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The Why Don't You Get a Job Thread


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I mentioned a while ago the weekly newsletter email for people looking for writing careers sent out by Sian Meades. Just received the latest one, and thought there might be some people interested in the positions she's listed. If you want to sign up, here's the link: https://mailchi.mp/69d207801f23/freelancewritingjobs

 

  • The Sunday Times is hiring freelance digital sports subs.
     
  • This sounds really interesting: Vital Arts need a freelance researcher to help with their community dialysis cookbook.
     
  • Lifestyle blog The Pink House is hiring a digital and social media writer.
     
  • ITV News is recruiting a digital content producer and they welcome part-time and flexible working applications but do keep in mind that they still want people to do late shifts and work some weekends.
     
  • The Good Literary Agency is recruiting freelance editors on a per-project basis.
     
  • Bridgehead Media is hiring again. This time for Chinese-speaking journalists for music and entertainment and games and tech.
     
  • I tend to eye listings on Work In Startups with suspicion (the words "labour of love" get thrown about a lot in their ads), but I spotted that The Honestly Good Smoothie Company need a nutrition writer and it sounds alright.
     
  • There are so many freelance roles on Creative Recruitment's books at the moment that I don't have space to list them all. Here you go.
     
  • Air Recruitment has a gig for a freelance content manager. Three month contract, and it's with an agency so it's a good day rate.
     
  • Do you know about all things Spain and personal finance? Nudge is but they're expanding into Spain and they're hiring a personal finance writer. They're based in the UK so you can be, too.
     
  • This sounds really cool: journalism charity Headliners need a part-time project journalist.
     
  • Homeware company Wayfair is recruiting freelance German-English translators.
     
  • I doubt I'll ever use YouTube for anything other than watching 80s power ballad videos but the channel WatchMojo is hiring freelance script writers.
     
  • The digital content agency arm of Hg2 need a senior writer/editor.
     
  • Don't mind working nights and weekends? The Observer need a night production editor.
     
  • Ace Hotel is looking for a social media marketer to work 3-4 days a week.
     
  • Discovery Education need a temporary commissioning editor for its ELT digital resources. No word on the length of the gig.
     
  • I've saved a real goodie to the end: The London Creative Network programme needs freelance consultants to be on panels and run workshops. If you've got self-employed smarts and relevant experience that you think would help other creatives, jump on this.

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  • 2 months later...
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Got an interview with the DWP in the next few days. Feeling fairly confident about it but it all feels a bit more professional than any other interview I've done. A long application process with tests, then booking an interview in an hour and a half away in the head office rather than where I'll be looking to work.

I'm hoping to get it because the starting salary is significantly more than I've ever earned, even after two payrises and 4 years at Barclays.

Anyone else ever interviewed with the DWP/HMRC/etc? How is it? 

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It’s a competency based interview, normally you and two managers, neither of which you will probrably ever see again.  It will be based on the competency’s you have already put forward in your original application, and there is no issue with you taking notes in.  It’s also bes to answer the questions using the STAR method, Situation, Task, Action and Result.  I have had 2 interviews with the DWP, and got both jobs, so you should have no problem!  Best of luck.

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It went OK. Nothing too spectacular from me, probably the weakest interview I’ve done.

Thankfully I enjoy my current job so this isn’t too gutting if I don’t get it.

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I'm in a bit of a tailspin job wise right now and I'm not entirely sure how to get out of it. 

Been back with the Hotel since December having started there in July (left for a month to manage a shoe shop who's brand is now in administration so glad I got out when I did) but the night shifts are really beginning to break me down. Especially when I have for example nothing to do for two nights at all and then everything in the hotel to set up with a one day turn around on the final night. Trying to do manual labour, climbing ladders, moving heavy objects at 5am after starting at 10 is leaving me absolutely broken for days on end and if. I'm honest the fact I haven't injured myself yet is a minor miracle. 

But there's no real escape. I can't find a job at home which pays anywhere near as well as everything is either experience needed or minimum wage, my degree is completely useless in this county and i can't get the money together to move away as between my credit card and a loan (after the shoe shop completely shafted me on pay as well as needing to fix some stuff) I'm gonna be at least 18 months from being financially secure enough to get out of my mother's house let alone find my own place /move away. 

This is all really beginning to affect my mental health badly and I don't really know what option I even have. I can't even really look at grabbing a second job just to make some extra cash as with me working nights I'm completely dead by 8am the next morning. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Where is your degree from and what is it in out of interest? In the grand scheme of things 18 months isn't that long a time to wait if you can hold up and use the time to make savings and small steps to get your life back towards the track you want it to be on. It's always frustrating having to wait but rewarding if you can make steps in the right direction. As it popped into my head earlier and if you are a porter you must be able to move and lift things ok, have you ever thought of moving into something like the post office? When I was there many years ago the money was alright for what it entailed and rather than nights its early morning with the afternoons free. There was always loads of chances to do overtime too which really added up over the summer. 

