A little help, please.

[The Nur]

For what I am about to write I am truly sorry.

I'm unemployed and have been for a while. Whilst in school education wasn't my priority so I have practically no formal qualifications and have worked menial jobs ever since but am currently unemployed and have been for a year.

I have tried to further my education a number of times, unsuccessfully and embarrassingly, since leaving school. The first time I tried a degree I was not prepared for it and also made a poor choice in the degree that I took and dropped out not long after. Years passed and I decided to try again, beginning an "access" course in business that I completed with a good grade (not exactly difficult) which led to me beginning a degree in Aberystwyth.

This went south at the end of the first year. I returned home and immediately applied to my hometown University to continue but was told that I had to change course as there was nothing similar enough for me to continue with. After beginning again my local authority decided that I had to pay for my first years education as I had already used 2 years worth of funding, that way my second and final years would be paid for. Unfortunately this meant that I had to attend university full time and work full time to pay my way, something that I just couldn't do whilst studying and also deal with family problems so, unsurprisingly, I dropped out. Essentially, all I have to show for my attempts at bettering myself are large gaps in my CV where I have not been employed but have not achieved anything with this time either. Quite frankly I feel as though I should just give up sometimes. I am 26 years old and have no skills, no worthwhile experience, nothing of value most employers. I even get the feeling that my name does me a disservice as it has a hyphen in it, something that doesn't go down well in South Wales as they think I am a "posh ". I genuinely do get more of a response if I drop the hyphen and use the first half of my surname as my middle name.

Basically, at the moment I am having a very hard time of it. I have worked in pubs, retail, etc but I just can't get a job anywhere and I need help to figure out how I can fix this before I go postal. I just want one person to give me a chance to do something more than work in a call centre or supermarket or pub. I've even considered just moving abroad, working a menial bullst job somewhere else and being a failure in peace, away from the feeling of being a failure amongst my peers here and the judgement that goes with it. To be honest, that one sounds the most viable at the moment. I've tried most everything else

So does anybody have any ideas as to how I may better my situation? Or the number for any good bars that are employing abroad? I am aware that there are government training schemes available for those in my sort of situation but getting any information without trotting along to the job centre and queuing with the heroin addicts seems is something I haven't managed yet.

I would really appreciate the input of somebody who has been in my position in particular but if anything has anything to put in to this I am truly grateful.

Thanks very much.

TL;DR? Rambling self involved doomy miserable rant.

[DuraAce]

Join the Forces? Loads of different jobs available.

They'll take almost anyone (they must do 'cos they took me!)

[The Nur]

I suppose that is an avenue for consideration, it would certainly open me up to other possibilities after I had finished...

I'll give it some thought, thanks.

[Shay HTFC]

www.workaway.info if you just need a little bit of time out doing some volunteering away from it all.

How feasible is it for you to pay for a one way ticket to Australia and do a working holiday out there. Plenty of money to be had working in the farms and in otherwise menial jobs just to get you on your feet a bit more. (plus its full of people in exactly the same position as you so you'll get a bit of camaraderie out of it)

Other than that, swallow your pride and go in as an entry level chef/barista/tradesman and look to establish yourself in something at least.

I had a look at joining NATS the other year too. If you have the right type of brain you can get in without any experience from elsewhere. ( http://www.nats.aero/careers/ )

[The Nur]

Shay HTFC said:

www.workaway.info if you just need a little bit of time out doing some volunteering away from it all.

How feasible is it for you to pay for a one way ticket to Australia and do a working holiday out there. Plenty of money to be had working in the farms and in otherwise menial jobs just to get you on your feet a bit more. (plus its full of people in exactly the same position as you so you'll get a bit of camaraderie out of it)

Other than that, swallow your pride and go in as an entry level chef/barista/tradesman and look to establish yourself in something at least.

I had a look at joining NATS the other year too. If you have the right type of brain you can get in without any experience from elsewhere. ( http://www.nats.aero/careers/ )

Wow, the workaday link looks really great and is something I would be interested in but unfortunately (something I forgot to mention in the OP) I am saddled with debt. Not a phenomenal amount but enough to tie me down until I can sort it out. Apart from that the workaway link looks like something I would be definitely be interested in as it would help me learn another language and open up some opportunities for me in that direction.

Unfortunately the debt knocks the Australia thing out too, although I have got a friend who works for Virgin Atlantic so I could get there for very little.. Although I have got a friend who is out there at the moment and he says that there isn't as much work available as people are making out over this side of the water. Whether that is true or not I do not know. It is something I am interested in though.

