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Unemployed

edited October 2008 in Not Sports Related
Been back in the UK for a month now and still looking for work. Its a real struggle out there at the moment. Especially for people like me who only have level entry experience. I studied for 3 a-levels but never went to University, instead worked in Admin for a year and then buggered off around the world for a year. But now i'm finding things really tough to find something a) I want to do and b) something availible.
Although a year around the world really matured me and gave me some great experience, it doesn't help me as much as I thought on my CV. Ideally I want to just save money again and travel. If I didn't then maybe university would be an option, but as I still don't know what really interests me the Uni fee's are alot to pi$$ it up the wall!
Anybody know anyone who is looking for work?

Any other addicks struggling to find work at the moment? It seems that everyone knows someone who has been made redundant or being sacked!

Happy Post!
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Comments

  • McDonalds are always hiring...

    ;-)
  • edited October 2008
    It may help letting people know what you are good at and what your strengths are. Also what type of work you would preferably want.
  • If you can, the economic climate would make it a good time to go to University.

    Give it 3 years and we might be out of a recession!!
  • Well basically as I said, I've had a years admin experience. I've been travelling over the last year aswell which has giving me many skills and experiences.

    If anyone knows anyone who is looking give me a whisper and I can send you a CV to have a look at. I've only got a years working experience but a good set of qualifications behind me.

    Who knows with the University thing, there isn't anything that stands out to me which I would want to study. With university fee's being 3k a year at the moment I would hate to walk out of it 3 years down the line with a 2:2 and 20k debt! Thats the negative way of looking at it. Would have to wait until next year to enroll now anyway.
  • I'm currently unemployed after quitting my job! Now on week five and have had one interview and have another this week. Similar to you, I didn't go to uni but I do have nearly 20 years of work experience!

    You need to be willing to work anywhere, at anything and for stupid amounts of money. I've been looking locally but have given up as everything is minimum wage, which I can't live on. If nothing is coming up in the admin area, try retail as shops are now recruiting for Christmas staff, good opportunity to do extra hours as well if you're near to Bluewater or other shopping centres with extended opening times. Gets some money coming in and you can still look out for more suitable work in the meantime.

    Good luck.
  • This might sound like a smartass answer but have you considered the emirates..?

    Most sectors are still hiring as the credit crunch is just a friendly hug there and if anyone got skills on certain sectors like IT or media you´ll triple what you earn in the UK. Search the net and see what you can find.
  • As been said Retail, Bar Work or even the post office are worth trying for the Xmas rush if you just want cash to travel again.

    Prison Service are recruiting! No everyone's thing but they have admin jobs as well as uniform so as others are put off by the bars and locks etc you might have a better chance.

    As Brunello said you may need a bit more focus and definite skills to get employers interested. Where did you travel? Any links you can use or languages?
  • [cite]Posted By: Henry Irving[/cite]As been said Retail, Bar Work or even the post office are worth trying for the Xmas rush if you just want cash to travel again.

    Prison Service are recruiting! No everyone's thing but they have admin jobs as well as uniform so as others are put off by the bars

    So that's what you meant by bar work, Henry .....?
  • I was in same boat many moons ago and did an MCP in windows 95 which got me my first IT job, on second thoughts...
  • edited October 2008
    Been in a similar situation out here for a year now. When we moved out we intended buying into a swimming pool franchise but the week we signed for our house (and it's binding at that point) the Northern Rock thing imploded, the exchange rate fell through the floor and our available capital and therefore business plan was left in pieces. Combine that with fewer & fewer people moving out here and wanting pools, as the exchange rate/credit crunch is hitting them too, plus the French ecomomy being pretty rubbish for decades therefore high levels of unemployment, even for French nationals, and the result is we are having to look for work back in the UK. Pretty much impossible to earn anything other than minimum wage in this region even if you land a job. Other than that you're in the building game and even then you have to work on the black or be prepared to hand over 65% of everything you declare. Not an option for me.

