to accept that I will be on benefits for the rest of my life?

[NothingLeftToGive]

First off, I would happily do just about any job. I'd clean the streets if they'd have me.

I'm in almost perfect health (bit of mild arthritis but it doesn't affect my life at all).

However, I have been told that I am over qualified for just about everything going. The things I am qualified for are not recruiting at the moment and will not be for the forseeable future by which time my skills will be massively out of date. I cannot afford to retrain.

I'm seriously considering just giving up and becoming a part of the welfare burden for the rest of my natural life.

Totally unreasonable or realistic acceptance of my situation?

thesecondcoming - problem is with so many people facing redundancy ect there is less need for childcare and therefeore childminding might not be the way to go sadly

Agree jobs not there, but I also think its too easy to tell everyone who lose their jobs they can just go and work in Tescos or soup kitchens.

Also, when my higher income friends have lost their jobs the first thing they do is get rid of their cleaners so there might not be that many jobs for cleaners out there anymore either. I guess they can just go and work in Tesco though

as someone who is lucky enough to have a good job its very easy to read and post YABU

I cant imagine whats its like to be in your situation. But i go think you are giving up

DONT GIVE UP, and good luck

in bad times I used to work as a catering assistant! fuck all money but better than being at home

IsGrace, I am sure you are right about age discrimination being rife. I did not mean to sound like I had a pat solution for it. Mine was just a tiny tip which might benefit others who had not yet thought to try it.

I feel strongly that there is currently a divergence between the fact that people are now expected to work until 65 before they can draw a pension, but if they get made redundant in their 40s, they find themselves discriminated against in the job market even though they have more than 2 decades of contribution ahead of them.

It could be their bad luck that their industry is declining - in these fastmoving times, who can predict what industry/field/technology which will still be relevant in the next 5 years? Skills can get very specialised in this market. If you bet on the wrong horse at the wrong time of your life, you end up as risk of being unemployable even if you went for minimum wage jobs or incurred the cost of re-training? That is massively unfair, considering a lot of these people have a family to feed.

I can understand why people become self-employed in these circumstances. It is not a satisfactory solution for all though, and comes with its own risks.

Great post, Fontella.

Thesecondcoming, good luck with your new business. The flipside of the recession is that single income families have had to become dual income families. Hence the greater need for childcare. Plus the higher birth rate in recent times. My ds' nursery is still fully subscribed.

Sounds like you know what you're doing tsc , good luck

George osbourne just said on andrew marr he wants to stop low paid workers getting up and looking down the street at those on welfare still with the blinds shut
kind of see his point as long as there are enough low paid jobs for everyone < hollow laugh >

As someone who has never been out of work I find it difficult to understand tbh. However, as someone who has been on interview panels ? once you have got the interview I have always gone on ?personality fit? and not qualifications beyond the absolutely required. Experience and extra qualifications can be gained, but you can?t stop someone being a complete arse.
You really need to tailor your CV to get the interview (yes lie a bit), and then research the place. Make sure you interview well? there will be one place where you fit surely?

YABU OP, but I say that in the nicest possible way, it's not a nice situation to be in and I do sympathise. Hopefully the economy will get better and more jobs will be available in time.

In the meantime, lie if it means getting that job that keeps a roof over your head. I wouldn't normally advise someone to do that, but in the current climate I wouldn't criticise anyone if it keeps them from going under. A friend has a PhD but removed that from his CV and replaced it with a 3 year technician post at the university, then also downgraded his postdoctoral positions on his CV to research technician positions. He got a friend at the lab to give him a reference. Lo and behold he has a job that pays the bills that he is quite happy in and does well.

Underneath, are you involved in screening? In tailoring job descriptions in the current market?

If not, you won't understand that the rules are completely different. What you say about personality makes sense, but is not the complete picture in the current market.

• Jobs are more likely to be short term contract or maternity cover. If so, employers care more for relevant skills than trainability because the person has to hit the ground running.

• Companies are not hiring unless there is a real need. Hence, it is usually to cover an skills gap. So they are looking for very specific specialist skills, not just general fit and adaptability.

• The huge number of applicants means that the selection criteria for interviews becomes almost arbitrary. Urban myth about a person standing at the top step and throwing CVs down a staircase. Only those that fell on a certain step get taken to the next screening.

• Employers can pick and choose and do expect the earth (skills, personality etc) for the much reduced wage they are offering in this market. If they cannot find the ideal candidate, they are likely to sit and wait. What they would call a 'strategic hire'.

Agree with Blueshoes post.

I work in the banking sector and we have an external recruitment freeze on at the moment unless we are looking for really specialist skills which we absolutely cannot find within the bank (even then we would only offer contracts). At the moment typically one person in the bank is covering the work 3 people would normally do and its not getting any better.

I think NLTG made it clear in her op and subsequent posts that she is prepared to do anything "I'd clean the streets if they'd have me"

With regards to Tesco they now only take on people who are "completely flexible" to work in our local 24/7 opening stores so anyone who needs childcare to work is stuffed. Also although there are a lot of people in their 30s and 40s employed there I've certainly notices all the new recruits are much much younger and err probably without dependents?

If you are reliant on a dual income to keep your home etc then even relocating becomes problematic because then the partner still employed would have to leave their job etc.

As I said ages ago, take a short break from it (ie a few days) and then keep plodding onwards, I hope you manage to sort out keeping your house. Can you take a payment break/downsize/go interest only/lengthen the mortgage term?

Become a school governor? Just need to get in touch with your local authority governor services department. You will be able to use your skills, it benefits children and the community, and it it might open a lot of doors for you in terms of career opportunities.

Good luck, take me up on my offer if needed and let us know how you get on.

Degrees can be great if they are relevent and specific but there are so many that are not and unfortunatly I dont think giving your list will make you regognisable as there are so many people out there the same!
Yes it does prove intelligence and will to study but other than that?
I work in an office of 50 and there are peaople with Marine Bioligy, Teachers, Artists, American Studies, Law, Buisness and HR all doing the same job as I was just with GCSE's