NATS, you say? Very interesting, I shall have a look. Thanks Shay

[R60EST]

If no one else will employ you , employ yourself : become self employed and build up a small business or become a sub-contractor

You can start as a self employed courier with minimal start up costs , ( hire van plus 2 weeks fuel ) or contract cleaning offices / industrial window cleaning . Or take up a course on becoming a lock-smith , drainage technician , gardener ( grounds maintenance for commercial properties )

The early stages are hard work but with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit , determination and a little luck you can make a good living

[The Nur]

R60EST said:

If no one else will employ you , employ yourself : become self employed and build up a small business or become a sub-contractor

You can start as a self employed courier with minimal start up costs , ( hire van plus 2 weeks fuel ) or contract cleaning offices / industrial window cleaning . Or take up a course on becoming a lock-smith , drainage technician , gardener ( grounds maintenance for commercial properties )

The early stages are hard work but with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit , determination and a little luck you can make a good living

Self employment is something I have been looking into but I just don't know what to do, to be honest. All the courses I can find local to me are all crap and not of any worth to someone in my position really

I keep looking all the time but nothing ever changes. Thankyou though, I'll keep looking and move slightly further afield

[The Nur]

One thing I completely forgot to mention, which gives you an indication of how much faith I have in it...

I have done the interviews for a DVLA job and even received an email saying that I was successful in the interview but my application has been put on "hold". They are recruiting for 100 jobs to cover the closure of the regional offices so there are jobs going and I have been through the process and been accepted but it means nothing to me at the moment. They say that my application will be on "hold" for up to 12 months...

So basically I may have a job, but I may not and they expect me to wait for 12 months, which is fking st.

[R60EST]

The Nur said:

R60EST said:

If no one else will employ you , employ yourself : become self employed and build up a small business or become a sub-contractor

You can start as a self employed courier with minimal start up costs , ( hire van plus 2 weeks fuel ) or contract cleaning offices / industrial window cleaning . Or take up a course on becoming a lock-smith , drainage technician , gardener ( grounds maintenance for commercial properties )

The early stages are hard work but with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit , determination and a little luck you can make a good living

Self employment is something I have been looking into but I just don't know what to do, to be honest. All the courses I can find local to me are all crap and not of any worth to someone in my position really

I keep looking all the time but nothing ever changes. Thankyou though, I'll keep looking and move slightly further afield

Just to give you another example , not something I've done personally but I know someone who does and this is how he started

Block Paving / Cleaning

If you were employed by someone , they would drop you off at the client , set up the machinery give you 10 minutes training and leave you to it for the day ( large driveway ) and pay you minimum wage , you make about £50

As a self employed person you'd be charging £400+ for the same job , direct to the customer.



Get some leaflets printed for driveway cleaning , spend 1 or 2 days dropping them through the letterboxes of people with driveways that have seen better days. When you get enough responses / orders to make up 1 weeks work hire a van and a decent pressure washer / surface cleaner and literally clean up.

Add to the service you offer by coming back once the job had dried out and re-sand the driveway and / or seal the blocks to preserve the results. The profit margin on the various sealers on offer is unreal.

My drive is not massive and I'd been quoted over £1100 for the above service from other companies

None of the above is difficult , you probably already know how to do it and if not you could learn how in next to no time by watching tutorials on line

This may be something you'd wait until spring to start but by the end of the autumn you could have your own van and equipment and be building up a good reputation / sound business for the future.

Surface cleaner in action , it's not exactly hard work.

Not someone I know , just one I picked on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qqb_5WWslM

Edited by R60EST on Wednesday 4th December 20:43

[The Nur]

R60EST said:

Good stuff.

Thanks, a service like that is something I hadn't really considered before and it definitely has scope. With that in mind I can do some numbers analysis and see what would be best suited to the area I live in.

Honestly, thank you. You've given me something to seriously think about here, I owe you a beer :cheers:

[scdan4]

Move - find a good job and move to it. Go to the bright lights and find employment.

or Train - find a trade - sparky, chippy, bricky, you name it. Find one, offer to work for lunch for a week to see if you like it, work hard, be cheap, get taken on. Get the skills to pay the bills.

or Educate - post 18 / adult education courses. Loads available - book keeping, welding, nursing again, you name it. Find something, try hard, excel, do well.

or Travel. Leg it. Leave the EU and plan not to return, no debt worries. I have a friend who hitched to portugal with only £30 in his pocket. Eat in supermarkets on the way, sleep rough. (Don't drink)

or Travel - get a ski season chalet boy job, knob the chalet girls, live rent free, pay off debts slowly. (Don't drink)

Just don't sit there saying If only, I wish, In another life I would've.... You only get this chance, use it!