47, low wage, frustrated

Amara

Hello!
I'm 47 and just started my new job, 25K pa. I'm frustrated, as I really want to earn a better salary. I came to this country nearly twenty years ago, I worked in some low-paid jobs and run my cleaning business for nearly a decade . It worked well for me, as I was raising my young son. I applied for a bank job in 2018 and got it. In the meantime I completed AAT III. Banking was good place, but progress was difficult. In the summer last year I've got contacted by the recruitment company. I got offered a job in accounting, which, on the paper, looked like brilliant opportunity for me. I left bank, but it turned out new place was awful, bullying, no support from management whatsoever. I finished two months later. I ended up on unemployment, first time in twenty years.I found a new job, in the big financial company, with similar package I had before, doing similar work I did before. I may have as well never leaving bank in the first place.
I'm frustarted. I'm middle-aged, salary not much above minimum. There's so much talking: "If you want a better job, upskill yourself". I did and it has came nothing out of it. I've been rejected from jobs due my lack of experience.  
Will it get better? What are my chances to increase my salary? Is it unrealistic for me to want average salary?

Marcon

Amara said:

Hello!
I'm 47 and just started my new job, 25K pa. I'm frustrated, as I really want to earn a better salary. I came to this country nearly twenty years ago, I worked in some low-paid jobs and run my cleaning business for nearly a decade . It worked well for me, as I was raising my young son. I applied for a bank job in 2018 and got it. In the meantime I completed AAT III. Banking was good place, but progress was difficult. In the summer last year I've got contacted by the recruitment company. I got offered a job in accounting, which, on the paper, looked like brilliant opportunity for me. I left bank, but it turned out new place was awful, bullying, no support from management whatsoever. I finished two months later. I ended up on unemployment, first time in twenty years.I found a new job, in the big financial company, with similar package I had before, doing similar work I did before. I may have as well never leaving bank in the first place.
I'm frustarted. I'm middle-aged, salary not much above minimum. There's so much talking: "If you want a better job, upskill yourself". I did and it has came nothing out of it. I've been rejected from jobs due my lack of experience.  
Will it get better? What are my chances to increase my salary? Is it unrealistic for me to want average salary?

Rather than the usual chatter about upskilling etc etc, how about marketing something for which you have experience and ability: cleaning. It may not have the glamour or kudos of a job in banking or accounting, but the demand for good cleaners (depending on where you are geographically) could be very high - with the ability to charge yourself out accordingly. If you go to the clients (again, depends on transport facilities locally), they provide all the equipment so you have no outlay.

Cleaners round here can and do charge well above minimum wage - and if you can build up a decent number of clients and then have one or two people working for you as subcontractors...

Amara

Hi Marcon, thank you for your reply. I run my cleaning company for a long while, but there's a ceilling , how much you can earn. I did 30 hours per week, with driving and breaks it came to 40 hours. It was tiring and the only way to expand is to find a reliable staff. That was the biggest challenge. I guess I can try to find myslef some extra cleaning jobs to increase my income for now, but it's not a long-term solution. 

Brie

what about doing accounts for cleaning companies?  Or care firms??  I found when dealing with care firms that the worst part of it was getting simple things like invoices etc.  Some were absolute garbage in all respects but others were brilliant with the care but a disaster with the paperwork.  Marketing yourself to them might be a winner.  And you could do it as an add on to the day job until you know if it's going to be something full time.

housebuyer143

I have found in a lot of jobs it isn't just the skills you have but also you need to have the right personality. What I mean by that is, you rub shoulders with the right people, you say that right things etc.
I have seen many useless people be promoted right to the top very quickly and it always came down to the fact that they were charismatic, likeable (although I saw many of them as fake) & where in the right place at the right time. 

Of course you can upskill and that helps but sometimes it's the way we come across that hinders us - not in any way saying that this is you. 

I worked in a job for ages and never got promoted - one day I read "how to win friends and influence people" and joked that I was going to kiss my bosses !!!!!! as a new year's resolution and put the things from the book into action and the joke is I got promoted within 6 months 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♀️. I got loads of comments that I was being very helpful and working hard when in reality I literally did nothing different in my work apart from how I spoke with others around me. 

I see it as fake but it works for many people so if you haven't, you can give it a read and it might inspire you. 

Tucosalamanca

Local government, education or NHS.
Salary of £25k (or more) isn't difficult to achieve and you will gain excellent benefits and pension.

Amara

Hi Tucosalamanca. I've got 25k salary already, with decent package (pension, private health insurance). I want to earn more. Average salary in UK is 37k now, Am I unrealistic to want that much? 
When I was looking for my current job, I had an interview for civil service. I passed an interview, but was put on reserve list.
Brie, extra bookkeeping is a good idea, thank you.
Housebuyer143, food for thought. Althought in banking, like in many big institutions, there's no promotions as such. There're opportunities from time to time, to apply for higher grade role and you'll get it or not. 
When I already accepted my post, I've been contacted by two accounting companies. I just want further development so much.

Tucosalamanca

I don't know you, so I can't say what you're capable of.
I do know that tens of millions people can only dream of earning 37k, to some extent it's a high expectation.
Have you looked at jobs at this salary level and do you meet their criteria?
This would give you a good idea if it's a realistic expectation or not.

Emmia

Amara said:

Hi Tucosalamanca. I've got 25k salary already, with decent package (pension, private health insurance). I want to earn more. Average salary in UK is 37k now, Am I unrealistic to want that much? 
When I was looking for my current job, I had an interview for civil service. I passed an interview, but was put on reserve list.
Brie, extra bookkeeping is a good idea, thank you.
Housebuyer143, food for thought. Althought in banking, like in many big institutions, there's no promotions as such. There're opportunities from time to time, to apply for higher grade role and you'll get it or not. 
When I already accepted my post, I've been contacted by two accounting companies. I just want further development so much.

How many CS positions have you applied for? You've got a merit list for one, which means you were good enough to appoint, but someone else was better on the day...

Use the examples you put in that application for other CS applications - you may get merit listed (although I've appointed off merit lists several times in the last few years) but at some point you'll be the top scorer...

Amara

Hi Emmia. I applied for a few CS jobs. once accepted for an interview for a 30k job, but got rejected. I've always got rejected , when I applied for better paid vacancy.

housebuyer143

Have you considered leaving banking? There are quite a few entry level jobs at the council/uni and places like that which start close to £24k for literally admin with minimal experiance. If you want to push for/apply for a more challenging role at these places I have seen them advertised at £30k+. I appreciate it's hard though if all your experience is in banking to break out of that. I would say though to keep applying - if you get interviews for £30k jobs then they think you are capable, you just need to beat out the others, which you only need to do once. I personally don't like the interview style of the council and other public service jobs and struggle at those interviews.

If you want to upskill some kind of management skills is probably a good idea for higher paying jobs.