I need a job that will pay 40K - what can I do and where can I look?

[Needtoearn]

Hi,

Am a regular who's namechanged because I'm a bit embarrassed by this. My husbands job is not going well, in fact the company is not doing great either and he isn't earning what we need to survive at all.

He has been looking at other jobs but the whole industry which is quite niche is looking decidedly dodgy.

Therefore, we have thought about me going out to work and him staying home with our 4 young children. I have tried and tried to look for a well paid evening/ weekend job but nothing has come up that looks worthwhile tbh.

I have a good skill set and a good degree - any suggestions for well piad graduate schemes or anything at all that I could apply for? Would need to be midlands based.

[pendulum]

no she's a lawyer

[pendulum]

no she's a lawyer

a very good one I hear

[marialuisa]

I work in HE administration in the E.Mids and earn in that salary band, but I think I'm lucky to get that as I have only been working in this type of post for about 5 years. I think you'd struggle to get a starting salary at that level round here, salaries seem quite low and there's a lot of job insecurity in the local councils. DH is an academic and post-doc salaries start at £25k. UoN has a research associate vacancy for a psych graduate but salary is only £22k 9and no doubt will have hundreds of wannabe clinical psychs going for it!)

[LynetteScavo]

Is Xenia a barister??

[chocolateteapot]

Can you look at it in terms of what you actually need each month rather in terms of the annual salary ? If you split it between two of you in some way you can then use both your tax allowances etc.

Have you gone through absolutely everything to make sure you have the best deal on every bill you pay and your mortgage ?

Moneysavingexpert is a really helpful site for getting your monthly costs as low as possible.

I have a psychology degree plus research experience and know that after the years I've had out looking after the children there is absolutely no way I would get anywhere near the amount you are talking about. DH is on that now (he's in IT) and we know that when his job comes to an end he will struggle down here (Dorset) to match it again. We're doing what I suggested above, going to split it between us (I now work from home)but my youngest DS is starting school in September so don't really have the childcare issues that you have.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

I agree with the others, after 5 years out of the workplace and no recent experience you're very unlikely to walk into a £40k job.

Maybe you could gain some experience working around your OH and that review your options.

[cariboo]

Needtoearn, you have my sympathy. I could be in the same situation as dh is in his mid/late 50s. It terrifies me. I have a BfA which would do me no good at all and a teaching adults english as a foreign language qualification. Big deal. the chances of my earning anything close enough to what we'd need to survive, even be able to put food on the table, are practically nil. xx

[VickyA]

Have you any experience of using your psychology background for recruitment - assessment centres, psychometric testing etc? You can get very good day-rates working as an associate for the right consultancies, but the problem is the work isn't guaranteed, so would be ideal to run alongside your DH's job while it still exists.

[LynetteScavo]

Would comuting to London be an option?

[Needtoearn]

Thanks for all the input - I'll re-iterate that I know a 40k salary is alot to ask when I have been out o the workplace.

Lynette - I would commute to London...what do you have in mind ? In fact hadn't thought of that as an option. There's a direct line to Kings Cross from our village so would be easy enough I guess!

My DH is looking at other jobs with his transferable skills but we need to keep our options open and thought if we both go all out to achieve a well paid job we might hit upon something.

I would gladly take a job of 20-25K in school hours but the maths just doesn't add up when you consider childcare for 3. I only have one child in school and 1 other who is eligible for pre-school funding. What I'm left with doesn't make up for the shortfall from DH's current job.

We can live on less than 35/40k - we have been for nearly a year now but this is living month to month on a shoestring and the worry of meeting the mortgage each month is stressing us both out. We have the cheapest of everything - I have looked at it all! Our fixed rate deal recently ran out and we are re-mortgaging with best possible rate but its stillmore than we were paying because the interest rates have gone upso much.

All in all it's a very worrying time for us finacially and I want to make plans before it all gets worse than it is.

Any suggestions for how we can work this out would be great and thanks for the suggestions so far. You are all very kind.

[Needtoearn]

oh and I would love Xenia to come on and tell me what jobs are there for the taking as I am prepared to work really hard!

