The Why Don't You Get a Job Thread

[Keith Houchen]

Alas @D@mm I'm too old, and just an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to photography.  I'm going to use the time wisely (he says) and not mope on it, as that isn't going to get me fit for work.  Sold some stuff and my girlfriend is helping me out so much, we are going to get a cheap car and get out and about more so it'll all be good for the mental health.

[Tommy!]

13 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

DWP have declared me unfit for work and will review at a later date.  I know there are plenty who would love to be in the position of not having to look for work and sign on every fortnight. I am not one of them. 

I don't know you, but I've always got the impression you aren't a slacker and enjoy something constructive to do with your time, so can understand the concern with the situation. I hope you are OK and, even if the work situation does not change, you can keep positive and motivated as it always seems a positive trait you have some other people don't. 

[unfitfinlay]

I'm in a strange place work wise.

I did three years of college, studying fine dining, which was awesome, but now I'm out in the real world and it's a bit disappointing really. I've had three jobs since September and none of them have involved a lot of actual cooking.

It's been very hard to get stable hours as well. I need a minimum of 30 hours a week to pay my bills and eat but it always seems to be up and down. I left the second job because, after being open for two weeks, they decided that labour was too high and cut everybody's hours, well below what I could live on. Up until last week, my current job has been fine in that regard but they've been told to cut kitchen hours and now I feel like I'm barely working at all. I've been told it'll pick up in December but I can't help but wonder what happens in January? It also means that when I am working, I'm starting late so I'm missing all the prep time. All I'm doing is reheating stuff that other people have made, which isn't exactly fulfilling.

I saw today that there's a Michelin star restaurant hiring a wee bit away from me and I'm tempted to go for it, even though it would be a ridiculous step up and might even be beyond me. While I don't want to fail there, I'm getting to the point where I'm considering just giving up cooking altogether and either going back to Fast Food, which actually pays about the same as I'm on now, or trying to get a care job where I'd at least get a contract.

[Onyx2]

8 minutes ago, unfitfinlay said:

I saw today that there's a Michelin star restaurant hiring a wee bit away from me and I'm tempted to go for it, even though it would be a ridiculous step up and might even be beyond me.

Gotta be brazen with these guys. Offer an unpaid trial shift. We'd scoff at it in other industries but it's how it works in catering. Same with your current job - just come in early to do the prep, and do it a hundred times better than the other guys to make sure you're the one that ends up being given the shift.

[Briefcase]

40 minutes ago, unfitfinlay said:

I'm in a strange place work wise.

I did three years of college, studying fine dining, which was awesome, but now I'm out in the real world and it's a bit disappointing really. I've had three jobs since September and none of them have involved a lot of actual cooking.

It's been very hard to get stable hours as well. I need a minimum of 30 hours a week to pay my bills and eat but it always seems to be up and down. I left the second job because, after being open for two weeks, they decided that labour was too high and cut everybody's hours, well below what I could live on. Up until last week, my current job has been fine in that regard but they've been told to cut kitchen hours and now I feel like I'm barely working at all. I've been told it'll pick up in December but I can't help but wonder what happens in January? It also means that when I am working, I'm starting late so I'm missing all the prep time. All I'm doing is reheating stuff that other people have made, which isn't exactly fulfilling.

I saw today that there's a Michelin star restaurant hiring a wee bit away from me and I'm tempted to go for it, even though it would be a ridiculous step up and might even be beyond me. While I don't want to fail there, I'm getting to the point where I'm considering just giving up cooking altogether and either going back to Fast Food, which actually pays about the same as I'm on now, or trying to get a care job where I'd at least get a contract.

Having worked in this industry I can relate to some of the things you have mentioned. Labour is always going to be something managed at different times of the year and hours do go up and down, sometimes to unbearable levels and sometimes not enough. One positive is that lots of restaurants let you earn more holiday hours the more hours you work, so if your holiday year runs from say April til March and you pump the hours in between say May-November then you will have shitloads of holiday hours to take/use. I would usually build these up and then use them during quieter months (typically January) to make up for the hours even if a few hours here & there. I know its not ideal but keeps you ticking without worrying about money.

December does usually pick up as its Xmas party season, January starts off a bit busy (new year sales) and it goes quiet at the end of January and picks up a bit around Valentines and Feb half term. Of course it depends on your location, type of restaurant etc. Most chefs I know usually get tons of hours and there are always chef jobs going in restaurants so hopefully that sorts itself out for you. 

