not au pair material

cliona8969

i've been out of work since summer 2007 and i'm desperately seeking some work. im currently making money by being an au pair but its high time i got better work. i hate kids!!!!!!! how hard is it to find an office job at the moment? is it worth my while trying? also how are the temping agencies getting on? are they any good? if i could get my foot in the door that would be a start i reckon..

MyKeyG

cliona8969 wrote: »

i've been out of work since summer 2007 and i'm desperately seeking some work. im currently making money by being an au pair but its high time i got better work. i hate kids!!!!!!! how hard is it to find an office job at the moment? is it worth my while trying? also how are the temping agencies getting on? are they any good? if i could get my foot in the door that would be a start i reckon..

Well a friend of mine and five of her colleagues were just made redundant at one of the mobile service providers because they're outsourcing to India so things are still on the decline work wise no matter what the papers say. I'm like you. I lost my office job in 09 and I've been engaged in various forms of manual labour since. It's money but zero satisfaction. I know we're supposed to try and ride it out and some people will tell you to be thankful and that you're better off than most people (which you are) but it doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for satisfaction if it's within your grasp.

Personally I've had enough. I don't have the money to move for a job and I don't have a qualification to secure one. Your situation may be different but basically what I'm saying is that if you're stuck hating your job try to balance it out with something hopeful. I'm reapplying as a mature student and will be entitled to back to education allowance and free to work on the side. It's better than getting job seekers when there are no jobs to seek.

Ultimately what I'm saying is if you have to ride it out then try to be as productive as possible while you do. When things pick up you can dive right back in. Many people are prepared to just sit and wait on pittance every week.

cliona8969

MyKeyG wrote: »

Well a friend of mine and five of her colleagues were just made redundant at one of the mobile service providers because they're outsourcing to India so things are still on the decline work wise no matter what the papers say. I'm like you. I lost my office job in 09 and I've been engaged in various forms of manual labour since. It's money but zero satisfaction. I know we're supposed to try and ride it out and some people will tell you to be thankful and that you're better off than most people (which you are) but it doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for satisfaction if it's within your grasp.

Personally I've had enough. I don't have the money to move for a job and I don't have a qualification to secure one. Your situation may be different but basically what I'm saying is that if you're stuck hating your job try to balance it out with something hopeful. I'm reapplying as a mature student and will be entitled to back to education allowance and free to work on the side. It's better than getting job seekers when there are no jobs to seek.

Ultimately what I'm saying is if you have to ride it out then try to be as productive as possible while you do. When things pick up you can dive right back in. Many people are prepared to just sit and wait on pittance every week.

thanks for this. what was the mobile services company if you dont mind my asking? are they completely going from ireland? is everybody in the company going to lose their jobs?

MyKeyG

cliona8969 wrote: »

thanks for this. what was the mobile services company if you dont mind my asking? are they completely going from ireland? is everybody in the company going to lose their jobs?

Um I don't know if I can say because I'm not sure it's public knowledge yet but it's one of the big two and they're closing a number of their stores as well. But they are not leaving Ireland.

The roles in particular that are being outsourced are what my friend describes as 'unqualified' in other words you walk in and train on the job. Her position was on the quality assurance team. My position was an accounts administrator. I had no formal training but I was hired from Customer Care and picked it up on the job. When it came to cut numbers my experience was insufficient. The thing about having a qualification is that it in effect adds four years onto your experience no matter how long you've been at a company. I'm not saying it's a guarantee but it's a help.

So the rule of thumb seems to be that if an unqualified role can be passed on with limited training required then it will be.

cliona8969

Thanks for this. I'm just curious how many jobs will go due to the mobile providers outsourcing? Will the main head office for the company in question close or will just a few people lose their jobs? Finally.. When will the recession be over and jobs easier to get?

Marcin_diy

cliona8969 wrote: »

i've been out of work since summer 2007 and i'm desperately seeking some work. im currently making money by being an au pair but its high time i got better work. i hate kids!!!!!!! how hard is it to find an office job at the moment? is it worth my while trying? also how are the temping agencies getting on? are they any good? if i could get my foot in the door that would be a start i reckon..

