My Situation - Advice Needed

charleyroo

Hi there JDC

Was in similar situation to yourself - came from low income family and had to find myself an apprenticeship and get started in life.

Firstly can only echo the advice of others - suits will only generally be required once for an interview - when you get the job, even if it's a smart dress code you will only need the trousers and a couple of shirts - all which can be bought at Asda for very little if you haven't got the start up funds.

In my experience the company I work for gave me 1 year's grace to get my driving licence and a lot of other places will be the same, given that most apprentices are in a similar situation. Just had a quick look at the apprenticeship you mentioned and there doesn't seem to be a requirement to have a driving licence anyway so hopefully you won't need to worry about it too much for now.

The best advice I've ever heard is "don't start your life in debt"! Also good luck with getting onto an apprenticeship, they are brill opportunities if you use them wisely

Jariya

equityrelease wrote: »

You can also ask for a small loan or something from your friend if you want i m gonna sure they will surely lend you a few amount of money naturally.

Errr??

I agree with Charleyroo.

At my company the guys wear a suit only for when they are going out to business meetings (this is the sales team) and having worked there 3 years they each have about 2 suits..so just one is fine for interviews and for now.

Many companies do dress down days..we do and we have customers coming to the building every day too.

Personally I would recommend Tesco for a look for suits..go on the website (I am new so cannot post a link) the F&F range is very good.
I bought an F&F fitted suit jacket this year in a charity shop..had no idea is was Tesco's as it fits beautifully and has gorgeous purple lining and is made from lovely material.
A man's F&F jacket on the Tesco website is currently £17.
Trousers £8 to £16.

Most days at work the guys wear just trousers and a shirt though..most don't wear a tie either so unless the company stipulates it..just get what you need for the interview.
In the interview ask if you can see the area where everyone works (I always do and have ever yet been turned down..I'm in my forties and have had a fair few jobs in offices)..tis a good indicator of what everyone wears..as well as of the atmosphere in there too.

LovelyLeeds

JDC14 wrote: »

I am talking about lessons, tests etc.

I'd also need to cover travel, to interviews and I'm trying to get work experience at large companies which is going to cost a lot in travel.

Stick to local companies. Most employers will refund travel expenses and those that don't are probably best avoided.
You wont need a suit, just very smart clothing - either way a cheapie suit at 18 or a cheapie casual outfit at 18 will be perfectly acceptable in the eyes of an employer.
Most employers like to see ambition not the cut of your cloth at 18 - the personal statement is everything at your age - show (on your cv) something that you achieved and which you learned from.

MrsTinks

Please try not to aim for any job that requires you to have a driving licence unless they intend to pay for your car insurance... at your age I'm sorry to say the cost will be near crippling to insure a car right now...
Once you have passed your probation period in whatever job you get then you can start looking at investing in this
Do you know what sector/area you want to work in? Do you have any skills or experience that you want to pursue? Some jobs require more of a dress code than others, some companies are stricter than others...
I am possibly a little further on in my career (then again I have 13-14 years on you ) and until a very very recent merger at work 4 days a week was suit day - now the only time I wear a suit or equivalent is when I'm seeing customers or someone else have a large account coming to the office. But then I work in a senior corporate world... yet you walk in to our office and there are people there who never wear suits (infact some who in my view dress deeply inappropriately LOL) but because you never know where you'll end up you ONLY invest what you need to right there and then So either get a Tesco suit (which is fine btw!) or get a good second hand one from a charity shop or even Ebay

JDC14

Ciaran124 wrote: »

Hey there JDC!

Can I ask if you dont mind why now or you against going to uni?

There is a good lot of jobs that dont ask you weather you have a driving licence and until you get a full time job you might not be able to afford to buy and insure a car, you roughly need £2500.

And another thing don't get into debt to be able to drive.

3 years, struggling, to get into £20k of debt, at not even a top University, which has poor employment rates, to join what will be over a million unemployed young people (currently around 800-900k), I also don't believe I have the motivation and strength to live with people I don't know and concentrate, plus I just want to start earning - I'm the kind of person that'll start entry level at a company and be there (hopefully far further up the ladder) 40 years later.

charleyroo wrote: »

Hi there JDC

Was in similar situation to yourself - came from low income family and had to find myself an apprenticeship and get started in life.