I would just go for the Michelin job, nothing to lose. 

*Edit* Forgot to mention that if your easy going about having booked time off, then its sensible to book this during the quieter time as that way it helps the business and also yourself. Also quiet times are pretty much guaranteed to be during non term times so also means cheaper holidays and not being off during busy times so its a win-win. 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Briefcase

[unfitfinlay]

29 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

Gotta be brazen with these guys. Offer an unpaid trial shift. We'd scoff at it in other industries but it's how it works in catering. Same with your current job - just come in early to do the prep, and do it a hundred times better than the other guys to make sure you're the one that ends up being given the shift.

Oh absolutely. As well as giving them the chance to see how I work, it's good way to find out how the kitchen works, whether I'd be able to fit in, etc. I actually did two unpaid trials for my current job because it was completely dead on my first one.

I've got no problem going in early off the clock. I've done that in pretty much every job I've had. The problem now is that all the prep is done by 12 and I'm not being scheduled to start until much later on. Turning up two hours early is one thing but if I turned up five hours early they'd just send me home. The work is all getting done so it's not like I'm coming in and having to run around and play catch up, which has happened. It's just frustrating that I'm doing so little cooking. I'm by no means a brilliant Chef but I want to be and I'm not going to improve unless I'm actually doing stuff.

Just now, Briefcase said:

I would just go for the Michelin job, nothing to lose. 

Cheers for the advice. 

I'm going to stick my CV in after work tonight. As you said, worst case scenario, they say no and I'm in the same position I am now.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Went for an interview with Odeon yesterday about a upwards of 25 hour job as a Guest Experience Supervisor. Hopefully the interview went as well as I thought as this seems to be the first time I feel I've come close to something resembling my degree and what I want to be doing. That and the sheer fact of having Christmas and my 25th in the same week and being unemployed would be a pretty bad catalyst for some form of life crisis I'm trying to avoid currently. 

[PunkStep]

I would imagine customers are less likely to act like cunts at the cinema, Dad. Fingers crossed for you.

[Devon Malcolm]

My friend once worked at a cinema and one night she said somebody had done a shit on one of the seats.

Best of luck, Shy Dad!

[Keith Houchen]

22 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

My friend once worked at a cinema and one night she said somebody had done a shit on one of the seats.

 

Still ranks in one of the top 5 best reviews Watchmen though.

[Surf Digby]

6 hours ago, Shy Dad said:

Went for an interview with Odeon yesterday about a upwards of 25 hour job as a Guest Experience Supervisor. Hopefully the interview went as well as I thought as this seems to be the first time I feel I've come close to something resembling my degree and what I want to be doing.

Regardless of which company it is, everyone I know that's worked at a cinema has said it was one of the most enjoyable jobs they've had in terms of atmosphere amongst the staff;

[D@mm]

@Keith Houchen another idea might be you buy and sell stuff online, I used to have a small business buying bulk load of designer t-shirts and selling them on individually for profit, just thinking of an idea to keep your mind active and give you a small earning, I hope you bounce back.

[simonworden]

5 hours ago, D@mm said:

@Keith Houchen another idea might be you buy and sell stuff online, I used to have a small business buying bulk load of designer t-shirts and selling them on individually for profit, just thinking of an idea to keep your mind active and give you a small earning, I hope you bounce back.

Probably easier these days as online marketing tools are much better but I did that when I was low on work for a while. Buying designer brand t-shirts in bulk selling them on ebay which was great until the first guy I was ordering from got pissed people found his supplier from overseas and started putting in reports of them being fake etc to ebay meaning eventually I got banned. Ended up shifting the lot at cost price to someone with a market stall. I'd say stay away from designer gear if you don't want to end up with hundreds in stock that you could easily end up not being able to shift.

[D@mm]

Yeah I was lucky and managed to get a bulk load of legit ones as I did my research before I bought, hopefully Keith will find something he can make money from.

[Keith Houchen]

Bizarrely, because of what I've been assessed as, I'm getting only slightly less money wise a month than I was when working.  Admittedly that's a big weight off and will help me get well again, but I am looking forward to actually doing something and contributing because I do feel like a leech.