A new job for my OH

Princess_Jane

Hello,

My fella is fancying a new job and I'm looking for some suggestions/shared experiences.

He has been working as a taxi driver for five years but is getting bored and finding it harder to make ends meet with fuel costs etc.

He has a college-level qualification in engineering, but didn't take it any further as he was promoted in his part-time job working at a pizza shop.

He worked as manager then area manager for three years before being made redundant.

I'm biased but he is brilliant at anything hands on - he can take a car to bits and put it back together and is fab at problem solving and thinking outside the box.

Academically he has mild dyslexia which means he struggles with writing and spelling - not badly, just mixing words up.

An apprenticeship in something practical would be great, but at 30 with a mortgage to pay he couldn't take the wage cut.

Taxi driving is hard work, no disrespect to anyone doing it, but he's got a lot of skills he ain't using.

Any suggestions as to career changes or support for adults wanting to re-train?

Paparika

How about a trip to the job centre plus, they maybe able to offer advice on whether he would need to do a course maybe to get up to scratch with what employers want these days, possibly whilst working on the taxi's to keep an income.?

belfastgirl23

The world is crying out for skilled tradesmen - plumbers, electricians, mechanics. Especially those who can think a bit laterally and are honest. Would any of these trades appeal to him? He could study alongside taxi driving - might take a couple of years but at least it's a way out.

Princess_Jane

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

The world is crying out for skilled tradesmen - plumbers, electricians, mechanics. Especially those who can think a bit laterally and are honest. Would any of these trades appeal to him? He could study alongside taxi driving - might take a couple of years but at least it's a way out.

He's make a fantastic mechanic - he can just listen to a car and tell you what's wrong, which to someone like me who can just about change a wheel is amazing.

The problem is with taxi driving it that apart from fuel, it costs just as much to do part-time as full-time.

But it's not impossible! I quit my job three years ago to go back to college. It was a tough slog for the five months I was there, and I am still working two jobs to clear my debts, but now I am fully-qualified and love my chosen career..(most of the time)

pinkshoes

Could he not re-vamp his CV, apply for some jobs relevant to what he used to do (area management thing), which I presume will be better pay, then save up enough money to allow him to retrain in a year or so time?

CB1979_2

not possibly the right time to look for a new career with the impending (well 90% probability) of a recession and redundancies to follow.

sure i'd sign up for a college course working around his work hours, but i wouldn't just jack it all in now.

Scenic_Route

[My fella is fancying a new job and I'm looking for some suggestions/shared experiences.

He has a college-level qualification in engineering, but didn't take it any further as he was promoted in his part-time job working at a pizza shop.

He worked as manager then area manager for three years before being made redundant.]

Okay he's what I would do if it were me: get in contact with the college he was at and ask their advice on current career prospects even though he has had a few years break from the engineering field.
Think about what type of engineering is he qualified in and where in the country he is based. There is a shortage in some cases serious shortages of engineers in some sectors (granted there are plenty available in construction etc at the mo) however the industries that are (rumoured to) about to boom would probably take him on (Power generation industries etc etc).
Get onto something like applegate (google it) and find out what engineering companies are in post codes local to you and see if they are recruiting. Sort out his CV, remember he has management experience as well as engineering skills and taxi driving shows he will have people-skills too (as well as being able to drive!)


[Academically he has mild dyslexia which means he struggles with writing and spelling - not badly, just mixing words up.]

Shouldn't be a problem, a high percentage of engineers are dyslexic and quite a lot can't spell properly whether they are dyslexic or not. It happens and people still find work!

[An apprenticeship in something practical would be great, but at 30 with a mortgage to pay he couldn't take the wage cut.]

Might have to look to graduate wages rather than apprentice wages but depending on what engineering he did he could well find something with a reasonable wage. May need to consider a lower wage for a year or too though.

His confidence may be low since he hasn't work in the field in a while so make sure to keep his chin up!

Best of luck

SR