From money but no time to time but no money.....

[LadyArowana]

Sorry to hear your news Feltwell, but I echo what others have said and think it could turn out to be an unexpected opportunity. A bit of time to finish a few projects and then before you know it there will be another job opening. In fact if you are fairly fluent in all things football I hear there are a couple of rather well paid jobs with "Sky". You would of course have to tuck in your own microphone and maintain a certain sense of decorum as regards the ladies and their attributes, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Moo]

they all lived happily ever after.

Mr Moo definitely included.

Right on the button, as usual, Penners.

 

[vicky whitworth]

So sorry Feltwell. It's grim out there. As an HR manager for a charity I have had to start giving notice of redundancy this week to our employees. It is the most horrid thing I ever have to do. We try to do it with the most care and compassion we can but if you are losing your job that is small recompence. Completely hard working, genuine employees are losing their jobs but as that nice Mr Maceroon says, 'THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE. IT IS ALL THE FAULT OF THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT'. Oh and by the way, let's sell off the odd forest here and there... How did we all sit back and let this happen? It's so sad.
V

 

[Moo]

How did we all sit back and let this happen?

We kept an incompetent government in power for far too long.

 

[Feltwell]

Thanks everyone for all your comments. I am genuinely OK about it - it's far from ideal, but in many ways it's giving me the push I needed to go and find a better employer. I would love to do the "jack it all in and get a much more stress free job" - but am too young and have too many bills to pay!

if you are fairly fluent in all things football I hear there are a couple of rather well paid jobs with "Sky". You would of course have to tuck in your own microphone and maintain a certain sense of decorum as regards the ladies and their attributes, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem.

Alas the male fascination with football escapes me in the same way that the female fascination with shoes does! I blame being dragged to watch Crewe Alex as a yoof, it's enough to put anyone off the game for life. Oh, that and the sadistic PE teachers at school.

As an HR manager for a charity I have had to start giving notice of redundancy this week to our employees. It is the most horrid thing I ever have to do.

I'm not an HR manager, but my worst work day ever by a long way was when I had to tell 10 people in a single day they were losing their jobs, all people I had worked with through some very difficult times. I was only 23, the youngest of them was still twice my age.

I'm sorting out the deal with work this week - it definitely won't be a big corporate-style pay off, but I can hopefully screw enough cash out of them to realistically last until I can find another role.

 

[AMc]

Sorry to hear your news Feltwell. I'm a year younger and got made redundant back in 2006 quite unexpectedly having just jumped from a safe, dull job into a more exciting and interesting and worse paid one. With only 6 months service I got nothing at all and they laughably expected me to turn up for the months notice. I finished my existing work and cleared my desk. We'd just accepted an offer on the house and planned on relocating to Norfolk so we did anyway. I did all the packing

I then got offered a little bit of remote consulting for my previous employer which kept the wolf from the door while my partner pursued her career for a couple of years. That dried up a while back and with the exception of a short lucrative contract I've been out of (paid) work since April 2009. I've been working on the house, solo with no real funds since then which is satisfying in parts, frustrating in others. The endless to do list and no deadline makes it hard to focus and the day to day ends up slowing you down a little.

I'm now retraining myself to go back to animation/3D design which I left a long time ago chasing money... and timetabling finishing the house.

A bit of friendly advice. Take the notice period as an opportunity to get your Linked In network established, give your professional contacts your own phone number, email address and an up to date CV BEFORE you leave work. Somehow it all has more grativas when you're still working.
Give yourself a bit of 'free time' after your end date when you take some time to do things for yourself that aren't work, hunting for work or labouring then a time you'll start looking for work.

I try and divide my time between looking for work/training and working on the house. I attempt to set weeks when I'll do one and not the other otherwise you always feel like you should be doing one thing when you're doing other and neither gets your attention.

It's easy to drift into time wasting activities (that's why it's 11am and I'm on here) so try and keep the computer off when you should be working on the house and avoid turning on the TV at all costs!

Most people I know have ended up with better jobs either in money or satisfaction. I'm sure you'll be fine - a friend of mine described being made redundant as "the best career move I never made".

