Looking for a new job.

MeganT123

Hi All,

Please do excuse me if i have posted this in the wrong place.

So, i have studied and successfully completed my AAT Level 2. I have been working for the same company since leaving school, when i first started working for the company i started as an apprentice and there was myself and 2 other ladies working the the accounts department, both of the ladies have now left and i do all accounting duties myself, but unfortunately despite asking for a pay rise numerous of times i am not getting anywhere.

My AAT Level 2 was fully funded by the government due to my age, it was always thought by myself and my manager that the CEO/Company would be funding my AAT Level 3. Unfortunately i wasnt told this was the case until after signing of my AAT Level 2. So anyway, I am now on £12,500 (Per year) , i have my own house, own and run my own car and am paying £200 per month for my studies.

I am looking for advice on where to start on looking for a new job, or even advice on how to approach my current employer one more time maybe?

Thanks in advance.

Neillaw

I would start with the recruitment agency's as they'll be able to tell you how the market is in your area, this time of year it'll be a little bit flat with the holidays but they should be able to let you know how much you should be looking to be paid.

The first move is usually the hardest to make but from you notes it would appear that your employer doesn't value your services. You may have to go to a bigger company to get your funding but you'll also get more all round skills.

Good Luck

SusanC

Have you checked whether you are eligible for an advanced learner loan? It doesn't have to be repaid until you earn £21K so you could save yourself the expense now.

MeganT123

No, I haven't looked at that. How would i check that?

Neillaw

HMRC.gov
Type +24 advance loan and it will pop up in your search.

The criteria is that it must be up to level 6 diploma and be an approved college.

SusanC

Try here:
https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan

If you're not sure about your college being 'approved' just phone up and ask them. Mine had leaflets advertising the learner loan and they helped me fill in the application form. The loan can include course fees, exam fees and books.

This might also be of interest to you:
https://www.aat.org.uk/article/how-secure-pay-rise

Happy researching!

RebeccaLucy

Hello.

I am in a very similar situation to you. I got an apprenticeship straight from school, government funded too, 4 years on and I am still working there now. I have a mortgage and lots of outgoing bills to provide for. I am on £14000 per year, that's including working an extra 5 hours a week which would make it reduce to £12500 per year. I have just done my Level 3 and had no mention of pay rises and have been informed that I will have to pay a percentage of my Level 4 if I decide to do it. So I relate to your circumstances, you're not alone!

In my opinion, it's time to find a new job. Your current employers will never see you as anything more than the young person you were when you first started and they will very unlikely give you the wage you deserve as young people are often taken advantage of due to our lack of experience in asking for pay rises. You can try again to get a pay rise, but I doubt you will have much success as they don't value you as an adult who is doing a proper job, but as the apprentice you started of as. Also, I would advise against waiting them out and seeing if it does happen, because it won't and you don't owe them anything. You are better starting a fresh, with new opportunities, at a new company, where progression is endorsed.

I am currently searching for jobs through recruiting agencies and general job advertising websites. There are many out there that do offer study support and you will definitely find one on a better wage too as you now have experience. I also advise that you look into other accounting bodies as they generally are more recognized and could be a quicker way to a higher wage.

I really hope you take my advice, as I wish I'd of taken my own advice sooner! This is a collection of all the discussions I have had with many people. I'm sure your family/friends would agree too.

I hope this isn't just me ranting, but me helping you. I wish you all the luck in the world.

SusanC

@MeganT123 - I remind you that the nation is just emerging from a long, costly recession and now faces the uncertainties of Brexit.. Many experienced and talented people have not had pay rises for years and thousands have faced redundancy. Good jobs are not easy to find at the moment (with or without study support). You say that 2 posts in your department have not been filled. Perhaps your employer can not afford to replace the staff, or give people pay rises in the present climate. I hope that you have checked to see if you can get help with your study costs. If nothing else you will not feel obliged to stay with your employer (once qualified), as you will have funded your own studies.

@RebeccaLucy - in my opinion, you are just ranting and it is neither mature nor helpful.

