Am I past it?

CGG

I'm 49, married with a 13 year-old son. I've been a stay-at-home Mum since he was born. I (we) don't claim any benefits.
I would like to rejoin the workplace now my son is a teenager, but fear I may have made myself unemployable.
I used to work for one of the High Street banks, but left in 1999.

Can anyone give me any pointers, please as to where I start?
Thanks in advance.

paddedjohn

Do you not claim ctc and cb?

Since you have been out of work for 14 years you may need to retrain to do your previous type of work, open university or night school perhaps.

Prothet_of_Doom

a) Claim Job Seekers Allowance, as you are now seeking.
b) Offer services free to a charity. Just 1 day a week, to get you into the groove of work (Wifey does a monday for CAB)
c) Do a CV and make a list of skills that being a stay at home mum has given you.
d) Do a few internet searches on reed, jobsite, monster. Put NO key word in, just put say up to 10 miles from your post code. Systematically read, every job that comes up (ignore those that you need to be a brain surgeon). Take 5 at random, and ask "why can't I do this job?" 50% of the time there is no valid reason.
Ring up and explain that you've seen the job but you want more information about the role, as you don't want to waste thier time if it's not for you. Sell hard. Tell them you'll email a CV today. Redo CV based on discussion, and email and phone "to check they have it, as your internet has been playing up" ... you will get interviews for 50%.
It really is that simple. Believe in yourself and sell your skills and experience

bebewoo

Good advice prophet.

You don't really live up to your username sometimes!

CGG

Thanks for replying. You've given me something to start on.
(As a family, I meant we don't claim for Council Tax Benefit/Housing Benefit/Income Support, etc. But, yes, we're in receipt of ctc and cb.)

loubie_lou

It really depends on what you want to go back into CGG. If you are feeling a bit apprehensive about your skills and confidence etc as mentioned before volunteering maybe the first thing you need to look at. Have a look at http://www.do-it.org.uk/ for some things that might interest you.

Onwards_and_upwards

We have just employed a nanny who is 51 and just returning to work after years as a SAHM. She's fab, so definitely wouldn't say you're past it!

jacques_chirac

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

a) Claim Job Seekers Allowance, as you are now seeking.

Not much point in claiming JSA. The OP will not receive payment as her husband will earn too much, and she already receives NI Credits (assuming the CB is in her name). The JCP may be able to provide some jobseeking support, but chances are it is nothing the OP cannot do herself.

OP, have you looked at admin and customer service roles, in a bank or otherwise? You'll be surprised how many employers (especially the more traditional ones) will value your years of experience

Hezzawithkids

CGG wrote: »

I'm 49, married with a 13 year-old son. I've been a stay-at-home Mum since he was born. I (we) don't claim any benefits.
I would like to rejoin the workplace now my son is a teenager, but fear I may have made myself unemployable.
I used to work for one of the High Street banks, but left in 1999.

Can anyone give me any pointers, please as to where I start?
Thanks in advance.

No additional advice OP just wanted to say Good for you!

And if you believe you're "past it" at the tender age of 49 then god help the rest of us!

Good luck with your search! I can wholeheartedly recommend volunteering. I was out of work for 18 months and while some of the time I was studying I did volunteer 1-2 days a week for a local charity and loved every minute. I'm also convinced that this sort of thing looks good on a cv.

National_Careers_Service

Hello CGG,

There’s some great advice here! As posters have pointed out, there are lots of ways we can build up and refresh our skills to give us the best possible change of finding paid work.

It sounds to me as though you might be struggling a bit with your confidence at the moment, which is understandable, as you’re thinking about making some potentially big changes in your life. As you start to research and look into ideas and get back into the swing of things, hopefully your confidence will begin to build up again.

Have you had any thoughts about what you’d like to do in relation to the world of work? Are you thinking about trying to get back into working within a bank or something similar? Maybe you’ve had thoughts about other jobs that might interest you? Our interests, skills and priorities can shift over time, particularly after a potentially a life-changing event, such as raising a family. You might have found that what you once found satisfying might not appeal to you any longer. Do you think you might find it useful to spend some time thinking about what’s important to you at this stage in your life/career? Jotting down some notes might help you to keep focused.

You might find it useful to use something like the Skills Health Check to get a helping hand with this. There are 10 different tests but you don’t necessarily need to complete them all. The ‘Skills Areas’ and ‘Interests’ sections can help you begin to match your skills and interests to career/job ideas. You might find the ‘Personal Style’ and ‘Motivation’ sections interesting too, as these can shed some light on other aspects of work and careers you might like to bear in mind.

Good luck with everything, I’m sure you’ll soon be back on track to figuring out where you see yourself in the future and how you can get there!

Emma