    Shame, but our timing could not have been worse if we had tried.
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  • How about getting a first aid qualification, that goes down well on any cv. You can use online learning resources too, I've recently been learning HTML gratis here:

    http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp
  • [cite]Posted By: tom_cafc[/cite]Been back in the UK for a month now and still looking for work. Its a real struggle out there at the moment. Especially for people like me who only have level entry experience. I studied for 3 a-levels but never went to University, instead worked in Admin for a year and then buggered off around the world for a year. But now i'm finding things really tough to find something a) I want to do and b) something availible.
    Although a year around the world really matured me and gave me some great experience, it doesn't help me as much as I thought on my CV. Ideally I want to just save money again and travel. If I didn't then maybe university would be an option, but as I still don't know what really interests me the Uni fee's are alot to pi$$ it up the wall!
    Anybody know anyone who is looking for work?

    Any other addicks struggling to find work at the moment? It seems that everyone knows someone who has been made redundant or being sacked!

    Happy Post!


    I was in a very similar position when I got back from travelling in 1996. I remember thinking that I had 2 options:
    1. To do any old job, save money and then go travelling again
    2. Go to University and 'get a career'

    I eventually opted for No.2 on the basis that if you do No.1 you eventually come home and have to make the same choice again. However you really need to know what you're studying for before you begin. You need to be absolutely sure of what job you have in mind. My advice would even be to actually apply for such a job with a fake CV showing that you already have this qualifiacation just to see if you're offered an interview. I had a bit of a naive approach and despite studying quite determinedly and getting excellent grades never eventually worked in the field really related to my studies.
    Therefore I would advise you to go travelling unless you really know what you want to do and that you're sure that the qualification will really help you to get the work you're looking for.
    I eventually did a TEFL (have you thought of that?) and went travelling 4 years after finishing at University anyway!
    Now I'm happily on the dole in France!!
  • [cite]Posted By: Les Addicks[/cite]Been in a similar situation out here for a year now. When we moved out we intended buying into a swimming pool franchise but the week we signed for our house (and it's binding at that point) the Northern Rock thing imploded, the exchange rate fell through the floor and our available capital and therefore business plan was left in pieces. Combine that with fewer & fewer people moving out here and wanting pools, as the exchange rate/credit crunch is hitting them too, plus the French ecomomy being pretty rubbish for decades therefore high levels of unemployment, even for French nationals, and the result is we are having to look for work back in the UK. Pretty much impossible to earn anything other than minimum wage in this region even if you land a job. Other than that you're in the building game and even then you have to work on the black or be prepared to hand over 65% of everything you declare. Not an option for me.

    Shame, but our timing could not have been worse if we had tried.

    Bad luck there Les. Where in France are you?
  • edited October 2008
    It might sound like tough advice Tom, but I'd say try to get any job you can at the present time. As harsh as it sounds, I don't think you can afford to hang out for the, "something I want to do". Not many people are taking-on at the moment and there´s an increasing amount of competition. If you hang about waiting for the perfect job, or go travelling again or off to uni, your cv could start to look as if you´re not interested in working (yeah I know, who is really?).

    Any employer who is looking to recruit is essentially looking to answer three questions:
    - Can you do the job? (skills)
    - Will you do the job? (attitude)
    - Will you fit in? (personal and interpersonal skills)

    By taking whatever job is on offer you're giving a nice clear signal to future potential employers that you have the right attitude. So that's one hurdle that your over. Once you've got a job, it should therefore (economy permitting) be easier to find the next one. So I'd say grab anything that's available and then look around to see how you can do better.

    Good luck.
  • Echo stigs comments - get some sort of job any job so you got it on your CV for when the economic stuff gets better.

    Tescos, asda's sainsburys always employing. Start there look for internal promotions etc.
  • Also not everyone's cup of tea but a great job and career.... Student Paramedic

    http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/careers/student/student.html
  • Thanks for the response guys,

    Its quite a common thing apparently for people to return from a years travel and to become quite downbeat about working and a career etc.

    I want to get all the travelling out of my system, I doubt that in 5 years time I will still be travelling and i'd still only be young.

    I'm thinking of getting a qualification that I could use whilst travelling though.. e.g Lifeguarding, TEFL (did this come in use jimmymelrose?) and maybe a few other things I can think of.

    All i know is that I really did choose the worst possible time to return to the UK. And CAFC are still shite!
  • Travelling ?

    What an utter disgrace you are tom_cafc.

    I really wish they renamed 'travelling' to 'wasting my life getting drunk with no responsibilities whilst pulling girls i know i'll never see again', because that's effectively what it is. Its always happened, but at least in previous generations the kids were actually prepared to do it at a university and combine it with a bit of education-enhancing study. This lot have swapped the text books for a bungie rope, because they need a bit of 'time out' time. What ? You think the rest of us good honest working folk don't fancy a bit of 'time out' time ? You think we work our knuckles to the bone to put food on the table and a roof over heads for you lot to tit around somewhere else in the world ??

