General Chat

Well it’s official as of yesterday like thousands of others I have lost my job. 15 years 6 months there so I think I should get around £4000 redundancy. I’ll likely find out at my first official meeting on Thursday.

Mr Owl is working and we paid cash for our flat so we’re not totally up the creek. I will improve my computer skills with the new laptop Mr Owl bought me and then hopefully I’ll be able to apply for another job (Most Job’s at the moment are data entry).

One of the first times the fact I’m stubborn might be useful and at 36 fingers crossed but hopefully I’m still employable and not considered too much of a risk.

Good luck Tawny.
I've been unemployed since February - and after that, (due to covid) the chances of a job were slim.
I've applied for numerous jobs, and just received emails turning me down.
However, I've got an interview on Wednesday!
Mind you, realistically, my chances of getting a job are slim - I'm in my 60's.
You're a lot younger than me, but more experienced than the 'youff', so hopefully finding a job will be a lot easier! :-D

Thank you Maggie. I’ll have my fingers crossed for you on Wednesday too.

Good luck on Wednesday, Maggie.

Tawny, I am sorry you are in this position and hope things work out well with updating your computer skills and finding new employment. Who knows what exciting new things are ahead?

Lizxx

Thank you Liz

Aww, Tawny sorry to hear this <3 <3

I can remember when I was made redundant from my first job after a similar amount of time as you. It was almost as if I went through a type of grieving process ie denial, anger, acceptance etc

I can also remember thinking I'd never get another job, but I did! It was a job completely different to what I'd been used to doing, a part time cashier in a bank but I retired a Bank Manager!

I know things are different at the moment with a lot of people loosing their jobs but I just wanted you to know that by adding more strings to my bow it opened up a completely new career for me!

Good Luck, Tawny.....there is a job with your name on it out there<3

Good luck Tawny. Improving skills - (if your local college is open) aren't you entitled to go on courses free as an unemployed person?

Good luck Tawny. It looks like you have the right attitude, improving your skills is the way to go I am sure. and, who knows, this may prove to be a chance for something new and interesting.

One thing I noticed in the paper, someone who had advertised a job position with a form to fill in was annoyed with all the applicants who had not read the instructions and, instead of filling in the required form had sent in their CVs. They were not considered.

Good luck with the interview Maggie.

Thank you Belle, Pat and Ann. The hardest part is getting Mr Owl to understand I might not be able to just walk into another job due to the current climate and we might need to be more careful with our spending if I don’t have another job by the time my redundancy money runs out.

We can more than manage on his salary alone. He earns more now on his own than the two of us were earning combined when we first bought the flat. Mr will just have to give up his twice weekly takeout and cider binges.

I’ll need to see if the college is open but I may also find online courses for improving computer skills.

Dear Tawny

Hello

I am very sorry to read this.

You are a baby!

There are many discount courses on offer at reed.co.uk.

They are evidence of continuing professional development and a wide range are available.

First aid and safety matters are dealt with by protrainings at this website.

Hope this helps.

Take gentle care of yourself and Mr Owl.
Very best wishes and love
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Tawny, while you improve your skills, do take any work you can get even if it's part-time or not what you want as you don't know what opportunities might arise from it - as well as the fact that it will add to the coffers.

One of my friend's sons, a little older than you, is not inclined to do work that he thinks is 'beneath' him.

As a contrast, one of my grocery delivery drivers during lockdown was a dentist who could not work in his field at that time. He had no children but he did have himself to keep, as he said. I admired his attitude.

Although my friend's son is presentable, fit, educated to degree level and has re-trained, it seems that his brain is lacking a gear when it comes to work ethics. He is causing his mother a lot of anguish because of his attitude and I dread to think what his partner is feeling or what would happen if she found herself out of work too.

This has been going on for a helluva long time (well over two years) and now I get the impression that he is feeling demoralised.

Under normal circumstances I would have felt sorry for someone who is feeling that way, but I find it hard to feel sympathy for someone who has turned down opportunities offered to him by family, friends and acquaintances because he feels that work 'beneath' him.

Sorry to say but I feel more sorry for his mother than I do for him at the moment. :-(

Thank you Elizabeth and JoyLouise. Previous jobs have included a children’s indoor soft play and most recently a paid charity shop job. I’m not frightened of work. I’ve been told I’m losing my job but my work hasn’t gone through due process yet. That starts this week. I’ll start improving my skills this week and wait for my work place to start due process.

