I need to go back to work, been a SAHM for 8 years.

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DH needs me to go back to work, potentially full time so he can hopefully cut down his hours or stop working entirely.

This is where I have problems, I haven't worked in 8 years, have no real qualifications beyond GCSEs and I live in a small seaside town-so no real prospects.

I realistically need to make £30k but this is going to be impossible isnt it? What on earth could I do?

What did you do before dcs? Could you retrain in anything? Why does your dh need to cut his hours anyway, my dh would love to cut his hours but not really an option ...

I did a bit of this bit of that pre DC- I had DS1 at 20 so was very young and didn't have time to do much, I was mainly administration and some editorial work.

DH is in the midst of serious depression, he is having a break down and I need to at least try and take the weight off his shoulders.

I was aiming to start the OU next year but I may have no knock that on the head for a bit, I honestly don't know what I could do to retrain, I'm feeling a bit stuck

Nursing? It would take a few years of study though, but you get some funding for this and you can work alongside it in care settings.

Nursing could be a goer, would it be shifts though as that could be tricky?
Sadly enough I don't have the qualifications to get a care job- apparently!

I think with no recent experience and only GCSEs I can't see £30k being a realistic salary. Can you not reduce your outgoings to a level an entry job will cover.

If he can be home with the children your hours won't be limited so it may extend the job range.

Can you tell us why your dh needs to cut his hours and eventually stop work, is this health related?
I ask as this could make a difference to the jobs you could do if you need to have a caring role too.
Will you need childcare or will your dh be able to cope with the dc full time?
Most sahps I know who have gone back to work who are in your position started off maybe part time for a while in the industry they wanted to work, then built it up to full time or pt promoted with more responsibility.
I think it is possible for you to reach your 30k but you will need to build up to this over a number of years.
An alternative would be warehouse work/factory shifts where you can build up to this figure in no time.
My dsis does this, works nights and takes home 32k, but its hard work and like any other job attracting this salary the employers want a pound of flesh at least.

I know IABU to want a 30k salary and I know I wouldn't be able to command that here and now but it the salary my DH earns and we aren't able to cut back any further than we have or we wouldn't be able to pay the mortgage- I've had my outgoings laid out on here and they're pretty average with very little to cut.

My DH may need to leave due to his MH, he's always suffered but has gone worryingly downhill this past few months, I would probably have to find childcare too especially in the early days as he'll probably be working too- he's a shift worker on a rolling cycle so it's not set shifts each week.

I was looking at studying with the OU to try and increase my changes but I know in reality I'll be lucky to earn £12k pa f/t, warehouse work may be available here so I'll look into it.

Thanks for all the advice

Wouldn't you be entitled to any benefits? I'm sorry you and your husband are in this situation

But with Nursing, and shifts, your DH wouldnt be working any more. So surely the shiftpattern would be manageable?

How old are your dc? Check on the turn to us website to play around with some hypothetical figures and see what kind of salary would balance out with which benefits. Then you will have a better idea of the kind of jobs you can go for - I have health problems, dh earns £15k and we have two dc and we receive £120 a week in tax credits for example and also child benefit of £136 a month.

You may be better off than you think.

I'd start looking at any entry level jobs - retail, cleaning and care work and maybe even office administration. Especially in retail work they often have their own online forms and aptitude tests that are not necessarily work background related so not working for 8 years may be less of a problem than you think.

Also speak to recruitment agencies. They will help you put a cv together and maybe even temping in an office will help you to get some references and experience. If you temp continuously with some agencies you can even build up holidays and holiday pay.

It's highly unlikely you will walk into a job earning £30K a year if you've no training or experience. Ithink you should look into the options open for your DH to be signed off sick from his job before he makes any attempt just to hand in his notice. And look into what sick pay he will be entitled to.

I work as a PA for £25k. However that's with a lot of experience and quals. Gaining some good office skills and qualifcations would be a good starting point.

My DC are 8 and 2. I had a look at the Turn to Us site last night and if I earned 12k I could potentially claim 10k in benefits on top which would go a long way to helping.

I have a decent CV- I have a recruitment consultant relative in the City who has helped there but there's no disguising the 8 year employment gap. I have a Certificate in Legal Studies which takes one year of the gap down but it's no use here.

DH will be looking into sick leave in the future but he's not that willing to do it.

I was going to look into freelance typist work from home-I had a good WPM score which I've not lost so I could gain skills that way, plus I can do it without incurring extra costs, would that be a good starting point?

I appreciate the advice here, it's helping me see things clearer

Emphasize your strong past, and acknowledge the 8-year-gap with no shame but remind yourself and any interviewers that it's like riding a bicycle, really, you can do what you did before. Honestly, I'm in a similar position and to my surprise employers are MUCH more prepared to overlook that gap than they used to be.

Don't talk about why you need the job or the money for personal reasons; talk about what you can do for them and sound enthusiastic. Remember it's good for them to have a seen-it-all, relaxed more experienced-in-life employee (I really believe this: anyone who can handle a toddler can handle a crazy co-worker or boss.)

And remember, your biggest problem may be your OWN lack of self-confidence, but fake it till you make it. Good luck.

I've been out 15 years and am starting work again next week. Try not to think of this as a grind and an obligation for you but as a new adventure. Life is long, things will change again. Your husband should be eligible for some disability benefit though it is kind of a drag applying for MH issues; get his GP on the case. Don't let your own MH suffer. Feel proud of yourself for your courage.

If you are going to find a career path that could lead you to earning £30k in time(and realistically could be much more than that with more time and focus), you need to be clear about what your strengths are and how you could use them. So first step is identifying your strengths? Go back over your entire life and make a note of all the occasions you have been proud and happy. What were you doing each time to make you feel this way? Think across all contexts, school, friendships, family, work etc. make a long lust and start to spot the repeating characteristics you see. Would be great if you could then share these strengths as a starting point. Then next step is feedback on where and how these strengths can be used. Exciting world out there that needs strong women like you!