jobless rant

[Wonko The Sane]

Just need to get this off my chest somewhere that I don't break the news to anyone we're not telling just yet.

I've been unemployed now since August when we moved up here for my wife's job. The job centre won't let me claim benefit as "you've not contributed enough but we might be able to pay your national insurance" Except no one knows if they can pay the latter or not, so I can't be bothered to afford to go to the job centre three job centres away from my closest one on the off-chance.

I have been looking for work, but as a graphic designer who specialises in print, things aren't great at the moment. I generally get turned down in favour of people who have more experience (which I can understand) Having an HND and a Degree studied back to back (I dropped out of a degree but had enough credits to be awarded the HND, switching to my degree)

There are only two things I really enjoy doing that I have any experience for, Graphic Design, and working with children (cue peado-bear)

I've been volunteering a couple of days a week in a primary school for two reasons - gives me a reason to get out on the bike instead of it just sitting there, but mainly because I enjoy it, I had been thinking of becoming a teacher, but I don't have the money to do it and now, as my wife is 5-6 weeks pregnant (the thing we're not announcing to family just yet) I don't have the time as the baby will arrive just as I start the teaching course which, I am told by many people more organised by myself, absorbs you entirely from waking until sleeping for the entire year.

I've built up enough experience to be able to look at teaching assistant jobs, but have lost out to a few of these due to lack of experience.

The school I have been volunteering at asked me if I minded covering for a TA that's been ill this week in reception, knowing it was an age group I'm not familiar with and I really enjoyed it. There's even a TA job they're interviewing for soon, but due to no formal qualification (required due to it being reception / nursery) I wouldn't get interviewed.

Thankfully things aren't desperate as my wife's job pays ok and costs of living are thankfully low. We have to occasionally put off buying things for a month or so but don't have to go without food or anything drastic,

Just getting a bit fed up of not having got anywhere job-wise, anywhere such as high st shops (i have retail experience) just say I'm overqualified (again, I can understand they don't want to train someone up for them to turn round and say "got a job I want more, bye" Also getting a bit fed up / worried by the fact that I'm 29, got no pension or anything sorted and won't be getting a state pension at this rate as I won't have paid enough to be entitled to one.

[/rant]
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[GreyFox]

BUCF- the Bike Unemployment Chat Forum!

There are jobs in bars, restaurants, supermarkets ALWAYS. Sure, maybe you won't get to spend the day wanking over an iPad, but it is WORK and SELF RESPECT.

Have been long term unemployed myself, with a Degree and experience, but that didn't stop me looking for a job. It was fairly obvious at the time that going for something in my respective industry, during a period of lay-offs, was silly, so went for entry level in hospitality. Worked my way up through three other jobs, now a bar manager. Not what I planned when i wasted 4 years at Uni, but **newsflash**
REALITY DOESN'T CARE WHAT YOU HAD PLANNED

Stop being lazy; your other half will lose patience and it will be a massive strain on your relationship. Get a job, a wage, some security and THEN you can go back to the "what I'd really love to do with my life is..." fantasies.

That's your portion of tough love, no go make us all proud, Tiger.


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2005 Honda XL125 V5 Varadero - Current bike

[The Artist]

Get a job you don't want to do then....

Life biatch

[Wonko The Sane]

[smegballs]

It's funny how English people always say "there are no jobs", yet my polish and portugese friends say "it's very easy to find jobs in uk".

[Wonko The Sane]

[GreyFox]

IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME

If your qualifications are holding you back, try omitting them from your CV. I tailor my CV for every single application; it's worth ten minutes of word processing for a wage, no?

Only adding things to your CV is lying; omitting details that may harm your chances is just creative enhancement. I have never lasted longer in a job than two and a half years, and having been in work since 1995 that's a lot of jobs. I don't put a full job history on my CV, just back a sensible time-frame. PLAN your moves and your chances increase dramatically.

Best of luck!
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2005 Honda XL125 V5 Varadero - Current bike

[_Will_]

[_Iain_]

I got a reply with an application form, and a call asking for a few details & saying they'd bell me with an interview date by sending CV's & cover letters to garages.

Maybe write a cover letter stating you wish to work in said school as you have aspirations of becoming a teacher. Note the work experience on CV & send to every single primary, nursery & secondary school, all the colleges etc within a 15mile radius.

They might have a position thats not advertised, they might be impressed & make a position to suit. You dont know till you've tried

Meantime - pizza delivery. Its easy money, all your fuels paid & some stores will have shop owned mopeds. You also usually start within a week of asking. Dominoes pay £6.19 per hour, 80p-£1.65 per delivery, and you average a £2 tip for each drop.

However many insist on use of a car.
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Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[JiveBunny]

[jeddy11]

Yer i never understood the "over qualified" statement as surely after it happened the once you would omit the part which makes you over qualified ?


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Fuelly My Z1000SX
cbt 06/08/11 mod1 (second go) 01/08/12 mod2 21/09/12
Varadero Viking YBR125>Varadero125>ER6F>Z1000SX !!!

[Wonko The Sane]

[jeddy11]

Aldi fully staffed ? that would be a maximum of 2 then as thats all i ever have seen in there at one time..
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Fuelly My Z1000SX
cbt 06/08/11 mod1 (second go) 01/08/12 mod2 21/09/12
Varadero Viking YBR125>Varadero125>ER6F>Z1000SX !!!

[Imonster]

My girlfriend was offered a job today two months after being made redundant after eight years working for a major financial institution. I agree that it's tough out there, she had sent literally 100's of applications in the relatively short space of time, and has acquired a further professional qualification. She's also had to settle for a role paying a few K less than her last wage and in a field that she wasn't aiming for (though an interesting one nonethless.)

Annoyingly, for some on here she's an EU immigrant however got the job based on her merits; the pay would have been the same for an English national.

Keep plugging away, don't make excuses and things will come right
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Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

[_Will_]

[Wonko The Sane]

[_Will_]

[-LG-]

Is it worth asking the school you are with for some extra days, and ask if there is a way they could help you with the experience?

Maybe look at the teaching course once you've had your child. Would your/wifes family help your wife/yourself with looking after them?
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Snow rider wrote: I'm far to annoying to be near for long periods of time

[MCW]

If you really want this, you will have make sacrifices. I did a 3 year teaching degree as a single parent starting when my daughter was 2 years old. I couldn't get a grant so supported myself by teaching English as a Foreign Language at evening classes. This meant dropping babe at nursery at 8am, going to college or teaching practice all day, collecting babe at 5.30pm, dropping her at my sister's, teaching until 10pm, collecting babe, putting her to bed and then doing homework, marking and studying until about 3 in the morning. There was less help for single parents then and I lived on diddly squat. But I wanted it, so I went for it.

You may not have the time / money / space to do a full teaching qualification, but you could do either Level 2 Award in Support Work in Schools or Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, both of which would put you in a much better position to become a Teaching Assistant. Then, once things were more settled at home, you could go on to do your teaching qualification.

Have you considered working freelance as a graphic designer? There is help and advice available for people wanting to be self-employed and you could fit it around your studies.

It's not easy. I get pissed off if people say how lucky I am to have a good job now. It's funny how the harder I tried, the less I gave up and the more times I picked myself up off the floor, the luckier I got...

[Redoko]

[Imonster]

[-LG-]

[Pie-Roe]

[_Will_]

Generally the problem with a lot of people who take IT/Arts/Design courses get stuck because the employment market is saturated, the only ones that make it are those who run their own business or self employed freelancing which means you need a good business head -creative people generally don't.

Business courses should go alongside creative courses.
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Wonko The Sane]