Unemployed and panicking - what do I do?

[SunDragon]

I was made redundant around a year ago. I started applying for other jobs the day I was made redundant and for the past year I’ve spent every day writing job applications. No holiday, no break, just job applications.

I’ve not managed to get any work since. For context, I was at a fairly senior level, think for example, Head of Marketing (not that, but that sort of level). Jobs at my level are not overly common and often go to someone in the team ready for promotion, so it’s hard to get as an external candidate. I looked into senior-level consulting in the relevant field but didn’t get any interest. Jobs at a more junior level are turning me down for being over-experienced and likely to move on quickly to something else (real feedback received multiple times), even though I make it clear I’m willing to commit.

I’ve also tried to get “just any job” that everyone suggests would be easy. Cleaning, supermarket, etc. I’m not managing to get anything at all! No one will give me any work.

I’m running out of money and I’m in a state of panic about what to do. I applied for benefits, I get some money each month but it doesn’t cover all my outgoings so I’ve used up all of my savings and I’m starting to build debt.

Panic panic panic! What do I do? How can I get some work - any work at all? I’m desperate to earn some money. Any suggestions really welcome.

to those suggesting local government / civil service, yes they are disability confident, but no, they are not flexible as there are too few fully remote roles meaning they aren't truly disability confident. Not every disabled person can travel and/or manage a busy noisy office environment.

There are almost no areas where housing benefit will cover all the rent, and even if it does they'll be in areas where jobs are even harder to come by.

Rented accommodation may well cost more than OP's shared ownership place, and it's hard to sell shared ownership flats (I know someone who's been trying for a while) so it would be a case of taking a good look at the numbers. Not having an income means OP will probably also need a guarantor - even renters who can easily cover the rent are being asked for them now - and despite the law there are still many landlords who simply won't take someone on benefits.

It depends. My department is 4/5 days wfh. Unlikely to change as can’t all fit in building.

I appreciate being PA or Exec Assnt is a whole career in itself (of course!) but it is usually populated by highly able individuals, many coming in from previous corporate careers. We can all change career into any field as long as we are willing to complete the right training/qualifications and as long as we hold initial transferable skills. Work experience to try any new area out first is of course needed to check you would enjoy it. This is why I suggested speaking to agencies for advice around the career/training.

As the OP has operated at senior level in the Civil Service in Marketing, she will have numerous skills in communication, attention to detail, time management, organisation, discretion - all skills of a PA. Essentially being a PA is working with senior level staff needing someone to pre-empt their needs and deliver across multiple remits.

And some PA's (especially virtual ones) now specialise into specific marketing fields such as Content Management, Social Media Campaign management - could be ideal! See ideas here positivevasolutions.co.uk/social-media/

With the advent of AI we are all going to need to be ready to change careers and retrain as often as we or the market need this. Might not be welcome for many - I completely understand. Good luck OP in whichever field you decide to go for!

Could you set up as a virtual assistant and do admin type tasks ?

OP - hopefully you have found some helpful advice from this thread. Also, please do reach out to the Job Centre, Citizen's Advice, charities and foodbanks to stop you sliding into debt.

Help is there for you. Don't try to shoulder it all on your own.

People keep insisting to her to wait 8 weeks in order to find professional level job - she is starving and in debt, on top of taking benefits already

the list goes on of people just posting without thinking or caring

OP is 50. I wouldn’t say that’s reasonably young for teaching abroad if it’s something you’re new to.

I did that in Korea in my late 20s and I was one of the older teachers. Schools can be very discriminatory and prefer younger people and over 50s coming from abroad can be looked upon poorly especially if it’s a woman with no partner or kids. Many schools will outright reject them And if they do get a job they maybe treated poorly. It can be tough navigating bad employment situations in a foreign country where you don’t know the language.

A friend of mine (40+) recently had an awful time of it teaching at a school in Thailand and had to come home. Well she was basically fired abruptly.

That's true, but many roles need an in person element or really benefit from it. I push myself to go in regularly even though I don't have to and my body doesn't like it, because I know how much the junior members of our team benefit from in person presence

There’s some good advice here and some
not so good advice. I don’t have anything to add without repeating others but just wanted to say I think it’s shocking how low benefits are for single childfree people who have worked hard their whole lives and then for some reason or other have lost their job. Especially those who are homeowners.

In some countries like Germany I believe it’s tied to how much you’ve worked and someone like Op would’ve been paid 80% of her previous salary for a certain amount of time, so she wouldn’t have had to eat through her savings quite so quick.

OP hasn’t worked in marketing though. She said that in her first post. I believe that she just gave that as an example

That sounds incredibly exhausting and honestly unfair. You’ve been putting in serious effort, and the system at that level can be brutal to break back into. Right now, focus on short-term income streams like freelancing platforms, contract roles, or removing senior titles from your CV for entry-level work, just to get money coming in while you keep targeting the right long-term role.