What qualifications have you got in the past 5 years to get better job? What kind of office job you are looking for?
My wife got an office job ( fund accountant)just after she passed her first acca exam. She worked in the shop before. Other thing is that most of the international companies will require a 3rd level degree, but it should not be problem to get something in 5 years?

Marcin_diy

cliona8969 wrote: »

Thanks for this. I'm just curious how many jobs will go due to the mobile providers outsourcing? Will the main head office for the company in question close or will just a few people lose their jobs? Finally.. When will the recession be over and jobs easier to get?

SKY is opening its customer service office later this year. - they will be looking for 800 people. Maybe you could browse UK job offers from sky, see what requirements they have and prepare a little bit for an interview?


Other suggestion is to browse job offers on Irish websites and take a note of certifications or skills they require and try to get any of these certs?
You can get a job is you show your employer that you have willingness to educate and to get new skills. - start doing something, put this info in CV and start sending cvs.

mysteries1984

MyKeyG wrote: »

Um I don't know if I can say because I'm not sure it's public knowledge yet but it's one of the big two and they're closing a number of their stores as well. But they are not leaving Ireland.

It is public knowledge, and has been almost since they themselves found out.

It's Vodafone.

MyKeyG

mysteries1984 wrote: »

It is public knowledge, and has been almost since they themselves found out.

It's Vodafone.

No it's not in actual fact. Everyone and their dog knows about the Vodafone outsourcing.

MyKeyG

cliona8969 wrote: »

Thanks for this. I'm just curious how many jobs will go due to the mobile providers outsourcing? Will the main head office for the company in question close or will just a few people lose their jobs? Finally.. When will the recession be over and jobs easier to get?

The company in question is not closing their head office but it is where the outsourcing is happening. As I said if it can be outsourced easy enough it probably will be.

Gurgle

MyKeyG wrote: »

Well a friend of mine and five of her colleagues were just made redundant at one of the mobile service providers because they're outsourcing to India

That's an oft-repeated story and its nice to roll out such a reason for losing a job, but is it in any way actually true?

I heard* that Vodafone hire & fire in a constant cycle and the only people who are kept past their probation period are the ones who at least come close to meeting their targets.

@OP, Do you have any qualifications? Experience?
There's this recession thing going on, a lot of competition for all jobs. You need to have a real meaningful skill-set to set yourself above 400,000 others and get one.

* Yes, I really heard this. Yes, from someone I believe. No, I'm not providing a source. Take it or leave it.

MyKeyG

Gurgle wrote: »

That's an oft-repeated story and its nice to roll out such a reason for losing a job, but is it in any way actually true?

Yes which is why I said it:rolleyes:. I wouldn't have expected a mod to be so antagonistic. Actually wait, yes I would.

I heard* that Vodafone hire & fire in a constant cycle and the only people who are kept past their probation period are the ones who at least come close to meeting their targets.

I already said it wasn't Vodafone so in future you might be better off to read all the posts before contradicting someones statement. Quite frankly it means nothing to me whether you believe me or not. I refuse to be dragged into a pithy debate with a know it all.

Gurgle

MyKeyG wrote: »

Yes which is why I said it:rolleyes:. I wouldn't have expected a mod to be so antagonistic. Actually wait, yes I would.

Its going to happen a lot when you make up "dem foreigners ruined our country" stories.

Mrs OBumble

MyKeyG wrote: »

Yes which is why I said it:rolleyes:. I wouldn't have expected a mod to be so antagonistic. Actually wait, yes I would.

Gurgle is not a moderator in this forum, so is not expected to behave any differently to a regular poster.

If you have a problem with his/her posts, please use the report-post button in the left-hand pane beside the post.

Less of the spatting, please, and more constructive advice for the OP.


/moderation

mysteries1984

MyKeyG wrote: »

No it's not in actual fact. Everyone and their dog knows about the Vodafone outsourcing.

What, the other of the 'big two' are also outsourcing to the same country?

@OP, I went from one office-type job into another immediately, more or less - I interviewed for one and got it, then handed in my notice in the other. If you have office experience it should be okay. I can't comment on temping agencies as I've no experience with them, but I wanted to say the office job finding can be done. I applied for two jobs, got an interview for one and got it. I was lucky, obviously, but they are out there. Keep plugging away.