Paying for a college course on a single income.

samwich1979

My husband lost a job contract in January 2011, he cannot for love nor money get another job, either in Security for which he is trained and registered in as employment agencies are offering 18-25 year olds free SIA training and these younger people seem to be getting the work over ones who are older with experience. He has 8 years.

His previous employment was as a cleaning supervisor as this was all that was about at the time but he did enjoy it, he has applied for cleaning jobs again but never gets a reply.

He has over the past year made it known to me that he would be very interested in retraining and try to get into nursing/midwifery.

Now he has no GCSE's as he left during the exams as his father died suddenly and was not coping very well with this, he also had a weekend job which was then offered as full time so didnt return to school.
To get into nursing he would have to take college courses to build up his qualifications first which would take approx 2 years and these cost approx £400 per course.

Can we get any help to bring down the cost of these courses as only i work and pay all the bills etc and we have a 14 month old son?

I earn £1400 per month and we claim £22.00 Housing Benefit per month.
My husband is not eligible for JSA as i apparently earn too much.

saintjammyswine

Best people to ask are the colleges as they will have different rules on their own fees. Or contact Next Step, they offer great, free independant advice on careers and training.

pawsies

One of my friends took out a career development loan at college. Maybe worth a look at?

Dunroamin

pawsies wrote: »

One of my friends took out a career development loan at college. Maybe worth a look at?

Not a good idea for an Access or other preparatory course as repayments would start while the student's at university.

tactful

How is he applying for jobs? He should be calling the companies up, most of the big security companies have central recruiting teams. He needs to try to get hold of one of their names / numbers (anywhere in the country) and speak to them. He can be honest. Say he has 8 years experience but doesn't seem to be getting through interviews. He's passionate about the industry and really has alot to offer the company etc. Even if he's speaking to a recruiter in a different region they will likely be able to put him in touch with a recruiter in the region he wants to work in. Then he can find out when they are next recruiting and find out how he applies. By doing all this he'll immediately stand out from the crowd and his application will not just be another one of hundreds coming through.

I think it's great what you're family is doing, and if he decides to retrain, I hope you figure out a way of making it work and reap the rewards once he is requalified!

samwich1979

tactful wrote: »

How is he applying for jobs? He should be calling the companies up, most of the big security companies have central recruiting teams. He needs to try to get hold of one of their names / numbers (anywhere in the country) and speak to them. He can be honest. Say he has 8 years experience but doesn't seem to be getting through interviews. He's passionate about the industry and really has alot to offer the company etc. Even if he's speaking to a recruiter in a different region they will likely be able to put him in touch with a recruiter in the region he wants to work in. Then he can find out when they are next recruiting and find out how he applies. By doing all this he'll immediately stand out from the crowd and his application will not just be another one of hundreds coming through.

I think it's great what you're family is doing, and if he decides to retrain, I hope you figure out a way of making it work and reap the rewards once he is requalified!

He has emailed all the good security companies that he knows work in the area on the off chance there is any work, even just sickness cover but to no avail, they just say they will keep him on file or don't reply.
The last job he went for was a security job at the local council and was over qualified to do it as it is not as intense and busy as Retail Security where his main experience is but again, nothing.
He has even applied via phone for several Door Supervisor jobs, even though its not his first choice of work, but again he just never gets a reply.

I think it has to do with not having a 5 year checkable work history, while hes been unemployed he hasn't been able to get any benefits due to my wage and he cannot prove what he has been doing the past year and a half, its so frustrating. He just feels like there is no point job hunting anymore as the rejection or lack of it, is really getting him down.

We are going to sit down over the next few days and go through all the college courses and see which is most suitable for what he needs and contact them and see how we can go about fee payment.
I just want him to feel like he can get somewhere and will do anything i can for him to make this happen.

saintjammyswine

Has he tried going to building sites & asking about security work there? The larger sites will have a security hut at the main gate.

samwich1979

saintjammyswine wrote: »

Has he tried going to building sites & asking about security work there? The larger sites will have a security hut at the main gate.

He has applied for similar roles online but never approached them in person, again never had any luck but i think it is down to the fact for security you need that 5 year checkable work history, which he doesn't have.
Its an absolute pain but i guess with the nature of the work they need to know what a prospective employee has been up to.

This is why he is thinking a career change is probably best for him and the family.

saintjammyswine

samwich1979 wrote: »

He has applied for similar roles online but never approached them in person, again never had any luck but i think it is down to the fact for security you need that 5 year checkable work history, which he doesn't have.
Its an absolute pain but i guess with the nature of the work they need to know what a prospective employee has been up to.

This is why he is thinking a career change is probably best for him and the family.

Building site security is a little more relaxed about that providing he has the SIA badge. Worth a try perhaps?

starrystarry

Even though he's not entitled to any benefits, shouldn't he still be signing on to get his NI stamp? If he is, this should be sufficient for his 5 yr checkable history. They only really need to make sure he's not been working at a job he's missed off his CV, or been in prison or anything.

SlopingBird

Not sure about costs in England but in Wales there are Access to Higher Education courses available to those without formal qualifications. Courses generally fit around school hours so it might be possible for your husband to work part-time in security and pursue his long-term goal to train as a nurse/midwife.
http://www.newport.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/Pages/AccessFoundation.aspx
Good luck.