Yep!

And she doesn’t have family/a partner/children.

honestly even if OP hadn’t mentioned that realistically if somebody had family or a partner they could go live with they’d have thought of that before coming on a MN thread.

I know of a lot of digital marketing people age 40+ who have been made redundant and are in the exact same situation as the OP.

It's not an easy career change. In fact I would say it's quite risky with AI etc

Gosh. Sorry to hear. Few thoughts (you may already be doing)

Go for contract jobs
Dumb down cv for more junior jobs, head of becomes manager etc.
Remove education dates
Don’t take work history back too far

Lifeguarding jobs?

Good luck

It's worth having a look here too @SunDragon and anyone else struggling https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/?_gl=1k2m3ns_gaMTQ5MzM3NTQ4MS4xNzc3MDQyODEz_ga_E1WBSX9YR8*czE3NzcwNDI4MTMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcwNDI4MTMkajYwJGwwJGgw

Lots of the grants are specific to particular areas or for people with a certain professional background etc so there might be charities out there that can help your hardship and /or with retraining

Is it worth contacting adult social care and sharing honestly your situation. Is epilepsy a disability?

You need community of some sort OP. If you are completely alone and starving, this is not good for the society we live in....

I think the idea is that as a mortgage payer you’re acquiring an appreciating asset that you can leverage or use, which as a renter you can’t. But OP is tied in with shared ownership and all the restrictions that come with this, as well as the disadvantage of their property only having one bedroom. I suspect OP would be entitled to more housing benefit if she was 100% renting.

I am sorry you are a tricky situation

I would suggest

carrying on with the job applications
volunteering somewhere to keep your spirits up( also you may make connections in your community which could help with job search long term)

looking into self employment- such as reselling clothes on vinted / declutterring peoples houses, advertising your skills as a free lance service online, or even helping elderly with shopping or being a companion. Lots of people would be very happy to pay someone to pop round to an elderly family member and keep them company/ take them shopping etc

doing those online surveys might be bring in a tiny bit of money too

'In some countries like Germany I believe it’s tied to how much you’ve worked and someone like Op would’ve been paid 80% of her previous salary for a certain amount of time, so she wouldn’t have had to eat through her savings quite so quick.'

This country (UK) is a shit hole. The unemployed, sick, disabled, not wealthy are forced into a hunger games type situation.

We don't deserve to be referred to as "civilised".

Again sorry nothing to add or advise, and I will derail a bit here but I find this absolutely shocking. Some people have no family or partner back up and the fact our system allows some just to struggle like this is appalling. Especially women with disabilities.

Then we wonder why people - especially middle aged or older women - stay in bad relationships?

I remember several years ago I was fired mid way a probation period, I applied for housing benefit to pay for my next months rent in my flatshare. They deliberately dragged it out and even claimed they had written to my live in landlord at my address to confirm I lived there - yet they didn’t mention this letter once all the times I called for updates until I was literally homeless. It was like the whole thing was designed to catch me out so they didn’t have to pay out.

A friend ended up taking me in at the last minute, and I found a job literally a few weeks later but some don’t have friends or family who would take them in.

I just find it appalling that if you are single with no dependents they’ll happily have you out on the streets.

I had a friend who seemed to think I had lots of disposable income to throw money at her 3 kids despite her having a partner.

I used to go along with it until I woke up and realised that no actually, I needed to stack my money where I can because as a single childfree person I am so low down on the priority scale for government help if something goes wrong.

I’m a millennial, maybe I’m looking at it through rose tinted glasses as I was a kid then but I’m sure the 90s weren’t quite as bad? Or even the early noughties - the safety net seemed better. We are getting more and more like the US in all the worst ways now.

The 90s were very very different. I graduated and temped in offices for a while to get some money together. If you didn't like it somewhere you just asked your agency to place you somewhere else.

When I was ready I joined a few employment agencies in London, interviewed almost immediately for entry level roles and had several offers the same week.

So no, you're not looking through rose tinted glasses. It was truly a different world and I miss those days so much. There was choice and opportunities and there was dignity and respect.

I have a good job which is secure (I believe) but there is a low level nightmarish feeling which permeates my days now.

So no, you're not looking through rose tinted glasses. It was truly a different world and I miss those days so much. There was choice and opportunities and there was dignity and respect

This makes my heart ache..I feel such nostalgia and sadness for those days. The 90s just had a better less stressed out vibe. London must’ve been amazing to live in back then. I still love London but I was priced out of there some time ago.

I grew up in Scotland and I know getting a part time or summer job in retail or warehouses as a teen in the noughties was quite easy. Now it seems so difficult to get any role.

I’d also get paid overtime for working on Sundays and bank holidays in some jobs that had an hourly rate - I can’t imagine they do that nowadays in most places.