Job Help

LegacyUser

Hi

This is my first time writing on here, any help would be great..

Im in a job I hate, its mainly a call center (the company says its not) - listening to the public giving out all day! I dont shy away from hard work, i enjoy getting my head down and stuck into work. I have been in the company nearly 2 years and have made a good impact and have come very far.

I have kind of figured out what I want to do for a living.. but I have a mortgage and my neck is up in debt so Im stuck..

I would like to get into PR / Communications.. but no background in it, cant afford to go back to college or drop in money..

Is my future stuck in my currant job or is there a way out???

Oryx

job_help wrote:

Hi

This is my first time writing on here, any help would be great..

Im in a job I hate, its mainly a call center (the company says its not) - listening to the public giving out all day! I dont shy away from hard work, i enjoy getting my head down and stuck into work. I have been in the company nearly 2 years and have made a good impact and have come very far.

I have kind of figured out what I want to do for a living.. but I have a mortgage and my neck is up in debt so Im stuck..

I would like to get into PR / Communications.. but no background in it, cant afford to go back to college or drop in money..

Is my future stuck in my currant job or is there a way out???

Theres always a way out.:)
Being stuck in any job you hate will make you burn out and be unhappy. Ive heard that call centre workers need to change to something else after 18 months because of the stress levels!

Have you got the time to study from home? There are great distance learning possibilites out there. If you google distance learning or visit the Open University website you should see if anything is of interest. Also, find out what PR companies are near to you. Talk to their HR people about vacancies and what qualifications they require.

If your debt issues are bad, you can renegotiate with your bank for a short period or talk to MABS for help in getting on top of it, or to get a bit more breathing space.
Good luck!

botvot

I agree, you need to get out. I was stuck in admin jobs...mainly because it's always easy to find one, and recruiters seem to 'push' you into it, because you have experience etc.

At last I made a decision not to succumb so easily, and played a little hard ball to get what I want (after all, it's your life).

What are your other experiences? At least you can go into a PR job interview (either with a recruiter or possible employer) and brag about your loads of customer care/people skills experience, that should be a great start. Also, it sometimes take a little drop in salary to move up to greater heights later... you know, what is the most you'll ever in a call centre vs. dropping a little now to start at the bottom of the PR laddder and working upwards within a year, say. Must be better? At least you'll want to get up and go to work in another job;)

Good luck.

dudara

job_help wrote:

I would like to get into PR / Communications

I know money is an issue for you, but do get in touch with the Institute of Public Relations in Ireland and find out which courses they endorse or recommend. Then go check out the courses. Doing all that won't cost you a penny, but might help you decide what you'd like to do.

silvine

Check out Public Relations Institute of Ireland on www.prii.ie. There is loads of info on their website about courses and jobs available. They are quite helpful to talk to if you ring - and have some information DVDs.

You can should also check out the Fitzwilliams Institute at www.fitzwilliaminstitute.ie. They run a few PR courses too.

With regards to course the PRII courses are the industry accredited standard and the most recognised. You can also do them part time and at night which could suit your circumstances. And you will get some tax back on the fees. Look on it as an investment.

PR can be very hard to break into and there is a huge amount of overqualified people after a small amount of jobs.The pay is pants to start off with but gets very good as you move up.

The quickest way in is through contacts or work experience. Although I'm sure you will acquire both on the course. Maybe you could get some communications experience on the side with your current company?

I worked for a period in a job I absolutely hated and I also have a mortgage. I got out. Once gone you will wonder what the fuss was.

There is a discussion about working in PR on boards somewhere too.

Miss Fluff

DBS also run a course. If you have made a good impression at work why don't you ask your HR Department if they will fund some of your course for you?

The_Conductor

Contact your own HR department in work.
Often companies offer to pay for staff to do evening courses/third level courses. Its an excellent way of improving morale and motivating staff- and from the company's perspective its an entirely tax deductable expense..........