    Let me say this to you tom_cafc and your 'ilk', travelling is not a new thing spawned by the current generation, people have always 'gone travelling', all of us on here 'go travelling', its just its called a flaming 'holiday' ! Some of us are practical enough to realise that in life getting drunk, eating rubbish, not worrying about bills etc is only socially acceptable for one week at a time, two weeks at a push.

    But oh no, not the me, me, me generation. Two weeks is nothing more than slight cough for you lot. You want 18 months, two years of fannying around doing nothing more strenuous than high-fiving your mate to 'find yourself'.

    Word of advice tom cafc. Give yourself a good dry slap, get yourself some good durable working boots, and get out there and earn your crust like the other good honest men of Sidcup.

    I've a good mind to ban you from the site.

    :-)
  • Check The O2 website, there are a load of seasonal Christmas jobs on there for stuff happenign in the tent and at Hyde park.
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]Travelling ?

    What an utter disgrace you are tom_cafc.

    I really wish they renamed 'travelling' to 'wasting my life getting drunk with no responsibilities whilst pulling girls i know i'll never see again', because that's effectively what it is. Its always happened, but at least in previous generations the kids were actually prepared to do it at a university and combine it with a bit of education-enhancing study. This lot have swapped the text books for a bungie rope, because they need a bit of 'time out' time. What ? You think the rest of us good honest working folk don't fancy a bit of 'time out' time ? You think we work our knuckles to the bone to put food on the table and a roof over heads for you lot to tit around somewhere else in the world ??

    Let me say this to you tom_cafc and your 'ilk', travelling is not a new thing spawned by the current generation, people have always 'gone travelling', all of us on here 'go travelling', its just its called a flaming 'holiday' ! Some of us are practical enough to realise that in life getting drunk, eating rubbish, not worrying about bills etc is only socially acceptable for one week at a time, two weeks at a push.

    But oh no, not the me, me, me generation. Two weeks is nothing more than slight cough for you lot. You want 18 months, two years of fannying around doing nothing more strenuous than high-fiving your mate to 'find yourself'.

    Word of advice tom cafc. Give yourself a good dry slap, get yourself some good durable working boots, and get out there and earn your crust like the other good honest men of Sidcup.

    I've a good mind to ban you from the site.

    :-)


    Ha ha quality. There speaks a man who wishes he could take off and go travelling but has too many responsibilities here.
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  • absolutely !
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]absolutely !

    This from the man who went to about 100 holidays/stag do's last year : - )
  • AFKA you legend
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]'wasting my life getting drunk with no responsibilities whilst pulling girls i know i'll never see again'


    That's all I've done at Uni so far, plus 10 hours a week lectures.

    Happy days.
  • If university is an option I would do that.

    Although the value of some degrees are questionable (a 3:1 TV and media studies at the University of Chelmsford doesn't cut the mustard), taking a subject you're genuinely interested in and getting a good grade (2:1 minimum) will hold you in good stead throughout your working career.

    The alternative would be to keep knocking on doors. With good basic grades, done some travelling and a bit of admin experience you should be able to pick up some work. Temping can be a good way to find permanent work as some employers use employing temps as a way of finding the right person for the job.
  • Ten hours more than the kayaking krew.

    Give yourself a Callipo as a reward
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]Its always happened, but at least in previous generations the kids were actually prepared to do it at a university and combine it with a bit of education-enhancing study.

    Well AFKA, i'm doing ERASMUS at the moment so supposedly i'm enhancing my education here in Seville... so far the most valuable lesson i've learnt is to move out the way swiftly when the old bill are charging the Betis Ultras and that it is indeed possible to roll in at 9.30AM on consecutive days... it's been a great disappointment for someone seeking academic development ;-)
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]Ten hours more than the kayaking krew.

    Give yourself a Callipo as a reward


    To be fair, I am doing about 20hours a week reading aswell.
  • I did Erasmus! I went to Holland studying at the AKI Belende Kunst.

    I spent six months in Enschede learning that the Dutch are NOT the bunch of laid back liberals of popular mythology.

  • To be fair, I am doing about 20hours a week reading aswell.
    Reading... for 20 hours?
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