Injured at work, need a new job, help!

[Bingbongsingalong]

I'll preface this by saying that I know i'm an idiot for not having good enough insurance. I also know I am an idiot for having no savings to fall back on. So no one needs to tell me this, I am aware and i'm paying the price!

I have had my own dog grooming business for almost 10 years. It has been pretty successful and i've been consistently fully booked since I opened. A few months ago, I was injured by a dog. Unfortunately it is a very physical job and while we do what we can to mitigate risks, unfortunately I didn't manage it this time and a very enthusiastic, heavy dog jumped on my shoulder. My fault, not his, he's lovely! Insurance to cover these sorts of things is very expensive, so I don't have it (mistake number 1, although fairly common thing not to have, most groomers don't! I have insurance for everything else, but not to cover personal injury at work), so i've been pushing through and working regardless, but I am in agony every day, and by the evening I am broken and I can't carry on like this. I have seen a physio, osteopath and GP, but basically it seems like nothing can be done to help other than strong painkillers, and I can't take those while safely managing dogs in my care. Plus most of them don't agree with me, i've tried them in the past for a back injury.

It really saddens me because I love my job, but physically I can't manage any longer. So i'm trying to find something else. However, despite previously having had a good job in publishing for years, as well as a job in the NHS, no one seems interested because this experience was all over 10 years ago, and it seems that my dog grooming isn't seen to have many transferable skills I guess. I apply for things that I meet every criteria for, and I don't even get rejections, I just get radio silence (as a side note, I find this so rude. Applications are no longer a case of uploading a CV, they want lengthy application forms completed that take hours, then can't even send a rejection email as a matter of courtesy?!) Every job I apply for wants so much experience for such minimal pay, and i'm not getting anywhere, despite all of the roles i'm applying for being assistant roles and very junior. They generally ask for my current salary, so I am honest and say that I earn around 55k PA, but that I understand the role I am applying for will not match my current income. Is this what is putting people off, should I lie and make it comparable? Or is it just that my experience is no longer relevant? I have a degree, a history of good jobs and i've been running a business for 10 years, I don't understand why i'm not even being considered for admin assistant type roles? Am I too old at nearly 40, do they want younger people for these jobs?

I have no savings to fall back on (second mistake) so I am continuing to work but i'm miserable because i'm hurting all of the time. I don't have the time or money to retrain in anything else, but I don't know how to make myself more employable? I don't even have any relevant references! I'm so stuck. What can I do?!

I'd probably drop an e-mail to any recruitment agent who has vaguely promising jobs in about the right area, and see what happens!

It won't hurt!

It’s a few years ago now but I helped another MNer who had been a SAHM get a job by upgrading her cv. I’d be happy to do the same for you, if you really think your days as a groomer are over.

To be honest OP, I would hunt privately for a consultant shoulder specialist & get an appointment. They do exist, when I popped my ac joint and got an awful dismissive dr at the hospital I went private.

Probably £2-300 just for the initial appt and any investigations on top of that.

If it saves your career & business I would scrape the money together.

In the end I only needed that 1 appt as the guy i saw put me on his NHS list. If you live in the west mids I'll let you know who it was.

@devildeepbluesea - Thank you that's really kind. I don't want my dog grooming days to be over, but at the moment I can't see another way because I can't work in pain any longer :-(

If your current business is successful, and you are fully booked, I would be looking to expand and take on staff rather than give it up. Would that make you enough to live on?

You could then have a non-hands on role?

I wonder if your injury could have progressed into a peri menopause frozen shoulder? Apologies if you are the wrong age.
I know a fantastic shoulder physio if you are in Cheshire.

How about cat sitting/visits and same for dogs maybe, albeit no walking. There are loads in my town, all booked up months in advance. My current cat sitter has a broken arm right now but still does it! I have a torn rotator cuff and manage my own cat stuff. At least short term? Your current business client list would be a start point maybe? Local facebook groups always have loads of people looking for pet sitters. 30 minute visit is £10 where I am.

It sounds like your injury has knocked the stuffing out of you. You’re not an idiot, you clearly are able to run a successful business which is no mean feat. You may find the jobs you’re applying for are actually below your skill level which means employers will by pass you for someone likely to stay with them.