 

[Penners]

Most people I know have ended up with better jobs either in money or satisfaction. I'm sure you'll be fine - a friend of mine described being made redundant as "the best career move I never made".

The very phrase that I use to describe my retirement!

 

[Feltwell]

Blimey AMc - you're scaring me, if I don't find work within 9 months at most I'm, to put it bluntly, screwed. Mrs F doesn't work as she is a full-time mum, she's a teacher by profession and may be able to pick up some agency work but it's very hit & miss and not at all well paid.

I'm pretty sure I'll get sorted in that period, if necessary dropping salary expectations or (if I really have to) looking elsewhere in the country.

Sitting down to negotiate the deal with my boss (who is a tightwad) tomorrow - so we'll see how it goes!

Thanks for the tips - you're right about the TV, I'm a sucker for old war films, which always seem to be on during the day. If I switch on and find "Ice Cold in Alex" or similar on I'll never get anything done!

 

[Flyfisher]

It's easy to drift into time wasting activities (that's why it's 11am and I'm on here) so try and keep the computer off when you should be working on the house and avoid turning on the TV at all costs!

Radio is the answer as it doesn't monopolise your attention.

The TV is not a problem for me but I confess to leaving the PC on for most of the day. If the damn things didn't take minutes to boot up then I'd switch them off until needed, which is many times throughout a typical day.

 

[christinawoodward]

I'm in FE and the Government funding cuts are making everyone a bit twitchy. Worse still I'm in the library. If it comes to it I'm going to try for a position at B&Q for the staff discounts. So many useful things like wood filler. Things always change, it's one thing you can rely on.

 

[AMc]

Blimey AMc - you're scaring me, if I don't find work within 9 months at most I'm, to put it bluntly, screwed. Mrs F doesn't work as she is a full-time mum, she's a teacher by profession and may be able to pick up some agency work but it's very hit & miss and not at all well paid.

Don't panic my situation isn't usual!
When we first met I was the major earner but the reason we moved was to support a career move for my partner which quite quickly meant she was making as much money on her own as we had been making combined. Someone has to do the school runs etc.
My location is a major obstacle to finding a full time job in my field of expertise - if money were tight I'd be at the station at 7am and back in London by now but thankfully it isn't.

 

[MdB]

Bad luck Feltwell I'm sorry to hear about the job.

I left my last job 18 months ago as I fell out with the Boss and set up on my own. Best thing I've ever done and something worth considering. It isn't for everyone but worth a go if you have suitable expertise to make it sensible.

 

[Feltwell]

Well, bit of an update....

Firstly thank you to everyone for all your comments and messages of support back in February, both on here and by PM.

Secondly, I got offered the job I really wanted today, which is a result! It's taken a while - I first saw this company at the beginning of Feb - apparently they struggled to get suitable candidates to stick in front of the MD, who insisted he wanted to see 3 people minimum, hence the delay. Just sorting out the details now but I've arranged it so I can start in 4 weeks time, get a bit more time here to finish jobs off & spend half term with the kids.

I was actually sat on another job offer, it was OK but it was one I didn't really want - selling my soul to Satan furthering the profits of the evil Tesco! Being serious, I'm sure they are fine to work for, just not really what I wanted to do, especially long term.

So, since leaving work at the end of Feb I've been interviewed for 3 positions and offered 2 - I'm pretty happy at that strike rate!

Best of luck to all you others who are looking for work - it is out there, keep at it!

 

[MatthewC]

Well done from all of us. That must be a great weight lifted, especially not having to work for Tesco. :roll:

Matthew
(retired early last year)

 

[skier-hughes]

Excellent news!!

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Congratulations, hope it all goes well for you.

 

[LadyArowana]

That's really good news, no pressure to get all the projects finished :lol:

 

[AMc]

Good for you!

 

[Schoolmarm]

Fantastic news!

 

[Nigel Watts]

Congratulations!

I had a breakfast meeting with some City folk this morning about a part-time directorship of a private equity backed start-up. Could be interesting.....