Not sure what to do

kiss_me_now9

Hi, hope you guys might have a few more ideas than I do at the moment! Seems a shame to start off posting on a forum with a problem/moaning thread but hey, needs must.

I am currently employed in a small nightclub (part of a chain) in my town. Before Summer last year (and tbh before I started working there) we were the only night club in the town and so had a monopoly = however last May a new night club opened, then another, and another, and now there's another two on the way :eek: The town only has a population of about 60k, with probably only 3 or 4% of them being the market a nightclub caters for. It's going to be a night mare... Anyway.

Before christmas, we did good trade - Fridays were dead, but Saturdays were fantastic and I was even able to get some extra shifts over the holiday season. Of course this is pretty normal with club work, as is the expected drop in trade after new year and so we took it in our stride.

However. Here comes the spanner A couple of weeks after new year we had a dreaded staff meeting. Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised when told that the club was being sold to another, far more prominent chain than the current owners. Fine... As the sale was being finalised we prepared to close and held a closing party - everyone in the town knew about that!

It would appear that somewhere along the lines something has gone wrong with the sale and long story short, we're open again - but because no-one knows we're open, we have no customers, and HO aren't willing to give out many hours so, being part time, I'm one of the unlucky ones who hasn't had any work since... the third week of January. Four weeks!

Basically, I don't know whether to hang around and see if the sale goes through soon, getting another part time job in the mean time, or to jump ship? I love, love, love working there and the people I work with - it's not something I'm considering lightly - but at the end of the day I really need money as I commute by train to college three days a week (at nearly £6 one way ) and I need to start saving for uni in September.

If I leave, I don't want to work in a bar again, the hours aren't ideal for me as a strict nightclub (would be better if we got sold as I could do day shifts too) and obviously, finding a job right now is hard (I've been looking recently and the only one that seemed applicable is a 3.5 hour receptionist job - which I could do alongside my current job). I hated shop work when I did it, which I can see myself ending up doing if I leave. Staying and hoping that we do change companies (and then IF, more than when) when we do, would help me more at uni as I could transfer up and down during holidays/term time...

TL;DR - Would it be a better idea in your opinion, to wait and see whether the sale to a 'better' company goes through whilst not earning/only earning a tiny bit or to leave as soon as I can get a job that's regular hours and regular pay?

alenax

I would say if you're going to uni in September (and presumably moving away?) then grab the first job with regular hours and pay and stick it out until you have to leave.

kiss_me_now9

alenax wrote: »

I would say if you're going to uni in September (and presumably moving away?) then grab the first job with regular hours and pay and stick it out until you have to leave.

Yep, right now it looks like I'll be moving 5 hours away

alenax

kiss_me_now9 wrote: »

Yep, right now it looks like I'll be moving 5 hours away

Well there you go then, you have about 6 months until September if you started work now, which isn't that much really and even if you don't like the job as much as you like your bar job, payday makes it all a little more bearable in my experience! You could always ask them to take you back if the sale goes through?

kiss_me_now9

alenax wrote: »

Well there you go then, you have about 6 months until September if you started work now, which isn't that much really and even if you don't like the job as much as you like your bar job, payday makes it all a little more bearable in my experience! You could always ask them to take you back if the sale goes through?

As far as I understood, the new company is willing to hire the current workers BUT not willing to take recommendations as to who else to hire - if I leave, I have to re-apply and go through a far more stringent interview process than I did to get this job in the first place (I turned up, they said do you want it? I said yes - sorted ) and I probably wouldn't get in.

In an ideal world, I'd get the receptionist job that I've applied for, and then a one day a week job as well. As my college works out, I'm free every Thursday, most Wednesdays, Tuesday afternoons and ofc weekends - it's just trying to strike a balance. Hmm.

Savvy_Sue

kiss_me_now9 wrote: »

As far as I understood, the new company is willing to hire the current workers BUT not willing to take recommendations as to who else to hire - if I leave, I have to re-apply and go through a far more stringent interview process than I did to get this job in the first place (I turned up, they said do you want it? I said yes - sorted ) and I probably wouldn't get in.

I don't know why you're so sure you wouldn't get in: if you took the interview seriously you'd surely be at an advantage over people who haven't worked there before?

kiss_me_now9

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I don't know why you're so sure you wouldn't get in: if you took the interview seriously you'd surely be at an advantage over people who haven't worked there before?

That's true... I just got the feeling that they weren't wanting really to re-employ us if they didn't have to.

I've started applying for new jobs, what do I do about a notice period? I need to give two weeks, but if I'm not being given any hours, does it affect it?

Savvy_Sue

Well, when DS1 gave notice on a similar job, he just wrote and said "Here's my notice, as I haven't worked for some time please accept it with immediate effect, nice working for you, so long etc" Not that exactly, but didn't give any notice.

So up to you whether you actually give notice now for two weeks hence, knowing you almost certainly won't get any hours in that time, or wait and hope until you've got a new job.

ETA have you worked out what holiday pay you're entitled to? Even working on an 'as and when required' basis you should still be entitled to holiday pay, it's something like 12.07% of your actual hours worked. ACAS will be able to tell you.

So actually what I'd say is something like "here's my two week's notice, as of today I'm entitled to X hours holiday pay, I realise there may not be any more work available during my notice period but please arrange for my outstanding holiday to be paid to me and for my P45 to be sent."