trouble

[cariboo]

Dh came home this evening with the news that he has been fired made redundant. Along with about 15 others. Dh is 59. I am a SAHM but at 46 & having not been employed since my pregnancy with ds 6 yrs ago, am unlikely to find work, even though I have tried (not very hard, tbh). At first I felt shock, a feeling of unreality & then very brave. Maybe for the sake of dh, who's gutted but is trying not to show it. And for the sake of the dc. I now feel literally sick. My heart's pounding & I'm dizzy & nauseated. Terrifying. I don't know what to do, what will happen, how we'll cope, whether our marriage can survive... our parents, the children, other family, friends... what will they say? Dh was earning a healthy salary £60K+. But his pension is dismal. I'm so frightened - please help, those who've experienced this! Thanks.

Have no experience but I'm sorry - what a bloody nightmare. Good that you're feeling brave. Is there a redundancy package that will tide you over for a while?

Not feeling brave at all. That was just the shock. Now am panicking.

so for you at this time, I am sorry I have no experience to help. Do you have any savings?

No. But quite a bit of debt - loans.

You will cope. Your marriage will survive. And, don't worry about what anyone else thinks, I am sure people close to you will want to help and support you thru this. You are obviously still in shock and quite rightly so. For the moment try to calm down until you can see clearly.

Does your DH have skills which can be carried into a new job?

Such a cruel & heartless time to fire someone. I can't believe it.

am sorry for you - but how do you know re teh work as you say you've not looked very hard. have you spoekn to anyone aabout options, retraining etc to find somethign that suits your lifestyle a bit better?

and as for others they'll be sympathetic - and being made redundant is unfortunate (and all to common sadly at present) , its not a fault of your dh.

I know, It's bloody awful

Sorry, not much advice from me either. What a bad time of year to be told this.

Does he know how long he has got in this job?

No, my poor darling dh - it's not his fault.

I'm not much use, really. I've got a BfA. I can draw & take decent photos but big deal. I'm qualified to teach english as a 2nd language. I've worked mostly as a PA but I think I'm too old for that now.

no you're not - there is such a thing as age discrimation. plus most of top pas where i work are your age plus

We live overseas. The dc are in private school. Our healthcare is (was?- oh God) provided by dh's job. This year ds was diagnosed with ADHD & dd with epilepsy.

It's like an earthquake. Brief but the aftershock just goes on & on.

There is often work going teaching EFL. Lots of universities advertise for hourly-paid staff to do this. Try looking on www.jobs.ac.uk under language/ linguistics in your area. Plus local FE colleges will need to provide this for migrants etc and often need staff. So don't write yourself off as 'no use'.

Sorry this has happened at such a bad time of year (not that there's ever really a good time). Hope it works out.

Oh cariboo you poor poor thing.

I DO have a lot of experience of this I'm afraid to say. DH has been made redundant 4 times in all and we are currently hanging on hoping this Christmas won't see number 5.

Each time has been harder. My DH is in his 50s too now.

It has always happened around xmas time and just when the debts were starting to reduce and we were getting our head above water. Then, bam, straight back down again.

What line of work is he in? DH has done quite a few different jobs - his degree is economics and marketing. He managed to work free lance for a while too... could your DH do that at all?

Everything you just said about your skills sounds really positive. I am absolutely sure you could find something.

There is no earthly reason why your husband will be unable to find another job or yourself for that matter.

The job market has moved forward and even though there is a recession companies are still hiring.

Good luck and apply for roles with an open mind and a flexible attitude.
Be prepared to step sideways and consider a heft salary drop if necessary.

I know this sounds silly but also make sure that you have someone in their 30s/40s that you trust give you an honest run down of your style of clothing/hairstyle/ make up before interview as this first impression means a great deal.
Think stylish, fresh, modern, sleek, minimalist.

(please forgive me if this is something you already know)

The shock is the thing at the moment and it's a terrible blow but in a few days consider all of the things that you and/or your husband are able to do.

Go to the relevent recruitment agencies.
Say you'll temp/contract whilst looking for perm.
Be really upbeat and friendly
Eamil them thanking them for their time after you have an meeting with them (they will work harder for you that way)

Apply directly to companies in your local area that you would like to work for.
Ditto to companies who would have been your direct competitor firms in previous work.
Anything with a similar skillset at all or interest.
Apply through the paper
Go to the local jobcentre as some roles are advertised there direct.

Good luck!!

Ah, have just seen your new post about living overseas, so my suggested weblink is less use for you. But hourly-paid work teaching EFL should still be an option for you - I would look at this. Sorry again and best of luck.

I could never earn dh's salary. Never.

He's a chartered accountant. Has been an CFO at one time. I guess that's his best hope - consultancy. Ha.

a CFO. Can't spell, not surprising,

temp work, going back into practice?

Find out what the redundancy laws are wherever you are & ensure your dh's package measures up. How long has he been in the job? If you have loans, you might have insurance against redundancy.

Easy to say but hold off on the panic until you've got all the facts straight.
Good luck.

Could you/would you move back to the UK (I'm assuming that's where you're orginally from?). Would there be more family/friends support for you then? You need to think about where there will be more job opportunities; regardless of the recession etc, people are always going to need Chartered Accountants.

Chartered accountants in the UK have never in my expereince had too much trouble in finding decent work.
I have no exposure to the market in Switzerland though...IAS now so fine I would guess

I've lived in London. I have to say I hated living in the UK, mostly because of the climate. We visit often as dh is british. Visiting is wonderful but living there again, 25 yrs on?

Get him to speak with recuitment agencies in S also seriously consider some of the other points I have made about gaining work.