I’ll take what I can get though after my work starts the process this week.

I do know another young man though who turns 30 next year and he’s yet to find his first job. Like your friends son only certain jobs will do. He drives his mother to distraction.

Good luck Tawny. <3

JoyLouise, what a pain in the neck your friend's son seems!

Diverse employment, even if temporary, can only be for the good, it shows an ability to adapt, to environment, situations and people!
My CV goes back about 30 years, which is mainly office work, or working in schools with special needs children.
However, prior to that, I trained as a 'Nanny', then I was a temp for just over 2 years, which initially involved putting the walnuts on walnut whips, the 'hundreds and thousands' on mallow ice creams, and sealing bags of buns - I lasted a week! From there, I worked for 2 years as a printer in a psychiatric hospital.
Then I worked at Portsmouth Dockyard, initially in the secretariat, dealing with confidential messages from ships, which I found boring, so worked on Reception.
Next job? Fishwife! :-D We moved to Shetland, lived in a tent on th edge of town and the fish processing factory was nearby.
We moved near to Sumburgh airport where I accidentally got a job as PA to the Site Foreman on building the extension to the airport.
Moved to Dumfries - I was a 'tractor prepper' - I took all the packaging off newly imported 'Zetor' tractors, and put oil, water, fuel etc where needed.
Then, we moved to Essex, where I was an Ag Lab/spud riddler for just over 2 years - until I was sacked for being pregnant :-|
Moved to a village in Hampshire, (by now, with a toddler and a baby) where I was asked to become a cleaner at a student hostel for game keeping students. No-one wanted to do it, because you'd occasionally find dead animals there - I did it :-D

After that, it was a school job for 7 years, then I took my degree, after that it was school/office jobs. I'd love to go back to work in a factory, but there aren't any nearby :-(
Before the pandemic, I had no problem getting temp jobs with the Council, but they've now 'outsourced' their employment team, and, I've heard, they use an algorithm :-( In future, I may have to lie about my age.

Not algorithms again!

I think they should be banned.

Tawny. I did CLAIT courses at the local college some years ago I think you can now do them online, but maybe at a cost. I preferred the course to the EDCL which was all the rage at the time.
Good luck.

Maggie, he is the bane of his Mum's life at the moment - and has been for a few years. She is a worrier and I know that her health is definitely suffering. I feel sorry for her as that particular child used to be the apple of her eye - you know, 'the golden child'.

Her other, younger, child finished college at 18, did a couple of low-paid jobs, was constantly skitted by the brother for doing the work he was doing but eventually he found his niche, skitted again for starting at the bottom, but he has emerged as a highly-paid engineer, the company he worked for having put him through his degree and paid him while he was so doing. I have come across several engineers in my time but he is the best I have ever seen - see-it, make-it. You can see his mind working when he sees a piece of machinery.

As different as chalk and cheese in attitude - and I really feel for my friend.


You have done a variety of work, Maggie, more varied work than I have done although I did change tack twice. I hope you are successful on Wednesday.

I agree Joy.....my Cousin was a Virgin Pilot before Covid and is now loading vans for Sainsbury's.....needs must :-0

Quite so, Belle.

I admire the up-and-at-em spirit. :-D

My 18 year old grand daughter wants to work in health. Her BBF wants to train as a paramedic. Fortunately, they'd both decided not to do anything this year, but when her BBF starts training, she's going with him, to do nursing.
Meanwhile, the owner of the local pub she's worked at since she was 14, was looking to train someone as a manager. My grand daughter didn't apply - the pub owner 'had a word' - apparently, she was the main reason he wanted to train up a manager. The owner has had the pub 2 years. He works far too hard, and has had at least 2 heart attacks - he's 29! He said he wants her to run it when he's 'incapacitated'.
She told him she doesn't want a job in hospitality, but agreed to train as a deputy manager.

After this, it transpires, the landlord has recently acquired another pub - just down the road - the REAL reason he wanted my grand daughter to train as a manager - so she could run it. She works there now. :-D

It's a good skill to have as an 'extra', to give her some money when she's a student.

My elder granddaughter did animal husbandry at 6th form college and passed with flying colours.

There were no local jobs available, she didn't drive and didn't want to live away from home, so took anything she could get to tide her over.

Now she is working at a school for disabled children and loves it. After two trial years the job has just been made permanent, so all is well.