Usual tale of female woe. Career, self esteem and six years ago I gave it up to raise my kids. So as my littlest finally started school I got a P/T job which I started 2 weeks ago and it's a joke - derisory pay and I feel bottom of the heap, patronised and it's making me feel worse than when I was just chief bum wiper. So tomorrow they get my finely crafted resignation with special attention to the salary they were paying. I wanted a job to boost my self esteem and give me the confidence back to get out there after spending so long raising the little Wolfies. Does anyone here volunteer? I noticed that Bristol zoo need volunteers and also gardeners. I just want to get out again around people or plants. But I have to work round dropping the sprogs off and picking them up again which is why I thought volunteer work might give me confidence. Has anyone retrained or made a big career change in their 40s plus! I was in marketing. Kate
I'm a mechanical senior design engineer .... not much happening in this field in my area, so now I'm a gardener for the past 3 years if money was no problem, and if I were to do a voluntary service job, I'd look at being a police reservist or similar
My other half did volunteer work while looking for another job. Volunteered as an admin person, first couple of days, fine, answer the phone take messages, answer the door. No problem or worries there. Next couple of days, oh can you do this, can you do that, as well, "oh go on, you wont mind" My other half did mind, others who were being paid were doing much less. Felt like as a volunteer, you wont object and will do anything and everything, stuck it for a month. Also it was can you come in for 3 days instead of two, you are so good. Being a volunteer no petrol or parking money offered either. If its a paid job, at least you don't have to spend from your own pocket to get there. (I mean yes you do pay, but in turn you are being paid to work there, not pay yourself from dole money) If I were you I would keep your resignation letter, but look for another job, then go. We all had to start at the bottom, myself I am just above bottom, been midway (manager) not for me. But this is just my opinion.
My Daughter has been doing volunteer work, tending a communal garden, she loves it & says they are getting a horse soon. She lives in a place called Bristol.
I am in a similar position in the sense that my little angel will start nursery soon. First three days I am going to lie down with my legs up. :bbq: Then I will start planning the holidays, then how to make the money to go on holiday. COOOOL:yess:
My older sister is in a similar situation. Full time mum for years, then the youngest went to school. My sister just went round the charity shops in town to see if they needed a hand. Now she just does one day a week in the Cancer Research shop. She's been doing it for a couple of years now, and loves it. She gets to chat to people she normally wouldn't get to chat to, and she has something to do other than look after the house. It doesn't sound like much, but she's happy.
Kate What about being the local Avon Lady? You have option of small beer, or join the Multi-level system and develop a real business.
I hope I am not too late Keep your resignation letter, and continue in PAID WORK Volunteer work is not going to bring in half as much INCLUDING YOUR BENEFITS You just need to accept the work you have Paid to sweep the floor OR Not paid to shovel up Elephant dung You need to look at the economy I work in a job that pays out benefits For twenty years it has been people working in sweet shops, and factory workers, becoming unemployed and going from £12k a year to £60pw benefit Since January this year, it is people going from £60k a year to £60pw benefit They ask how can I pay my £250k mortgage on that The simple answer is you can not, your home is repossesed and you go into a hostel, and the BMW/MERCEDES becomes shankses pony Hang on to what you have got and try to progress Child benefit has been frozen Tax credits have been seriously reduced, and cease in six months time, to be replaced by Universal credit, that is IF you work you get a lot of tax relief on your pay, IF you do not work you get NOWT nowt as in nothing All ready started for NEW APPLICANTS So before you hand that letter in THINK ABOUT IT Especially when you go for a new job and advise them you left the last one after working two weeks they will prefer an A8 NATIONAL Original training NO problem, you can study what you want but how will you finance it, and as an aside we presently have 307 Uni graduates working for us on minimum wage in a menial job, as they can not get any employment in the Grand job they trained for As an employer do you take on the new graduate or one of the thirty years service experience in the trade unemployed thousand who will accept the same wage offered Jack McHammocklashing
I have several friends in a position similar to yours all of whom have found that whilst the idea of part-time work is very attractive, the hours are often impractical (especially if you have a young family) and the pay derisory. Volunteering often isn't as easy as people would have you believe - seldom can you just rack-up somewhere, offer your services and be greeted with unbridled joy and, surprisingly, charities are often very specific about when they want you to work - Charity shops for example frequently only want people for those times when everyone else needs to collect their children from school etc. That's the negative. On the positive side, if volunteering is what you're looking at initially, then might I suggest you contact your local branch of Age UK or Volunteer Bristol or At-Bristol? Whether it's a nationwide problem I'm not sure, but in my area, volunteer drivers are always needed to transport older patients to hospital appointments (petrol expenses are met of course) and one of my friends has been doing this for some time, she loves it as she isn't 'tied-in' to difficult hours nor does she have to worry if one of the children is ill and she has to stay home. Finally, what about joining the CAB or Samaritans? - You don't have to be a 'qualified professional' for either. It's worth bearing in mind, that for the majority of volunteering 'jobs' (particularly those where you have direct access to young people or the elderly or the 'vulnerable') you will need to be CRB checked.
From the experience of various friends, volunteering in this kind of work can eventually lead to offers of paid work if they see you doing a good job. Volunteering for the Samaritans is no soft option (I''m not implying you want one!) as the admission assessment is stringent, rightly so, the hours required may not be compatible with child-care and the actual work may be emotionally difficult and draining.
You need to decide whether you would like some extra income. If so, then lower paid jobs are mostly what are available for part time. We have many friends whose children are at school and they are quite happy to work at the checkout in the supermarket. The pay is not good but neither is it too bad. They mix with people and the supermarkets are pretty good about fitting in with school times. It is never good to be unpleasant when handing in a resignation. Find another job first, then hand in your resignation and, if asked, say the new job pays better with less pressure. You never know when you may need them to say something nice about you. Good luck.