Have a look at your skills needed to run your business and then look for jobs that match, rather than an entry level admin role. Make sure you evidence each point in the person spec, brush up on any industry trends or buzz words.

What about paying for a private gp or private mri. The shoulder could be an actual injury that need a surgical repair and then you will be fine.

@Bingbongsingalong If you take on some temp work for a couple of months, you'll likely find that you become much more employable quite quickly. It's usually easy to get temporary roles in admin, reception, customer service, and similar areas—they mostly want to see that you're not going to be difficult to manage after having been your own boss for a while.
In my experience (and I’ve worked with a lot of people), there's often a bit of reluctance from employers when hiring those who've been self-employed or worked as contractors. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to hear things like, "Well, when I was a manager, we used to do it this way..." or see people struggle to take direction after being independent for so long.
Of course, I’m not saying that everyone is like that—and definitely not saying you are—but it’s something employers consider. When they can choose between someone with recent, conventional workplace experience or someone straight out of education, they often feel those candidates come with fewer concerns.
That’s why getting a temp role, maternity cover, or short-term contract can really help. It gives you:

1. Up-to-date references
2. Recent, relevant workplace experience—exactly what employers are looking for

Just for context: I'm a careers adviser and coach, and I've seen this approach work time and time again.

@CanOfMangoTango I didn't actually know that such a thing existed! I am Oxfordshire so close to Midlands but that may be tricky if they wanted to refer back to the NHS, thank you though! We have lots of hospitals around Oxford so i'll have a look and see if I can find a specialist. I agree, it's definitely worth the cost if someone can help!

@AndSoFinally - It's a nice idea, but my business is a partnership and neither of us really want to expand and take on staff at the moment. It would mean moving to a different location which would be expensive. Also, for some reason there is a shortage of groomers in this area (one of the reasons why we're so busy all of the time!) and while I could probably recruit trainees fairly easily, I couldn't recruit anyone qualified enough to take the pressure off me, and i'm not interested in training anyone (maybe in the future but not now!). Thank you for the suggestion though!

@stayathomegardener - I've not heard of that! I am approaching 40 so I guess it's possible, although I have no other menopause symptoms so i'm not sure? Sadly not anywhere near Cheshire!

@CookiesAreForSharing - That is actually a really good idea, I hadn't considered that at all! I think financially it wouldn't be as profitable as grooming, but it's still likely to be more than an entry level admin role, and still animal related so would definitely interest me more. I have experience with cats, small furries and reptiles too, so could cover most pets! Thank you, this is definitely an avenue worth exploring. I hope your shoulder heals soon, I sympathise entirely!

@Jellycatspyjamas - That is interesting! I hadn't thought that employers might be looking at me as overqualified. I have a tendency to undervalue myself, I know I must not be an idiot, but I feel like a bit of a fraud sometimes, I don't have much confidence in my skills! Knocked the stuffing out of me is definitely a great way to explain it! I feel physically done, but mentally not ready to give up.

@Lovethesparklylights - Someone else suggested paying and going private so i'm definitely going to explore this! I've been paying for private physio, but it didn't occur to me to do anything other than that!

@Freakyfeet - That's a great suggestion, thank you. The idea of temping fills me with dread as I used to do it during uni breaks and I was sent to some horrible places and never seemed to be treated very nicely, but I guess it's a needs must situation! Also that was 20 years ago, so maybe it's better now? It totally makes sense that employers would be put off self employed people, I understand that. Annoyingly I am really easy to manage, I do what i'm told and am not confrontational at all, I would happily follow instructions and tow the line, but I guess they don't know that, and even if I say it, that doesn't mean it's worth them taking a risk on me if there are other candidates!

Can you sell off the business or your share in it to free up cash for retraining? Do the tools of the trade have any value?

@Bingbongsingalong I googled "shoulder consultant Oxford" and the first result was a professor with a private clinic who also works for the local NHS trust.

Best of luck - I agree with @lovethesparklylights that you've probably done some damage that will need proper investigation rather than physio.

