I need help

topaztiger1983

I am a student and I am on JSA also my partner gets Carers Allowance for looking after her father

I also get Housing Benefit but I still pay £101 per month top-up on my rent

The problem is I cannot find a job because I am at college and no-one will give me a job for 2-4 and a half days a week

I am willing to do any jobs and really need the money as at the moment we are struggling to feed ourselves. Basically we eat 1 meal a day and we struggle with that

I have depression and my situation makes this worse feeling physically drained and sick most of the times and sometimes even suicidal

I am studying Carpentry & Joinery at college but I have not got a recognised qualification (not til Summer 2013) so I cant get work in the industry (also I need a CSCS card and I can't afford this)

I would even do odd jobs as I think I am a good handyman/gardener (I love gardening.)

I am 28 so can't get an apprenticeship

I have one other qualification which is an Intermediate GNVQ in ICT which I gained about 7 years ago

I have only had one job in the last 4 years (not through the want of trying)

Anyway thanks in advance for any help

Cheers

TT

cally6008

Flyer in local shop ... gardener available, call XXXXX

funnyguy

Do some door knocking to offer gardening work..the more doors you knock on in your 2 -4 days free the more chance you will get some work.

podperson

If you're at college during the day are you looking at evening jobs, bar/waiting/hotel work, plus supermarkets and call centres will usually have evening shifts.

You might not be able to work as a qualified joiner in the industry yet but have you tried ringing round places and asking if they need any labourers in. I know a lot of tradespeople will get a labourer in on their big jobs as it costs them less then a second actual tradesman and they can just do the basic/manual tasks.

If you think you're good at odd jobs and gardening then get your name out there for it. Knock on doors - think about areas where there's a lot of elderly people who might struggle a bit to do their gardens. I know you're not going to have spare cash but if you have a printer then get some flyers/cards printed off and do a local letterbox drop. Put up flyers in your local shops, community centres, churches etc.

topaztiger1983

Thanks for the help, I will try the Gardening thing and will also get on to some companies about labouring, although I think I will need a CSCS card which is not cheap.

Cheers

TT

C_Langford

without a doubt put yourself out there and ask people, general odd jobs are the way forward, pop a sign in the local supermarket - eg put up shelves or light gardening - especially if you have your own equipment. Be careful not to price yourself too high - something around £6.50 and hour or a bit higher depending on where you are. Do a great job and watch the recommendations roll in. Good Luck hun x

mrsyardbroom

Loads of people would employ someone to cut the grass in the summer. I know one or two people round here who have good little businesses going just mowing lawns. A lot of older people have trouble doing things that they would have found easy when they were younger. I know my mother and mother in law would have been delighted to have the services of a handyman available. They never could get anyone to do the small jobs.
Print some flyers if you can and put them through doors. Include a photo of yourself and clear contact details.
When we were really hard up we grew all our own vegetables and salad. At one point we were eating a tin of tuna a day with home grown salad and it cost very little. It was a fantastic way to lose weight!

duchy

You are currently time rich -and you have DIY and carpentry skills as above set yourself as a handyman service. No job too small -decorating, changing taps, putting up shelves -putting self assembly furniture together-whatever you feel you are good at-make a list of all the things you Could offer-you'll be surprised how long the list is. Print out flyers-but also pin them up everywhere -and tell everyone. Looking around my house at the moment I have a scad of small jobs I'd happily pay £7 or £8 an hour to get done but can't afford more than that. I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's not just the elderly lots of people are utter rubbish at DIY or don't have the time or tthe inclination. Once you've done a few jobs if you are any good you'll get referrals as people tell their friends and it snowballs. Do a good job, be reliable and turn up when arranged and you can't lose.

Not only will you earn money now but you'll also be gathering contacts for the future when you've qualified .

The_Saver_2

If you haven't enough money to print off flyers, try putting a notice in your local Post Office window first of all. I expect the cost varies but it costs 60p per week at mine.
Once you get your first job, I would then recommend you use some of the money to print off flyers. Don't drop the flyers into every house - have a think whether you know it's an elderly person who lives there (they will more likely want help). Once you get some business, you could even give an incentive to encourage recommendations e.g. if you recommend a friend then both you and your friend get 10% off your next order. I wish you the best of luck.

wilf55

hi

good luck, another bit of advice, make sure you clean up after yourself..when people are talking about workmen they always seem to comment and he cleaned up beautifully!!

topaztiger1983

Thank you all for your help