Firstly can only echo the advice of others - suits will only generally be required once for an interview - when you get the job, even if it's a smart dress code you will only need the trousers and a couple of shirts - all which can be bought at Asda for very little if you haven't got the start up funds.

In my experience the company I work for gave me 1 year's grace to get my driving licence and a lot of other places will be the same, given that most apprentices are in a similar situation. Just had a quick look at the apprenticeship you mentioned and there doesn't seem to be a requirement to have a driving licence anyway so hopefully you won't need to worry about it too much for now.

The best advice I've ever heard is "don't start your life in debt"! Also good luck with getting onto an apprenticeship, they are brill opportunities if you use them wisely

The good thing about Siemens is that apart from the fact their offices nearest to me are based within a 5-minute walk of the train station and do provide some form of transport service of their own for some employees - I can't guarantee getting onto that apprenticeship. They ask for a lot as it's a brilliant opportunity and 13k is a half-decent starting wage in my eyes. Having a driving licence isn't 100% required, but A) It makes life a lot easier and provides more jobs. It's just something I want to achieve.

MrsTine wrote: »

Please try not to aim for any job that requires you to have a driving licence unless they intend to pay for your car insurance... at your age I'm sorry to say the cost will be near crippling to insure a car right now...
Once you have passed your probation period in whatever job you get then you can start looking at investing in this
Do you know what sector/area you want to work in? Do you have any skills or experience that you want to pursue? Some jobs require more of a dress code than others, some companies are stricter than others...
I am possibly a little further on in my career (then again I have 13-14 years on you ) and until a very very recent merger at work 4 days a week was suit day - now the only time I wear a suit or equivalent is when I'm seeing customers or someone else have a large account coming to the office. But then I work in a senior corporate world... yet you walk in to our office and there are people there who never wear suits (infact some who in my view dress deeply inappropriately LOL) but because you never know where you'll end up you ONLY invest what you need to right there and then So either get a Tesco suit (which is fine btw!) or get a good second hand one from a charity shop or even Ebay

To be honest with you "don't aim for jobs that require a driving licence" is pretty hard to do - I'll take most jobs, and most need them (just because they can be in unreachable places). I looked at trainee negotiator job, which initially I could walk or get the bus too, which provides a company car after a year. But I know people my age who run cars on their own on part-time wages.

Ideally I'd work in Marketing, or Recruitment. But no apprenticeships in this field (that don't take advantage of the ridiculously low apprentice minimum wage levels) are in my local area. I don't mind driving half an hour - but I can't at the moment.

---

The only standing order I posses is £20 a month into my savings, which only started last month (with a £50 single payment) so isn't worth much at the moment and a £5 direct debit for my Xbox. I can't pick up any hours where I work really, I think they have more full-time people in my role that they need and when we're not busy some of us get sent home anyway.
I'm applying for a role as what is effectively a trainee technician as it's just something I want to be able to learn before I look for FT work (I have an obsession with wanting to know every aspect of a business) but that only guarantees 8 hrs/month and I'm on a 0 hours contract as it is.

I don't know if many companies would provide travel expenses, I've written to Google in London, and asked if there was anyway I could get a couple of days of work experience with them and it's £23 a day for a return train ticket to Victoria. Absolute killer, but it would be invaluable experience (and i'd probably need to dress relatively smart as their offices are apparently not as whacky as in America).

Jariya

Just a thought..considering you have asked Google for work experience.
Have you asked the same question to Siemens?

We have a guy at work on a full time permanent basis who is working in our IT dept and learning how to build pcs and he also does pc set ups for our training centres.
He originally came in before working in his summer hols - he started helping out in the post room just for something to do. He worked for nothing at teh very start, next time he got some pay (obviously I have no idea what).
He showed willingness and initiative and interest in pcs..so we took him on.
He really wanted that job...he got it..he is doing really well.

smartiedriver_2

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs out there that do not require you drive - if you are prepared to do them.

Likewise most jobs in the City do not require driving as tube is more than sufficient. Aim for what is achieveable.