Son looking for job.....help!!

eastofeden

My son aged 22 graduated in June with a 2:1 in Fine Art. Like many young people he is struggling to find a job. In the past he has worked at a London Premiership football club as a waiter, Royal Mail Christmas post, voluntary work in a charity shop.

At school my son had a statement for dyspraxia and dyscalculia ( his maths remains poor but he did get a C in GCSE after a few tries!) I am incredibly proud that he has achieved a degree and admire his resilience. He also has a significant stammer, especially when he is anxious.

He has recently had two trial days in schools for TA posts. He was unsuccessful in these with some feedback about not being very proactive, which I would agree with.

I really want him to find a job which he can derive some satisfaction in, but am not really sure what to advise him. I know the knock back in the schools is tough, but if this is what he wants to do, I think he should keep trying in this area?
I really would appreciate any constructive advice or support!

dawyldthing

What about support work for people with special needs? The other thing is to possibly volunteer in a school as heads all talk and if they make it known they want to work in a school they may hear of posts before they are advertised.

There might still be courses starting in training to be a ta too

Flyonthewall

Maybe it would be an idea to see a careers advisor. You could also look online for a list of jobs or look on job sites and see if anything stands out.

There are some career tests online. Some are better than others, but he could do one or two and see what job titles they come out with. You never know, it might give him something he hasn't thought of before.

Has he looked into being a freelancer? Do art work for people. Perhaps he go self-employed and create and sell some art. He can keep trying to get where he wants while doing that.

killerpeaty

I don't know if you already know about this site: https://www.employ-ability.org.uk/ this might give him some help but can't promise anything.

daytona0

I think you need to kick his !!! into gear.

Not being proactive in schools?! The fact that he got the job interviews is a really good indicator that with a little effort he was in there! I've had first hand experience of working with TA's, and they range from completely useless to amazing. Your son only needs to be "good" or better to come across as a strong candidate.

Also, I'm intrigued about the GCSE maths qualification comment. He tried a few times? Presumably because it was required for entry onto a degree course? That shows a LOT of determination! A complete opposite of the TA stuff..

You probably need to sit down with him and start discussing his future. Who does he want to be? What inspires him? What direction can he take? Smash out some kind of plan! If you're unsure then also go to a careers advisor and see what they say! Get the kid inspired in his future a bit.

Your son sounds like a good lad, and employers will respect that. But at the end of the day you can't be doing things half-heartedly! At 22 he's got plenty of years to pick a career path etc so there isn't a rush right now, but he will eventually need to focus and knuckle down.

eastofeden

Thanks all for your replies. I think the art idea, the careers advice etc are very sound. I think the comment about lack of pro activity was more to do with confidence than anything else, but you are spot on that a bit of a kick up the backside is needed too!

I have just retired after 35 years of teaching so have also experienced some fantastic TAs, some less so. He will be working for a long time and I just want him to be happy and to have a job which gives him some pride and confidence.