Out of work for many years, need help

honeyD

I agree with volunteering. Although its not paying, they do say if youre working its easier to get a job. It also shows youre wanting to work!
Well done on losing 2 stone! Very good work! Maybe you could pop over to the weight loss thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2048101 and people can give you advice if you need any and it also helps to have some support.
Im trying to lose weight myself by increasing my exercise and reducing my portion sizes and although its only a month in I have lost 3 lbs and possibly more by now, I hope!
I have seen some Saturday jobs on the internet job sites if that would help, depends where you live though obviously. Paper round would be good, or some kind of delivering something.
Hope you find something, good luck.
Oh, also how about joining survey websites? I use Pinecone Research which pays £4 per survey and you get to test products. Globaltestmarket is another good one and cash out at £50. Onepoll used to be good but seems a bit slow this year but may be worth considering. This is only for little bits of money though, in no way a wage. More like pocketmoney.

libra10

Congratulations and well done on making positive changes to your life.

With all the effort you're putting in, you deserve to succeed.

Sending you best wishes for the future.

offtheradar

Hello

I'm new to posting although I've been lurking on here for many months now.

I started volunteering in a school in Oct of this year. Initially just 2 days a week, although I now do 3 days. I was very nervous and felt low in myself. I have to say it was the best thing I've ever done. It has given me confidence and I actually feel good about myself now. I know people view volunteering as unpaid work - which it is - but the rewards far exceed the negatives.

As money is a concern, it might be worthwhile sitting down with your husband and looking at your budget to see where you can cut back. Its surprising how these amounts can add up, which could take away the pressure of going out to work for the time being and allow you to focus on what you can do.

karri82

Hi new to posting things but have been reading MSE for a while now!

Have you thought about doing telephone work or something similar? x

offtheradar

Not really. Worked in offices for years before the kids came along. Have done a stint of sales assistant and waitressing for a little extra money when kids were very young. Just looking at the future now. I'm hopefully going to do some volunteering in a hospital next year for a week or two in order to find out what I really want to do as a career. The more experience I can gain now the better I will be for it when I go to college in Sept. Did try to get on an access course this year, but it was oversubscribed by May. Was told some valid experience in chosen area would really help my application, which is why I'm currently volunteering now. The job situation is dire at the min but thankfully I can bide my time and plan carefully.

I have a tendancy to sit back and watch before doing anything - hence the baby steps I am currently taking.

Valli

DKLS wrote: »

good for you on losing the 2 stones, and making changes in your life. :T:T

ditto that...
please bear in mind too, re the volunteering, that that's a way to get a current, up-to-date reference so useful for that. It's the kind of thing that helps to make you stand out from other applicants...

scooterchick

Agree with what everyone else says re volunteering. To be brutally honest you have pratically no chance of egtting a job without divine intervention, at this time I stress! This time next year things may have changed and I sincerely hope they have but you have to be realistic. If you really want to generate an income the best things to look at would be self employed like avon, things along those lines, the only problem with that is you need a fairly large circle of contacts, otherwise it's putting catalogues through doors.

I really would recommend you go down the volunteering route, it strengthens your CV, eases you back into work with little pressure whilst improving your self esteem and confidence.

Most importantly, are you claiming tax credits? Have you done a benefit check to make sure you're claiming everything you're entitled to?

wontfallforit

Samanthamum wrote: »

Hello,

I am a long term lurker and desperately need some advice.

I am a married mum to a 14 yr old. I have never worked since leaving school. Over the years I have developed health problems including morbid obesity, sweating, anxiety and eczema. I rarely leave the house and if I do I am usually with someone.

I have slowly begun to work on my problems and have lost 2 stone in the past 6 months. I try and go for a 30 min walk alone everyday and although this is difficult I do manage it.

I would love to have some kind of job to help my self esteem and ease the financial burden on my husband. He has been a rock and has never pushed me to work. However he has recently took a pay cut at work and says that me bringing in some money, even if just £100 a week would be so helpful.

I need to find work, but my physical abilities are very limited. Anything more than 20 mins of activity leave me very tired. I am ok sitting down and would love to work on a computer in an office, but have no idea where to look or if anyone would even employ me.

I want to work in the daytime, maybe 2 days a week as full time work would be impossible right now. I have looked at the matched betting thread and am going to try that at least. However, long term I do think I need to get out of the house.

Any pointers or advice?

No real advice, but well done on shaping up, as it were

Have you considered call-centre work? The agencies are usually the best place to find it. Call centres tend to have a high turnover (especially if it's telesales or anything else considered 'annoying'), but that can work to your advantage. I don't mean this in the wrong way, but a lot of call centres aren't "fussy" about who they take on.

Many companies also pay quite a bit more than NWM. My mum has worked in a few call centres, and she's never earned less than £7ph.

So it might be worth having a look with local agencies, or seeing if any are advertising online.

Good luck x

laurel7172

You obviously have computer skills, but employers now are asking for proof-they've been burned too many times by people who claim they can do things they can't.

I took my ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) a few years ago when I was between temp jobs. It was at a local college where I could turn up and log on when it suited my schedule. I had a head start insofar as I already had reasonable skills, and I updated them and got my qualification in about a fortnight. It only cost £25 (though that may have been a special offer) and I'm sure it helped me get my current job. It would be well worth seeing what courses there are near you-having recent, certificated skills is something else that will set you apart.

Fire_Fox

Short-term: matched betting, mystery shopping, online surveys. My local Primary Care Trust has a ton of free workshops and courses open to anyone with an interest in healthcare and you always get a certificate of attendance. Some are more suited to NHS employees but some are very basic.

You probably won't be able to get this organised within a couple of months, but what about becoming a 'walking for health' leader? You'd need an emergency aid certificate (one day workshop, £50+) plus a walk leader certificate (two days from my PCT, free) then you largely organise your own groups. Some groups are open to anyone in a locality, and others are based around communities - so Asian ladies, survivors of heart attacks ... you could do a mum's group or a weight management group. :j

I also agree with the advice of trying to get involved in a voluntary group - I do this and now attend formal boardroom meetings with local businesses, meet regularly with our police inspector and write formal letters on behalf of the group. It was scary at first but looks great on my CV, and there are so many networking opportunities. I could get one of a number of senior people in the council to write me a character reference!!