what do i do

[leighkaty]

i haven't worked for quite some years now as i have a young family and havent really needed to due to my partner having a good job, however my children are in full time school and now i would like to get out there and earn a living so to speak but i dont know where to start, no one is going to employ me as i havent worked for yrs and i dont really have any qualfications, what do i do, im willing to do some sort of yts or even go back to college but i actually dont even know what i want to do, id like something interesting any ideas, i willing to put the hard work in, i am only quite young.

[Jules001]

I was in a similar situation to you a few years ago and I volunteered to help out in the school my children attended, going on school trips initially, then helping in the classroom and then asked to cover some library sessions. This in turn led me to hear about a vacancy for a Teaching Assistant/Learning Support Assistant, I approached the Head about the vacancy and expressed an interest, I was told the job would need to be advertised, which it was, I applied, got the job and worked there for several years. Might be worth trying this route, if you are interested. It is very rewarding.

[leighkaty]

thankyou jules001 you've given me something to think about there, im not sure however working with children is something im interested in full time, with having 3 of my own, but this could be a step in the right direction for me getting out there and onto the employment ladder

[pingping]

how about doing some voluntary work in a local charity shop. This would give you experience in customer service, stock checks, budgeting, ordering etc which could lead to a career in retail.

[loublou1971]

Most of my friends with kids worked at the school as dinner ladies/ class assistants etc it's a great way to start. I did party plan once a week and also cleaning jobs, just to get me started. I suggest you start from what you know either from jobs you did before you had the kids or better still using a skill you learnt since you had the kids. What interests you?

[isis4691]

Two years ago I started some adult ed courses because thinking about going back to work I realised that I needed to be IT literate. I have since passed my ECDL in computing (this is approx the same level that you need for an office etc) and I volunteer two days a week at a playschool, and one day a week I am a computor buddy at my local library. All of this has given me work experiance and the confidence to return to work next year. If college is difficult to fit in with family commitments then maybe your local adult ed could provide the answer, they have a wide range of subjects to choose from most of which have a qualification at the end.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.