 

As I don't know that much about your exact circumstances I apologise if my advice is far from helpful. 

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Kind of had a bit of a brain spark about it the other day. 

So my degree was from Bath Spa in Film and Screen Studies with a particular emphasis on how media could be used to impact children's education and behavioural aspects. 

With that field of interest, a love of books and always feeling a lot more comfortable when showing or explaining something to someone, I've started looking at PGCE's in English and Media Studies for September having studied both English fields during college as well. 

Even if it doesn't go anywhere right now, having some form of idea on how to break the creative and work rut I'm in with something I feel passionate about is enough to drive me through the weeks. 

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I reckon that's a great idea to be honest. My advice would be not only to get yourself financially prepared but also mentally and experience wise, the PGCE courses from what I know love when you've done a bit of volunteering or mentoring anything that can be applied in the classroom. It's also a pretty grueling year doing the course with placements and coursework. As for the finance side of things if you are doing it related to English you might find there are some bursaries, not quite sure though.

After it all if you are including English as a subject you wont find it too hard to find a good placement and if you want a change of scene plenty of places with International Schools will eat you up once you have the PGCE and 2-3 years experience I know plenty of people working in amazing jobs in Vietnam, UAE, Thailand, China 

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PGCE applications = my time to shine!

My job is dealing with PGCE Secondary applications. The best starting point is getting some school experience - this is something you'll be asked about at an interview, so it does help enormously if you have some experience to discuss. Most schools are happy to let people visit for a few days, provided you have a clean DBS. A good place to start is the Get Into Teaching website, who can help arrange some placements: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

Funding - you can get the usual maintenance and tuition fee loans through Student Finance, and it'll just be added onto your existing undergraduate debt. You probably also qualify for a bursary - this year it's £15,000 for English (paid in monthly instalments for as long as you remain on the course). There's no funding for PGCE Media, and those courses are rare - you're best focusing on English.

You'll be looking at an interview for a place on the course, and that interview will look at your subject knowledge in greater depth. Take a look at the BBC Bitesize website ( https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/zt3rkqt ) as even if you don't have much school experience, you'd still be expected to know about the National Curriculum and gives you an idea of the authors / texts you'll need to be familiar with. You'll also be asked about classroom management (how you'd cope with kids being shits, there are some real teachers on here who might be able to help there), personal resilience, that kind of stuff. In terms of academic qualifications, you need a 2:2 or higher, plus GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C or better.

The other thing it might be worth thinking about is a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course - these are online courses aimed at people wanting to teach but don't have a degree fully in their chosen subject. You get a bursary for doing one, but you have to have an offer of a place on a PGCE first. More info (and this is the one we point people towards): https://www.tes.com/institute/subject-knowledge-enhancement-ske

Put something in your UCAS personal statement about your willingness to take one, it'll help!

Applications cost a quid this year, through UCAS. Go for it!

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3 hours ago, Shy Dad said:

Cheers Simon, I'd never even thought about the teaching abroad route. By that point I'll be closing in on 30 so maybe the next adventure for me.

No worries, give me a shout in a few years if you want more info, i'm sure i'll be kicking about on here still. Important thing is to get those years under your belt in the UK as it can mean 10-20K difference in your salary as well as working for a top notch school or some fly by night institution. 

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Grecian you're a star as well! Knew you'd have a ton of knowledge on the subject (rightfully so) and some of those links (especially as I've been looking for the curriculums at work this week) are a massive help to give me some stuff to check out while traveling today. 

Cheers

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I think it's a great idea @Shy Dad but I strongly recommend getting some time in a secondary school before you make a decision. I work in pastoral in a secondary school and the work load and potential stress are underestimated by many. It is incredibly rewarding but there are days where I feel like just walking out of work and never going back - and I'm non-teaching staff. Teaching staff are under more pressure in many ways, the only difference is that their time is more protected than non-teaching staff- and teaching staff get pay rewards for an element of their stress.

I would echo what Grecian said and go for a PGCE with English, it'll make you infinitely more employable and it's easy to pick up media/creative media as a teaching subject depending on your school - for example if they have a Sixth Form they are likely to do Film Studies, Media and English A-levels so you can do that alongside teaching Keystage 3 and 4 English. 

If you have any questions about working in schools, feel free to drop me a DM. I've spent the last 10 years of my career in secondary and Post 16 education.

 

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