for some childcare, unless you have someone else to look after your child when you can’t- the only jobs where you get 5 days of 6 school hours are in schools your child attends, then you might get away with it. I’m shocked really. On minimum wage are you even going to see any of those additional hours’ pay?