Neillaw

@susanC - I totally disagree, yes we've had a recession and Brexit is just around the corner which makes it even more imperative for company's to keep hold of good staff. I feel that your statement comes straight out of the employers appraisal handbook of "Times are hard". The fact that MeganT123's study's were funded by the government and the fact that there are unfilled positions points me to the aren't they bothered about their staff?
From the information provided I certainly wouldn't be knocking on their door for a position.
I'm coming to the end of a Temp contract which I did as a favour for a agency and there are positions in the market. I also feel that reading the original content she has already made up her mind to leave and you may know the first job move is always the hardest to make.

@RebeccaLucy - Is this a rant I don't think so, this is someone expressing their feelings about her job that she's obviously unhappy in. Mature or unhelpful, I think that all she's trying to do is to keep her head above water and looking for some support from her fellow members.

RebeccaLucy

@SusanC I do apologise if I have come across that way. I was just trying to offer some insight into my situation which I feel is quite similar, as a young person. It is very common that young people do not get a pay rise to what they should be on in their first job after years of being in their job role and gaining the required qualifications and experience.

From my current job searching, which to be honest hasn't been very in depth, I have found many jobs in my area doing general admin and purchase/sales ledger starting from £14,000+ with study support, or alternatively no study support starting from £16,000+. So I do feel that Megan's best option is to look for a new job with more opportunities as the opportunities seem nonexistent at her current place of work.

The option of a loan is a good way to get your qualifications, however I am in a situation where I am struggling to even get interviews, for a more challenging job, due to lacking the experience of putting what I have learnt so far into practice.

Adele69

I work in local government and a lot of vacant posts are unfilled, partly for budgetary reasons, they dont get readvertised or are and people dont stay.

There are a lot of vacancies here but it's also hideously expensive to live anywhere near work. There are better paid positions for those with the right experience, but the pay wouldn't cover housing. I know other depts not just ours who are very understaffed. Depends, some parts of the country are doing a lot better though there are down sides too

SusanC

@Neillaw - You totally disagree with me - so not just my advice but all the facts and possible alternative courses of action. Good for you - but this thread is not about you or me, or RebeccaLucy, which is why my comment to RebeccaLucy was short and to the point. This thread is about Megan

I joined this thread to offer help to someone who asked for it. I did not join for an in-depth analysis of the recession, nor the contents of the 'Employers' Appraisal Handbook' (which unsurprisingly, I have never heard of). Perhaps you could start another thread for those and leave this one for those with advice for Megan.

MeganT123

Hi All, So sorry for the time it has taken me to come back to this thread. Thank you everyone for the input good or bad!

@RebeccaLucy Thank you so much, I dont feel at all that your comment was a rant at all. You seem to be in the same, if not a very similar boat to me. I have had a few interviews and got down to the bottom 2 on 3 interviews but unfortunately older people with more experience got the job. I do though have another 2 interviews lined up for next week so hopefully it may be my time! I am very nervous about the prospect of starting a new job, but i do realize this is something I have to do. I would love if you kept me up to date on your progress on finding a new job!

@SusanC - Thank you for your input, though I do feel like I totally disagree with your points. 1 of the ladies retired, the other lady was basically pushed put of the business because she was not liked by the 'top dogs'. I do a lot more than is in my job description. We have a manager (who is not my manager but a manager of a different department) who got his pay rise by lying that he had been offered another job, and is on more than double my wage. Yet, i have to check most of his emails to clients before they go out because of how bad they are. The CEO and the Managing director are aware that 1- he got the pay rise by lying 2 - that i check most of his work before it sent out to client. I know for a fact that the MD was given a pay rise recently and I was told by him himself that he never asked for it, hes not even sure why he got it but was just 'offered' it, so I do not believe for a second that the CEO could not give me a pay rise because of budget reasons. More so i agree with @RebeccaLucy that they see me as the young person who started as an apprentice and will never be able to look at me seriously.
I also agree with everything that @Neillaw has said, the point you make about the company not being bothered about the staff is so so true. When the 2nd lady I mentioned above left, I was so run of my feet for over 2 weeks I didn't have time for lunch and was coming in a hour early everyday, I didn't get paid for that time which didn't fuss me really, i was coming in early so that my job load was easier, but I didn't even get a thanks and that's what bothers me. I may sound like im just winging about money, but this is also about the fact that I feel so so unappreciated.

Again, thank you everyone for your comments.