I'm stuck :(

Raging Pineapples

EDIT: Sorry, rant follows, but please do read

Ok, I need some advice.

My lady friend and I have just got engaged, we don't yet know when we'll tie the knot though since the financial situation is somewhat frought right now.

And this is the problem:

My lady cleans at a factory which has been throwing people out left right and centre, and the agency she works through has their contract only until June. She IS the best cleaner they have (she's Portuguese... they're made of different stuff, if you ever go to Porto Airport you'll see what I mean. It's spotless), so there's a chance that the factory will employ her direct and sack the agency. Or it will keep the agency. Or it will sack everyone.

My work is scheduled to end at the end of March this year, when my Dad (my boss) retires. He's forming his own limited company which he will use to continue offering consultancy services to his previous firm, and is suggesting that I join him as a director and arrange my subsequent affairs through the business too.

I currently do the bookkeeping for a small branch of the firm, so I expect that I can keep them as a client rather than an employer. But I'll take a huge pay cut. So if I go self employed (through my Dad's LTD or otherwise), I'll need more clients than that.

And did I mention that, while I'm confident with the tasks involved in bookkeeping, I've never actually done bookkeeping on a subcontracted basis, and have no experience of accounting from this angle.

The alternative is I simply look for a new job, but lo and behold! The recession! In my area, the last Reed search I did has gone down from about 4 pages of part time bookkeeping roles to just 3 individual entries.

And of course this leads to further complications in that, since my fiancée's job is unsecure, I can't have any real certainty about where I should look to work. So for instance, my plan was to work in the Bognor Regis/Chichester/Portsmouth area, because that's where she works and me being the trained professional, it would be easier for me to find work than her.

However, if she loses her job, suddenly we have to try and find a location where we can BOTH work within an hour's drive of each other.

In addition, we both need part-time work (i.e. 3 days a week). This further complicates the issue, as most part-time accountancy jobs require a few hours each day, and that simply won't work for me.

Fortunately I also do graphic design work on a self employed basis, which is very lucrative when it comes, but that's almost completely dried up too.


So, wise friends, what do I do? Do I take the plunge with doing basic bookkeeping, bearing in mind that due to my lack of experience I cannot offer to help with things like payroll or income tax? Do I keep looking for employment, in which case where!? Can I use the fact that I need part-time work to my advantage and suggest to companies who do have a vacancy that I can fill the role on a subcontracted basis, which will work out cheaper and save them on NI contributions?

Or do I just cuddle up my beloved and hope it all goes away?

speegs

Look on www.monster.co.uk . There are tonnes of jobs on there all over the place.

Best of luck.

Speegs

PAMDILL

Aye, but half the time on Monster it is the old agency (vacancies?) which once you contact the agencies are not suitalbe for you or have just gone?

Buff

It sounds like a real specific situation you described above - and as such, I think only you can make the choice. There isn't a right or wrong one, it's just a preferential one on your part and i'm sure you'll do fine regardless whether your good lady loses her job.

If she does, and she's a real good cleaner - then she could walk into a role as cleaner in a supermarket? and even then apply to become the cleaning supervisor after a few months.

Good Luck and Congrats on becoming engaged.

CJC

I'd be somewhat wary of monster.com at the moment http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7853251.stm

mark130273

a good % of jobs on those searches are for agencies anyway !!

Raging Pineapples

Yeah, I've found agencies a bit nightmarish to be honest. A lot of them are flatly useless.

At the mo, my plan is to trust that we're gonna be in Bognor and just keep looking. I'm looking for some Sage refresher courses to help too.

Thanks for all the comments guys!

speegs

Hi Raging Pineapples

When I first started studying with BPP one of the foundation books was for Sage Line 50. It came with a CD of information, but not the actual Sage program. The point is I needed to refresh my Sage knowledge and actually used this book as it was a real step by step guide.

I know BPP regularly change their books but you could contact them to see if they still sell that book with the CD. Then all you need is the Sage LIne 50 program and away you go.

Hope this helps.

Speegs

PS I love pineapple.

mark130273

dont mind pineapple rings...............well my misses doesnt !!!:tongue_smilie:







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