[PerkinWarbeck]

watching this with interest!

and LOL at those suggesting anything in the public/3rd sector. I agree that this is a management/5+years experience salary in these sectors.

have you any equity to release in your house? or is relocating a possibility? we have been looking at relocating to save money, and there are one or two areas in the uk where you could pay rent/mortgage on a 3 bed house for less that the figure you quote. just .

[Needtoearn]

I guess we could relocate but not sure it would be a huge saving! We have a bit of equity in the house and it's only a 3 bed semi so with 4 children we can't downsize either.

This is tough!

[LynetteScavo]

Needtoearn, I don't really have anything in mind, sorry, but I was just thinking pay in London might make the commute worth while.

I have had crazy thoughts recently re working in London my self. (Also due to DH's work situation, and him threatening to give up work and lawns for a living ) In reality, though it would mean me not seeing DCs from Sunday night to Saturday morning, which would kill me.

[branflake81]

well if you find a job that pays 40k please tell me! I graduated 5 years ago and am still on 17k. Though I am in the grim heartlands of the north.

[Twiglett]

advertising sales .. as long as you're a good salesperson that is

something like yellow pages has a short training course

[Squiffy]

To be blunt you are not going to struggle to jump onto this level.

If I were you I would fork out for a PRINCE 2 project management course (about £1,000 I think - takes a week to do plus exams at the end) and then see if you could get contracting work as a project mgr. It is not unreasonable to charge around 200 a day to start with (which would take you over your 40k requirement).

BUT check first if you are likely to get work this way (call up local recruitment agents). Getting the first couple of jobs will depend on your CV and experience. Then after that you will get work if you are good at it. The downside to this is that you have to hunt around for jobs because you will spend maybe a month at a time on different contracts (unless you hit a nice rich seam and get signed on for a year somewhere) and there is little job security. Oh and you have to have an aptitude for it too!

My DH took a teaching qualification and an MBA, but it was the Prince2 that got him on track work-wise because it led to 'proper' work immediately, and he hasn't looked back.

[Squiffy]

Sorry - please remove the not from my first sentance!!!!!!

[choosyfloosy]

TBH I would agree with those posters that say ignore the public sector. You are determined, have confidence, and think you'll be good at sales - head for London sales jobs. People with those qualities are hard to find - your psychology degree will stand you in good stead - and the sky is the limit for people who are really good at selling, it is an excellent talent and a LOT of people very high up in the world come through that route. I think recruitment is a good call, or possibly selling ad space for someone like Conde Nast or National Magazines. Don't know what they earn or what the commission is like though. Best of luck - determination and plenty of bills coming in will get most of us a long, long way!

[B1977]

It will take a couple of years to get up to 40k even with the highest-paying grad schemes (accountancy firms, blue chip co.s in London), and as said before, that's if you can get on them. Worth trying though as increasingly I meet older people on grad schemes.

If you are good at talking to people you might earn more quicker with something that has a high bonus ratio e.g. recruitment consultant, advertising sales, but that would be risky to base your mortgage etc. on.

I remember Honda had a big ad campaign at one time in all the women's mags to recruit more cars saleswomen and I have heard that a high proportion of millionaires in the UK (ignoring property) are ex car dealers. Honda website doesn't say what salary is but again assume it is a high bonus ratio. Here's a link to a job in Brum www.hondapeople.co.uk/careers/vacancies/midlands/298-business-to-business-manager-birmingham-west-mi dlands

[WideWebWitch]

I think you're going to have to go to London where £40k+ is much easier to get and I think there are several things you need to do:

a) make some investment in getting work that gets your skills and cv up to date asap, I would have thought the research would be the way to go. Is there any way you can slant your cv to highlight the parts from past work that would be most lucrative now?

b) think about being a contractor + London combination. Contract pay is much better than perm work (highly likely to be over £40k) but factor in no holiday/sick pay, no benefits etc. Plus stress of long commute and the cost, factor that in

c) Prince2 is a good idea.

(Btw, I got a well paid job after 4 years as a sahm and have since increased my earnings by moving jobs and contracting, so it is do able)

[WideWebWitch]

I think being a recruitment consultant sounds like a good idea too. OTE can be good, one I know drives a Porsche.

[nkf]

Starting at £40K. Being an actuary in the City does.