starting over in work
In response to a letter from a mother about starting over in work, having moved from abroad with a teanager following a break up from a long term relationship with the father........
Dear *****
For some 'inspiration' there are some shared stories on my resource sos village site which is a good place to start - opening your mind to new ideas is key and looking at what other people have done when needing to change direction can be useful. http://sosvillage.org/redundancy/your-story-redundancy
At 41 you are still young! Since that age I have self-taught myself how to create websites, blog, run a business and make my own online videos and podcasts! I've also acquired some teaching qualifications which are useful as I teach French now at my kid's school - all whilst bringing up 3 young kids on my own. But all these things were done because I wanted - or needed - to learn them, not as a direct 'earn some money quick' philosophy, but as a way of getting the skills I needed to progress my business and also to indulge myself in things that I love and care about (like teaching).
My personal advice is to do the following:
If all you need is paid employment, then JobCentre Plus is an obvious place to start. Also, local shops/community centres often have cards up requesting help of various kinds. If you need quick part-time work, taking your CV and a smiley face into local shops/businesses and telling them you are looking for work is about the best way, if you are flexible about the kind of work you could do and are happy to learn. The internet makes finding relevant firms and contact names and numbers relatively easy - and taking the initiative and calling people up, bothering to go and visit them and find out what they do, can be a great way to end up with paid employment. It also allows you to find out what your 'ideal' employers really need - in case there are other skills it would be worth you developing.
If you qualify for working tax credit (this does not include child support payments from the father as part of the assessment - just 'income') then it gives a basic amount of money (about the same as signing-on) only you can earn a reasonable bit of money before they take away the support amount. If you wanted to set up your own business as a holistic healer, pastry maker or basket weaver, for example, you could do this on working tax credit. The Inland Revenue have an information line to Working Tax Credit so give them a call if this could be useful to you - you need to work at least 16 hours a week (which is easy - just marketing your business will take up that!). Even if you are not earning any income from your business initially that is not a problem - it will allow you time to build it up until you can draw a salary. It means if you want to go that route (with a bit of other paid work to keep your head above water) this would allow you to follow your heart and create a living in the longer term from something you really want to do.
If you want to train in something that you really can put your heart into and want to be doing for some time, look at the skills you need to develop to do that and then find people who you can be an apprentice to, or even get paid to work with them and learn 'on the job'. This may mean doing jobs you don't want to stay in for a long time (!) in order to meet the bills or even to get some basic skills and experience to take you where you want to go - but as long as it is all part of the plan then it will be something you find worthwhile. There is so much training available through the internet - you can learn to type and business skills in the evening if you are unable to afford full time courses - though the Job Centre may be able to provide help with such courses. The key is to focus on what you want to end up doing, and plan the staging posts on how you will get there, acquire the necessary skills (I have sometimes worked for free initially in order to build up skills or useful business relationships), and don't get sidetracked by the pay packet. No point earning money if you are bored and miserable at facing each day - there is always a way to get paid (even if it's not a fortune) for doing things you really value and care about.
Other resources you may find useful if looking for ideas on starting a business of any kind, can be seen here.....
You have an opportunity now to choose what you want to be doing in 10 years time (when you will be STILL young!) so start now, plan the steps and head in that direction.
That's my advice for what it's worth, but really only you can discover what you want to do with your life now. It will be a great adventure! I look forward to you sharing in the near future 'your story' on the www.sosvillage.org website..... hopefully?
All the best and enjoy the journey....
