What should we know about your job??

joeblack066

I work in 3 jobs....Resi Child Care, so nothing MSE there I'm afraid, Health and Safety/ DDA Consultant..........if you have any long term health conditions or consider yourself to have a disability, make sure that the company that you work for make any necessary adjustments to your role, it's the law! I.e., I had a client who was having to walk from a public car park to his offices, and he was an insulin dependant bowel cancer survivor who has had a heart bypass op! There was onsite parking, so I negotiated a reserved parking space for him, and a briefcase on whells so that he did not have to carry files anymore. Up till then he had been told that it was his problem, lol!! Job no 3, I do some work for a mortgage broker, and main advice there would be......don't consolidate, do read all the small print to make sure that you know what the final rate will be after any discount periods, and also any early redemption fees. TTFN!

Aliss

I don't really have a job title but let's say:

Looking after people with Alzheimer's or short term memory loss:

Buy them a desk calendar (one with tear-off sheets) and tear off asap each morning so it is on the right day. Write any important appointments eg. chirpodist coming 9am on it. Have a big writing pad next to their usual chair and always write on it if you are leaving the house or even room and be very clear i.e.

I have gone for a shower. I am in the main bathroom upstairs.
I will be back in 15 minutes at the most. This means I will be back by 2:30.

I once found a note left by a woman's stepdaughter saying "Joe Fish. Bite pen" which got the lady terribly confused and upset- not to mention me!

I eventually discovered that it meant, in the words I would have chosen: "The music in the car we listened to that you said you liked today was by a man called Joe Fish. You were bitten by a mosquito today. This is why your arm itches. You should try and find your insect bite pen for when we go out next week".

Hopefully no-one will end up caring for someone with this kind of memory loss but very clear instructions do help, I've seen people in a terrible panic for the want of a quick note.

Registered Assistance Dogs, dog handling and attitudes to dogs

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People wear burgundy coats and Disabled Assistance dogs wear yellow or blue coats but it can vary. Unlike the labradors/retrievers of Guide Dogs, Hearing Dog breeds vary widely and they can be crossbreeds, Yorkshire terriers or St Bernards! Disabled Assistance dogs can also be any breed but labradors and bigger dogs are more common.

Never assume a person with a dog (if it has a coat on) is some idiot who has brought their dog into your shop/cafe/bar until you've read the coat! I've lost count of the number of times I've been marched up to and shouted at by someone who hasn't looked properly!

Never stroke a Hearing Dog or Disabled Assistance Dog without asking the person holding it, even if the dog is looking at you and is very cute! It may not be a Guide Dog but that doesn't mean you can interrupt it while working. Oh and if you do want to say hello to a Hearing Dog, don't stand there saying "excuse me" to the owner if they are facing away from you- for obvious reasons! :rolleyes:

If you are scared of dogs don't show it around your kids. You will pass your paranoia on to them.

When you approach a new dog to stroke it put your gently hand in front of its face. Do not try and stroke the top of its head especially if you are nervous (and therefore moving very) slowly because to the dog it looks like you are trying to creep up and grab the back of its neck. The dog will then relax and you can see how it likes to be touched by the way it turns its body towards you.

High-quality dog food is available much more cheaply on the internet than in vets and works out cheaper than "premium" brands like IAMS which often don't match up in nutritional value. I recommend Arden Grange which is about £30 for a 15kg sack.

Not much MSE there but I hope it helps!

Tribulation

lynsayjane wrote: »

hi all, I work for a fitness club.

-One important thing I'd suggest people do when joining a club is ensure that they read the terms and conditions before joinging, many people are unaware of the length of contract and notice period.
-Ask in adance if there are any joining offers in the near future, some staff are nice and will tell you if they know but these are generally planned last minute and so staff are informed last minute.
-visit the gym at the times you would be using the gym so you get an accurate picture of how busy it is rather than view at quiet times and realise too late that it's busier when you wish to use it
-Take advantage of all aspects of the membership, ie if you can get programs with instructors do it, if classes are included try them all at least once!
-Join up with one or more friends, if you have several you COULD go with your more likely to be able to get regularly (unless your happy enough to go alone)

Something you can do round here (Norfolk) is get your GP to refer you to a gym. Only selected gym's take part but you get a reduced membership fee (£10 for me) and a reduced monthly rate.

tealady

Chech what your local council does for free. In Brum we have free bulky waste collections (neighbouring Councils charge) free domestic rat control, and there are debt advisors as well.

mattfiona

I'm about to start a new job as a PA at the end of June - no MSE tips from me I'm afraid though!

lady_fuschia

My current job unfortunately doesn't offer many money saving oppurtunities, but I used to be a hotel receptionist and the following might help:

-be nice, polite and friendly. We're always more pre-disposed to give offers/advantages to people that we like! Snotty or arrogant people rarely get the best rooms.
- if it's for a wedding or event held at the hotel, mention it, there may well be a discount pre-arranged, but you won't necessarily be told about it when you call.
- Quiet nights in holiday areas tend to be Sundays, Mondays,Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and obviously during winter), and almost every hotel is quiet on a Sunday evening. On quiet nights, take a risk, don't book, and turn up late (after 6pm). When quoted the price look uncertain and say you were hoping to pay a little less - you may well get a discount because most hotels would rather sell a room at 20% off than have it standing empty.
-if you're on your own and it seems like a quiet night, ask if they'll bump you up to a double room for free.
-If there's a group of you contact the hotel manager in advance and try to arrange for a discount.
- Always find out if breakfast/ dinner are included. Never assume.
- Most hotels are very willing to provide you with plates/ cutlery etc if you want to make your own sandwiches in your room!
-Nick the free toiletries/ coffee/ biscuits, always ask for more - they cost the hotel very little and we expect to get through loads.
-Check you don't leave anything behind, and if you do phone to get it back!It's great for the staff because after six months at "chuck out" time they get to keep what's leftover - I got a pair of hair straighteners, loads of books and a beach towel that way!

leafton

Hi,

I am a teacher and so only have a couple of money saving tips.

1)If you are looking for a home-tutor for your child, rather than hire an expensive private tutor, contact your local college/university for trainee teachers. They may well be willing to do this free of charge in order to augment their standards folders or subject knowledge. They will most likely have more time on their hands than older people who may have family commitments and are also normally more enthusiastic and up-to-date in their subject.

2)If you have a child at KS2, KS3, GCSE, A level, download the relevant syllabus from the internet along with past papers. (You will need to check with the teacher which syllabus is being followed.)

3)Ask for details of extra-curricular clubs and activities at school. This will obviously enhance your child's education, but may well also decrease your childcare costs (if working full-time) as 'wrap-around' care is becoming part of many school's efforts at present.

4)If you cannot afford to pay for an educational visit at school, rather than reply 'no', make an appointment to meet the teacher (or call). From my experience, money is set aside in school budgets to pay for some if not all of the cost of some students' trips.

5)If you are struggling with the costs of anythung educational, make an appointment to see your child's tutor/head of year. Schools will help as far as they can. Do not be embarrassed. This is far far more common than you might think and actually shows that you care about your child too.

Hope these have been helpful.

kathfisch

I work in Next but only until the end of this week

I don't have any specific moneysaving tips, other than knowing about sale dates a bit in advance!

I would echo others though, be polite and friendly! I am much more disposed to go out of my way for customers if they treat me nicely (e.g. calling another store for an item, which our managers don't particularly like at busy times). I love to give good customer service and see people walk away happy with what they've got but if you're rude and disrespectful to me from the word go I'm afraid I might not summon up the enthusiasm to do that extra bit! :rotfl:

Specific to Next for anyone who's interested:

ALWAYS ask if you can't see your size out, there are often more behind the fitting room or in the stock room (especially in a big store like ours). We can also check stock levels and/or give you the phone number for any Next store in the uk.

We have a retail ordering system (not the same as directory ordering) and if the item you want is available it takes 3 days to come into store, directory orders for 'collection in store' can take a lot longer. Downside is you have to come into the store to place the order, but its good if your size isn't in stock etc.

The Next Directory and stores are completely separate, except that we accept directory returns and ship them back for you. We cannot access directory account details, make payments, that kind of thing... and we won't magically be able to when you ask the fifth time! :rolleyes:

On that note, if an item is not available in store or for retail order it MAY still be available from the directory (phone or online), they have a separate warehouse with much more stock including less seasonal stuff (i.e. bikinis in january for anyone who can afford a 'winter sun' holiday!). Again, we can't check the stock of this warehouse but you can take the product code (the first 6 numbers under the barcode or on the sewn in label) and check yourself online.

Oh, and please don't give us evil looks when we offer you a Next Directory at the front door or till, we are threatened with disciplinary action if we don't ask

I'll stop now!

Wonder_Girl

I am a debt counsellor for a debt charity, the biggest money saving tip i give to clients is google moneysavingexpert

I can help with the debt stuff, but to be honest I learnt most my money saving right here :j

mae

Storm wrote: »

In the same vein - I work in Adult Education...

- There are always free courses for adults to improve their maths & English - often through Learn Direct Centres
- Anyone can get a free careers guidance interview through an organisation called Next Step https://www.nextstep.org.uk
- Your local council will probably run some free adult education courses - many will have free creches attached
- Look around at local charities/voluntary organisations who will often be running projects for a specific group of people, enabling additional courses, support etc
- Check out the Learning & Skills Council to see what they're funding in your area https://www.lsc.gov.uk (click on the map to go to your region's pages)
- If you want to teach adults yourself, you can do a PGCE or CertEd free of charge (can even get small student loan amount if you like) - mine was part time over 2 years. You do need to teach during the course, but the college you go through will often be able to give you some voluntary experience

This is interesting thanks. How would I go about finding out about a free PGCE or CertEd please?