Help myself back to work

Yorkie1

What sort of computer skills do you have presently?

There are some relatively basic but widely accepted courses which you might be able to access free, such as the European Computer Driving Licence (nothing to do with cars) or similar. You can often do them at your own pace.

This would at least bulk up that side of your CV for potential employers in the future.

ellieellieellie

In the wake of recent cuts, a lot of charities will be falling over themselves to get somebody with admin experience as a volunteer! Doing admin voluntarily also tends to be quite flexible - you might even be able to do it from home. You may find that you cope much better than you think - not working for so long, for any reason, can make you lose quite a lot of confidence, and volunteering will help you regain that. I volunteered as a stepping stone to employment, and I found it was a great boost to my self esteem.

I would say though, that some organisations look after their volunteers better than others. Ask their existing volunteers how they feel in their role, and look for somewhere with a dedicated paid Volunteer Coordinator so you know you have somebody to go to if you have any problems or issues.

Good luck!

wilsooon

Thank you for all the ideas! I've got a reasonable amount of IT skills but nothing to show I have, so maybe something in that line would be good. Also I'm definitely going to look into volunteering, see what I might be able to do.