It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Primrose

kidcat - sorry to hear the redundancy threat is creeping nearer. If you're really concerned, would it be sensible to start thinking about getting that job now, even if it means more disruption to your domestic arrangements?. If your OH does lose his jobs, with unemployment rising almost daily, you could well find by the time you start searching, that all the jobs you thought you might be able to get have completely disappeared.

kidcat

Primrose wrote: »

kidcat - sorry to hear the redundancy threat is creeping nearer. If you're really concerned, would it be sensible to start thinking about getting that job now, even if it means more disruption to your domestic arrangements?. If your OH does lose his jobs, with unemployment rising almost daily, you could well find by the time you start searching, that all the jobs you thought you might be able to get have completely disappeared.

Unfortunately there is no way I can work until he is no longer working, with four kids and several other complications, one of us has to be not working.

On subject of growing veg, I was in my local garden centre yesterday and they have a big dispaly and information on growing potatoes, so it looks as though they are expecting people to be digging up their gardens this year !

wigglebeena

May I just say that Sassenach Porridge IS porridge, and all other variations are merely pale imitations.

(Sits back, stirring her sugary porridge with a long spoon...)

wigglebeena

Primrose wrote: »

I can't help thinking that with rising numbers of unemployed, the "green shoots" which will help to revive our economy will come from redundant individuals who start realising they have some valuable skills and talents and start working for themselves. If anybody redundant is thinkinking of doing this, there is some useful information on http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/ and local library staff can be helpful in locating books and other reference sources on working for yourself.

It's probably over-enthusiasm but since registering myself, whenever someone starts talking to me about employment worries I want to start up asking them about their skills and if they've ever thought about self-employment. I try to tamp it down because, hey, it's not all about my enthusiasms, you know? But I do wish everyone would at least consider it. I really wish it was gone into in detail by career counsellors in schools: surely it should be?

I think the economy would be stronger and safer if everyone at least tried it once and knew that it's not that scary.

Primrose

Regarding self-employment I think part of the reason why so few people try is that we've become a consumer society where we are accustomed to going out and buying whatever service/product we need rather than thinking of providing it ourselves. Also, the education service does a rather poor job of helping pupils understand how they could take more responsibility for marketing their skills and services and providing the business & marketing administrations skills which would get them off the ground. If every school were forced to to set up "real live businesses" in which all pupils participated, so that they could understand the functions of enterprise, ( manufacturing, selling, marketing, accounting, competition, etc) pupils might be better equipped to have the courage to try. There are all kinds of enterprises schools could get involved in - cake making, jam making, car valeting/washing, to help in this process. I suspect part of the problem, apart froma crowded school curriculum, is that most teachers have never had personal experience of working in industry, so are not well versed in the entrepreneurial process. It's a great pity. If ever this country is to thrive again, we need all these young Bill Gates, Richard |Bransons, etc to start generating new enterprises.

cw18

As someone who is seriously considering becoming self-employed in the next year, I have to admit that after looking into it I actually have more concerns than ever.

I didn't realise (until a couple of months ago) that if you're self-employed and the 'business' (in my case child-minding) collapses you don't have the same rights to state benefits as an employee...... I knew sick pay was an issue, but it appears there's a lot of other differences too

mardatha

I agree totally CW. Being self employed sounds great and I fancied it too at one point, but then I got ill. And if I had gone self employed first then got ill, I'd have been well and truly up the creek, because you get nothing.
I am starting to wonder why they say porridge is such a healthy food...between us ladling salt on it and the sassenachs dolloping sugar on it, maybe we all better switch to cornflakes !

kidcat

Have to say I have been considering self employemnt for a couple of years, trouble is finding funding for it, I have a really good idea, have seen a local business adviser who thinks my plan is great, but got stuck there, soem of which is my fear that I could go wrong and end up in debt again, but the rest is due to difficulties raising the finance required.

ceridwen

wigglebeena wrote: »

May I just say that Sassenach Porridge IS porridge, and all other variations are merely pale imitations.

(Sits back, stirring her sugary porridge with a long spoon...)

...and I'm frequently known to make up some of my milky porridge and put fruit, seeds and a dollop of yogurt on it and maybe a drizzle of concentrated fruit juice to top off - yummy!:D

<ducks before Mardatha throws something at me>

hmmmm.....that reminds me...got some milk that needs using up....I'll just go and soak some of my jumbo oats for this....

ceridwen

cw18 wrote: »

As someone who is seriously considering becoming self-employed in the next year, I have to admit that after looking into it I actually have more concerns than ever.

I didn't realise (until a couple of months ago) that if you're self-employed and the 'business' (in my case child-minding) collapses you don't have the same rights to state benefits as an employee...... I knew sick pay was an issue, but it appears there's a lot of other differences too

Can't recall the details now - as things have changed so much since my day so to say - but 'tis true. I recall an employer asking if I would work on a self-employed basis many years ago - I checked out what was what re State benefits and soon put him straight on how likely (unlikely!) that was.:D

'Tis long past time for the State to make it possible for people to start up on a self-employed basis - or in a workers co-operative (which I would imagine suffers from the same difficulties in this respect) - without getting "penalised" if things dont work out and the person ends up unemployed.