Can you employ someone to do the heavy work until you are better? Possibly an intern type role where you teach them and can pay fairly basic wages? What is the prognosis for your injury?

Just read your later post, I would go to A&E, you may have a quite serious injury.

Do you hold any qualifications in dog grooming?

if yes then how about becoming an NVQ assessor? Like this job - https://www.groomarts.com/careers/grooming-instructor

Same here OP. I left teaching and no one wants me for anything else! I have so many incarnations of my CV tailored to the specific roles and it is so soul destroying not hearing back. I guess i am going to have to go back to teaching because while I have been recruited for every volunteering role going, no one wants to actually pay me for doing anything!

@SupposesRoses - I don't think i'd be able to sell it as it's based at my family home and most of the tools are shared with my business partner and she's family so I wouldn't feel comfortable making her buy me out.

@CanOfMangoTango - Oh great news, i'll have a look, thank you. I think you're right, further investigation seems like a necessary route!

@dogcatkitten - I don't really have a diagnosis so i'm not sure of the prognosis. The physio thinks it will get better with exercises, but i've been doing those and it's not making a difference, so i'm not convinced! Unfortunately there is a shortage of groomers in this area, so no one looking for jobs! I know of two people who have been looking to employ staff for over 6 months and haven't had a single applicant! In terms of training someone, this isn't really something that I am comfortable doing unfortunately, plus it puts our insurance up significantly so i'm not sure it would be cost effective as i'd be earning less, paying a trainee and paying more insurance.

@InfoSecInTheCity - Oh that's interesting, that is where I trained! Yes I do hold qualifications, so theoretically could do a job like that, however I have a huge lack of confidence and i'm not sure that training or assessing is something that I would be good at unfortunately. I appreciate the suggestion though, thank you!

@Gofaster2023 - Oh no i'm so sorry :-( I know of so many people who have left teaching recently, it really seems like such a stressful job with such unrealistic demands. It's so frustrating that people are happy to make use of your skills for free but aren't willing to pay you for a job. I'd have thought that ex-teachers would be highly sought after!

Could you possibly take a couple of weeks off to try and get to the bottom of your injury? If you're in that much pain you could go to A&E who could xray. It would be a shame to close your business when its going so well.

@Bingbongsingalong if you're in Scotland ill happily help you out with your grooming business! 😂

I echo assessing, dog grooming is a massively growing market. You will need to get an assessing qualification such as TaQa but will pick up work. Look at vet skills, city and guilds, AIMaward and IPET for possible routes in

@Bingbongsingalong Honestly, temping can be so much nicer when you’re an experienced “older” person, and to be honest, you’re also more likely to be offered a permanent position. I did some temping just after COVID, and I have to say it was such a positive experience. I even made a couple of lasting friendships. Plus, if a job isn’t great, it’s so much easier to move on to the next one. So please don’t let your earlier experiences put you off!

You need to really tailor your experience, so for example with the vet job, i assume you must have welcomed clients and dealt with their payments in your business? So I would call that experience working as a receptionist in a dog grooming business.

you need a diagnosis of the injury:
if you have limited movements you might get an xray via A&E or minor injuries unit however X-rays aren’t that helpful with shoulders generally speaking.

I agree with previous posters that your best route would be to try to get a referral to see an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in shoulders . They will often use an ultrasound in their consultations which can pick up injuries such as a rotator cuff tear. Also they might be able to offer you a steroid injection could help the pain whilst you wait for any further treatment.

I'd really think about the assessor role. You sound very committed to the grooming business it's more than just an income. Your confidence has understandably taken a knock, but to have built up a successful business like yours, you must have good interpersonal skills, as well as the technical skills.

I agree about pursuing a formal diagnostic of the injury. A work friend saw 2 different physios for her shoulder injury (1 through our work physio and 1 NHS) and was given 2 different diagnoses. She found the treatment from the work one more effective, but the NHS stood by their assessment.

I'm hobbling around after a horrible nightshift in a supermarket and could cry at the prospect of going in again tonight. Pain is so miserable, it really gets you down. But you've got so much to offer, either in a new career or a lateral move if you can't carry on, and I hope you get the breakthrough soon.