Well it’s about that time. Time to dust off the ole CV and put myself out there again.
My plan to venture out into the workplace has been delayed due to Covid and the 3 lockdowns, that took place but now as the mist of that begins to clear; I am daring to dip my toe in the waters of the job search.
Not working for the last year has indeed been a blessing. I have been able to homeschool my daughter, without the pressure of holding down a job. I have not had the financial stress of having to quit said role because trying to do both didn’t work out. I have been lucky and I am thankful for the position I am in.
This week I plonked myself down and took a first look at my trusty Curriculum Vitae. Considering this document was written by me, I didn’t see me in the pages anymore. This very comprehensive and corporate chronicle of my career to date was describing a different person. A person I can no longer relate to.
So much has happened since I packed up my desk in 2016 and waddled to my car to begin my maternity leave. Back then, I was only taking a year off. Back then I was relocating to be closer to family, to allow me to have support in that first year and child care assistance while I commuted back to work 3 days a week. Perhaps I would give that a year and then have another baby, close in age, then I would step back for a few years and raise my children. I could use this time, when they are babies and toddlers, to retrain, gain better and different qualifications. Maybe time out of the rat race would finally allow me to experience that eureka moment, when I finally find out what my calling is and what I should be doing with my life. When my children start school, I can get a part time job, utilising my new skills. I can drop the kids off and drive to my job. No school gate dramas for me. I will drop off and go. I had it all planned.
“Life is what happens to you, while you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon, Beautiful Boy
None of those plans came to pass. I now find myself with no idea what to do and my internal control freak is not a fan.
I stared blankly at my CV for about an hour. It would be so easy to fall back into that old life. 40 – 45 hours a week. Finance and Insurance. Sat behind a desk, studying spreadsheets and in house databases. Service Level Agreements. Key Performance Indicators. Answer all calls within 3 rings, group meetings, in house training, claims, sales, administrative support, expenses, rotas…
Truth is, just thinking about all that, causes all the air in my lungs to pack up and leave.
I don’t want that life. I don’t want to be that parent. My child would have to be in every club imaginable. Every breakfast and dinner club, every holiday and after school club, just so I can work on a computer for as long as I can reasonably manage. That’s not a trade off I will even consider.
It would be so simple to upload my CV to the usual agency sites and get inundated with calls from recruiters, eager to put a full timer in a seat for a juicy salary. That’s the rub, I’m not a full timer. I want part time, term time only, local with no driving requirements…I can hear their eyes roll from here.
So without an agency to do the searching, I have been looking for that little gem of a role. I have no idea what that will be or what it will look like but it’s got to be out there right? Surely there is still a little place for me.
Covid has changed the way many places run. Maybe I can score a perfect work from home position, that will allow me to do the school run before and after my shift. I am not sure if I am being positive or deluded at this point.
My first few searches have been unsuccessful. Most term time roles want child care qualifications and school experience. Retail was shockingly low in potential offers. I guess Covid has hit some industries harder than others.
It’s ok. It will be ok. I hope it will be ok. It’s going be ok right?
The search continues…