Going back to full time job after looking after young child?

Sansa

Hello everyone,

I have found myself in a situation and would like advice, please.

I am a foreigner, married in the UK. Got Degree and Masters in Marketing and I speak 4 languages.  Was working full time before we had our daughter - restaurant Manager in Central London but since then we moved to another part of the country -  West Midlands. I don't consider myself stay at home mum as I am always doing something - had a Celebration cake business for 4 years but was getting really hard with rising energy and product coast. I am working as a virtual assistant at the moment for a small tech company (self employed) My income is not much but enough to pay some bills and have some pocket money. Husband is working full time and earns well. Never been of benefits. We don't have any family around to help with childcare so I am fully responsible for school runs, doctors appointments, days out, cleaning, shopping etc. It was working till now as daughter has asthma and was poorly at home liturgy every other week. She just turned 6 and this is the first winter that she doesn't feel unwell so often.

I am really missing my old self when I could go and work with people but I struggle to find a job. Got only 1 interview for almost 2 months. I am driving so not limited to our location but looking for a job that would suit the family needs. Minimum wage is just not enough as I have to pay around £600 a month around school childcare.

Meanwhile I am trying to improve myself and my English skills by doing online courses. Got Business Administration Level 3, Graphic design courses, Adobe Photoshop Courses. UX design courses. 

Don't know what else to do really? There is help available only for people on benefits. 

Would appreciate any advice or constructive feedback. Thank you.

MalMonroe

Hi, you say "Got Degree and Masters in Marketing and I speak 4 languages" -  but you don't appear to be using any of these quite remarkable marketable skills. 

When I saw that you speak four languages, I thought 'wow! this person could get a job as an interpreter'. Do you think that's a possibility? One of my best friends went to live and work at United Nations as an interpreter. Earned a fantastic salary. Just one example of what can be done, although I know it's not practical for you.

Also, what about trying to further your career in marketing?

You have been a restaurant manager, so you have management skills. You have celebration cake-making skills. Now you have virtual assistant skills too.

There are agencies you can sign up with who would surely be able to help you with prospective careers. Just have a google. You could also contact the National Careers service, link here-

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

What about the university/universities where you studied? Do they offer any career advice or help? The university I went to does. And it's not just a service for current students, it's for alumni too.
 
I get the impression that you are keen to learn absolutely everything but you seem to be studying lots of things that do not really point you in the direction of a good job using any of the impressive skills you already have.

(Your English appears to be excellent, by the way, I've seen much worse.)

My thoughts would be to maybe stop trying to learn everything in the world all at once and focus on improving the quite considerable skills you already have. You are a veritable Jill of All Trades - and mistress of quite a few of them. From what you say, the world really should be your oyster.

Don't forget to have fun with your daughter, too because she won't be small for long. I went out to work part time when my daughter was 3 and that seems like a couple of years ago. Now she's 44 and in a way I regret not spending more time with her when she was small. Fortunately, she says she was always proud that her mum went out to work. (Thank goodness!) I've never been on benefits either, not even as a single parent.

Also don't lose sight of the fact that you have a husband who earns a good salary and who should be helping with all household costs, including child-care.

You seem to be very (very) busy indeed but if you can just stop and consider all your achievements to date, you could possibly focus on one area you're really keen on and concentrate on that.

If it were me, I'd definitely contact the Careers Advice service - it's free. And I'd contact the universities I attended, too. You just need some expert help and advice. Whether or not you take it is entirely up to you.

Hope some of that is helpful, just my own thoughts and opinions, of course.

Marcon

Sansa said:

Hello everyone,

I have found myself in a situation and would like advice, please.

I am a foreigner, married in the UK. 

Are you making it clear in your applications that you have the right to work in the UK, assuming someone could tell from your application that you are 'a foreigner'?

Got Degree and Masters in Marketing and I speak 4 languages.  Was working full time before we had our daughter - restaurant Manager in Central London but since then we moved to another part of the country -  West Midlands. I don't consider myself stay at home mum as I am always doing something - had a Celebration cake business for 4 years but was getting really hard with rising energy and product coast. I am working as a virtual assistant at the moment for a small tech company (self employed) My income is not much but enough to pay some bills and have some pocket money. Husband is working full time and earns well. Never been of benefits. We don't have any family around to help with childcare so I am fully responsible for school runs, doctors appointments, days out, cleaning, shopping etc. It was working till now as daughter has asthma and was poorly at home liturgy every other week. She just turned 6 and this is the first winter that she doesn't feel unwell so often.

In other words, you need considerable flexibility, especially while your little girl is so young. Hopefully her asthma will continue to improve, but you may need to consider the possibility that 'going out to work' might not be realistic for another year or two.

I am really missing my old self when I could go and work with people but I struggle to find a job. Got only 1 interview for almost 2 months. I am driving so not limited to our location but looking for a job that would suit the family needs. Minimum wage is just not enough as I have to pay around £600 a month around school childcare.

Could you find work as a translator (which doesn't require the same level of native fluency as an interpreter)? That might not get you out of the house, but it would mean you are earning, and adding to your cv. How about tutoring, which again is likely to be home based, but at least you'd have some contact with students.

Meanwhile I am trying to improve myself and my English skills by doing online courses. Got Business Administration Level 3, Graphic design courses, Adobe Photoshop Courses. UX design courses. 

Your English is very good, but it's quite easy to discern that you are not a native speaker. I wonder if that's showing up on your cv and putting off potential employers? 

Don't know what else to do really? There is help available only for people on benefits. 

Depending on what your native tongue is, are there any language schools in your area which would value someone to either teach the language, or provide conversation sessions?

Jobcentres are there to help anyone. If you're serious about getting a job (and you are), go and talk to them and see what's on offer. Check if you can register for benefits if that opens 'extra doors' in terms of help.

Would appreciate any advice or constructive feedback. Thank you.

The thing which springs out of your post is that there's little logic or consistency in what you've done so far on the job front and what you're doing now. Running a restaurant, Masters in marketing, speaking four languages (although you don't mention the level of fluency), business admin, graphic design, photoshop... For want of a better description, it looks a bit pick'n'mix!

Can you try to clarify in your own mind what you do/don't want to do in the immediate/medium/longer term? What are you actually offering an employer? What do you want them to offer you? I suspect that for now your priority list must be 'flexibility', but given the number of hybrid working opportunities, now  is no bad time to be looking for that, albeit probably part time to enable you to meet family commitments. If you look at job advertisements in your locality, what are the options? Any of them of interest? If so, do you meet the requirements - and if not, could you meet them by doing some self-study, especially if they are the sort of vacancy which tends to crop up regularly?