returning to work...horrible job...please give me some encouragement!

[jollymollie]

I posted previously as I had been offered a very menial admin job working 15 hours a week in a local hospital. It's only 3 days with flexible hours so I can start as soon as I drop the kids at school and finish in time to pick them up. I still get two free days. The wage is not bad and the holiday entitlement is good. I wasn't very happy when I got the job as I am 41, quite well qualified with good experience in the past and capable of so much more. This admin job is assisting other admin staff so really is bottom of the pile stuff! Anyway we need this really, especially as Christmas is coming up, we have two young dcs, so I had got my head around it. I went for the pre employment checks yesterday and was told the majority of my working time would be spent pulling patient's records in the basement. (The job description said audio typing, general admin with some filing!) Now, I have been in this basement and it is horrendous. The records are in a real mess, it's virtually impossible to find what you're looking for. The basement leaks, it's cold and dark with puddles on the floor and quite scary! I really don't want to be working down there at all but obviously the other staff I'm assisting will asign all their grotty basement work to me so they have made no secret about the fact that this will be my main place of work. The job situation at the moment where I live is really terrible and I would not find such perfect hours anywhere else but I left there yesterday thinking 'I can't work here!'. Please give me a slap round the face. It's only 15 hours a week, surely I can cope with that even if I hate it, can't I???

I know it sounds horrible at the minute but you don't know what it'll be like properly until you start doing it, then if it really is that bad just get through it by thinking how happy your little DCs will look at Christmas when Santa has been able to get them what they wanted

Oh Mollie

You will be able to cope with it because there's bound to be some really nice people to work with and the hours are great. Plus its much easier to progress back up the ladder once you are back in work - opportunities will present themselves.

PS am in a similar situation and I think of my current role as working an extremely long notice period

Thank you, I really need to keep reminding myself that it's a job and I'm lucky. I had a look at the job section in the local paper yesterday. Last year there were 5 pages of jobs, now there was only half a page and the majority of these were commission only sales jobs. Luckily my working days are one on and one off so at least I don't have to do two days in a row down in the dungeon! Music is a good idea, I can have my phone with me so I'll take my headphones. DH told me yesterday that I don't have to do it if I don't want to but he's self employed and has been under so much pressure financially trying to earn enough to pay everything. He always goes quiet over Christmas so I know it would be very selfish of me to turn it down.

It is a large hospital so I will just try and keep my eye on the internal job board. Hopefully after a few months if I do well I can move onto something better.

You need to do this step by step IMO. Get through to Xmas first of all but make it your mission in life to find something else. Now, I do mean it has to be a mission, like the most important thing in your life aside from family. You need to get focussed and think about all options, it might be that you could make money from a little business, or tutoring or something different to a conventional job. I do career coaching occasionally as part of my job, if you want more help (applies to anyone on here) just DM me. There is always a way, may not be easy but there is! now, grit yer teeth and get yourself focussed babe I've been in my fair share of basements, in the end it'll just be something you post on here, a memory...

I thought I'd look at this thread and see if my experience of returning to work could fit at all. I also do 15 hours in admin in a hospital and I was dreading it too! No basement for me, just a lot of bitchiness office politics and poor management. It doesn't bother me at all now. I think only being there for a short time helps, but also knowing that it's only a means to an ends and that I can forget all about it as soon I step outside.

If they want you to spend a lot of time in a leaking room with puddles, I'd be looking into the H&S aspects of that and seeing if they could get it fixed. Also, would you consider trying to organise the records while you're there? I love doing things like this, I love the challenge. [sad cow emoticon]

I really hope it goes ok for you. [hsmile]

It would be lovely to re-organise things down there but I really don't think I'd have time. It's a really busy department and they will want the notes quickly. I knew I would have to do the basement thing sometimes but really didn't realise it would be all the time. Then again if the other admin staff have someone to do this for them they are going to make the most of it aren't they? I have been told that many, many others have tried to get something done about the basement with no success. There are even hard hats to put on as you enter! The basement is a long way from the department I'm in so they'll be loads of walking. I'm using this as a big positive, I should lose some weight . I was going to buy some nice smart trousers for my new job as there is no uniform but now I don't think I'll bother.

That's a bit of a coincidence, pallymama. do you find your 15 hours go quickly? I'm holding onto that hope!

If it's busy it goes very quickly. On the good days it feels like I've been there 2 hours instead of 8. On the slower days I mumsnet! [hgrin]

I'll only be doing 5 hours, 3 days a week so it should pass quickly (I hope!) Just can't believe at my age that I am having to do something like this. I always dreamed I'd be doing something really interesting and fulfilling. I had a much better job than this when I was 21! Oh well, that's what having dcs does for you. I need to stay positive.....

You need to be quite objective about this, and ask yourself what your priorities are.
If its fitting work around being able to drop off and pick up at school, then frankly, the work is likely to be menial and not stretch you mentally. Neither will the money be great. The payback is that you get convenient, short hours - and in your case, two days free to yourself anyway.

If on the other hand you want to use the skills and qualifications you have, and command a better wage and get greater job satisfaction, then you're realistically going to have to work more conventional hours, and arrange and pay for before and after school childcare, and holiday care. You are also more likely to have pressure in the form of greater expectations on you. It may be the sort of work where youre expected to stay on late, or where you can't automatically switch off when you walk out the door. The payback is the increased fulfilment and a better career path, pay, pension etc

This isn't being judgemental - there is no right or wrong, and indeed, one type of job might be right at the moment, but not in two years time. It will help to clarify in your mind WHY you are doing this though

I think your plan of taking it, but keeping an eye open for something better is a good one. If its really mindnumbing, at least the fact that you are on the look out will help. And its far easier to get another job when you are already in employment.

Just start to plan for the fact that the more interesting jobs with prospects are likely to require childcare, so it might be useful to start planning for this, so that if something else crops up in the hospital, you're not panicking and starting to think about these things from scratch.

callmemrs, thanks for that very thought provoking post. At the moment my priority is definately being able to look after the dc's most of the time. Unfortunately we don't have any family to help out with childcare so in the past it would be dh packing up work early to pick them up from school and frankly he used to lose more than I earned. I could get childcare but for two of them to go in after school/holiday childcare would eat up most of my wage so the hours of this job are perfect. You are right I will not get a great job under these circumstances so will have to keep positive and think of the reasons behind it rather than thinking 'i can do better than this!'

I have also just started a job in the NHS and like you I am very lucky to get flexible hours to work around my kids. The job is also close to home, the pay is good and I am lucky to be mentally stretched in an area I am trained in.

However the area I am working in is badly organised, chaotic and everyone else is fed up with it. Part of my job is helping to put a structure in place so that it is more organised but no body else seems very enthusiastic about it and I don't have the power to make the decisions. It is starting to get frustrating not having proper leadership but I just think I cannot be expected to do my job properly if they don't do theirs properly. I can only do my best.

I know I've got a good job and I am just trying to hope that I will be able to get things more organised so that my job becomes a bit easier. I am working on my own so I am scrabbling around in the dark a bit at the moment until I get used to it.

Anyway I think you should just do the best you can and think of the money. Grin and bear it, enjoy your days off, think of your kids and don't think what you should or could be doing. The hospital needs people like you who are intelligent and proactive. Keep on the right side of your colleagues and rise above it.

To be honest in this recession you are lucky to have a job at all so just wait until something else comes up. You are definitely better off having a job than not having one and a gap in your CV.