I know what I want but need a point in the right direction

snuffalilly

I have just been made redundant for the 2nd time in 3 months!! Am seriously cheesed off. I am an ex soldier and when I left the army to start a family, I went into floorlaying. Have been doing that for over 6 years and feel like I'm 75% there but after being made redundant twice in the last 3 months and work drying up, I feel like I want a change of direction.
I am a very sporty, active person and I think my ideal job would be something to do with sport. Although I wouldn't want to sign up to the army now I have my children, I still maintain and interest in the military and the like. I am interested in the police, customs and excise, border control etc etc. I have been searching websites but the only jobs listed are jobs that are very highly paid and require lots of qualifications and experience.
Now, I'm not stupid but I concentrated more on sports at school so my grades weren't brilliant! Now, at 32, I feel like I want to change my life and get into something different, I don't know where to start. I don't have any savings as my money gets swallowed up by the mortgage and kids!! I can't afford just to have a job that pays minimum wage or anything but will I have to start right at the bottom to get the sort of job I really want?
I have 2 more weeks paid and then that's it....no money. I'm so confused and can see me ending up taking any job just to get by but how do I get on the right path to getting the sort of job that I'm after??

Googlewhacker

Start planning ahead, cutting costs and making it as affordable as possible, does your OH work and contribute, could she work if you can goto university? Could you goto university part time for a few years?

snuffalilly

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Start planning ahead, cutting costs and making it as affordable as possible, does your OH work and contribute, could she work if you can goto university? Could you goto university part time for a few years?

My wife only works part time to fit in with school pick ups etc. She only brings home £8,000 a year which we just can't live on. At the moment, we have one child at school and 2 at nursery costing £600 per month! If we take them out now, we can't guarantee their places to get them back in if needs be. On the other hand, we can't afford £600 on just my wife's wage. I don't see how I would be able to go to uni.

Googlewhacker

snuffalilly wrote: »

My wife only works part time to fit in with school pick ups etc. She only brings home £8,000 a year which we just can't live on. At the moment, we have one child at school and 2 at nursery costing £600 per month! If we take them out now, we can't guarantee their places to get them back in if needs be. On the other hand, we can't afford £600 on just my wife's wage. I don't see how I would be able to go to uni.

You're only 32, 3 years at uni full time or 5-6 years part time whilst working, it maybe tight but at least you could be studying for what you want to do?

Talk to your OH and examine all possibilities and make the decision from there

cmw1212

I'm confused, do you want to work in something related to sport or police /customs etc?
Also don't know where in Kent you are or if you are into rugby but this may be of interest to you

http://www.sportengland.org/careers/other_jobs_in_sport_details/rugbytots_20100728.aspx

teabelly

I'm not sure how going to uni would help. There are loads of unemployed graduates. Unless you are going to do a shortage subject or end up with a first from a reasonable university then you may find you don't get back your investment.

If it costs 600 pm for the kids to be in nursery it might be better to take them out and you look after them instead. Then your mrs could work full time. If she was earning full time and you were looking after the kids and the house would that be more affordable? Check out all the benefits you can get. Then find ways you can make money from home with the skills you have. One way could be to do recruitment for ex military people and see if there is funding to develop or recommend training courses etc which you could hopefully test out for free

Kimso

Hiya

Have you thought about the Prison Service - they value experience and skills. See info below (this was taken from a Connexions Direct careers website, unfortunately, I can't post links but it might be useful to have a look at a careers site for more info):-

Salaries range from £18,135 to £33,537 a year.
A prison officer should:

• have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• be prepared for the unexpected and able to deal with situations quickly and effectively
• be compassionate and impartial, tactful but firm
• be able to remain calm under pressure
• be a good listener
• work well in a team
• enjoy working with people from different backgrounds.

There are over 25,000 prison officers working in 149 prisons in England and Wales. Most prisons in England and Wales are run by Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS). Eleven others are run by private companies under contract to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
No specific educational requirements are required for entry, but some GCSEs can be helpful. The Diploma in society, health and development or in public services may be relevant for this area of work. Applicants must be between 18 and 62 years old. There are other requirements, including those relating to health, eyesight and nationality. Applications from people with relevant experience are welcomed.
Initial prison officer training takes eight weeks and includes time spent in a prison and at a residential training centre.

Oldernotwiser

Public sector jobs like the police and C&E won't be recruiting much for a while so why not work towards being able to make a successful application when things pick up in the future? This could include gaining some basic qualifications and doing voluntary work in the community, either whilst looking after your children or whilst carrying on with basic employment,

HO87

I wouldn't put Uni to one side yet.

There is an essential difference between you and graduates just hitting the job's market now. Experience - and it is this that will distinguish you from the pack of other graduates.

Secondly, The reality of many Uni courses these days is that whilst they are described as "full-time" this may well amount to no more than 12 hours contact time per week and this leaves ample time to hold down flexible contract working. A "fresh" graduate who is working with a friend of mine for the summer funded himself through Uni on a limited hours contract with a well-known restaurant chain grabbing as many extra hours as he could to top that up to more or less full-time. He was taking home just short of £1,000 a month, still enjoyed a pretty active social life and came out with a 2:1.

As a mature student you may also be entitled to free/subsidised child care at your Uni.

Hammyman

teabelly wrote: »

I'm not sure how going to uni would help. There are loads of unemployed graduates.

Indeed there are but you'll find the common denominator is a complete lack of any experience in employment whatsoever.

Oldernotwiser

I think that people are getting ahead of themselves by suggesting university. Nothing the OP has said suggests that s/he has any interest in this or anything other than the most basic qualifications.