I don’t want to compete with friends for the few jobs left in disability support
I work in higher education disability and dyslexia support, a sector that is undergoing a huge change due to government policy and cuts. I have been on a zero-hours contract for 10 years.
Work has always been insecure and I have also taken a series of part-time and temporary contracts, plus freelancing, in order to make enough money to live on. I’ve also recently put myself through a distance learning course and gained a teaching qualification so that I am fully qualified and equipped to seek out work in the sector.
I have tried out other kinds of jobs in student support, but this area of work is the one I love.
Recently, jobs have come up that are guaranteed, part-time hours contracts, but they are like gold dust. The academic support community is tightknit and I am good friends with a lot of the people going for the same jobs as myself. We all know each other and the nature of our jobs is supportive and non-competitive, as we are helping students overcome barriers to their learning and assisting them in developing the skills they need.
I am finding competing against colleagues and friends very difficult. I didn’t get through the last interview process for one of these posts, which has knocked my belief in my ability. I am having a bit of a crisis of confidence as I want my friends and colleagues to do well, but at the same time I know that I need to shine. It’s making me more worried and more nervous about my applications and interviews.
Am I being too soft? How do I try to get over this?
Jeremy says
Your concern is understandable and in many ways admirable, but to allow it to affect your behaviour would be misguided and unnecessary, and would help no one. Just remember what it is that you and your friends and colleagues are committed to doing: you all derive your job satisfaction from helping those students who most need help, who, through no fault of their own, have a disability. With experienced and expert support they can learn to overcome these unjust barriers and develop the skills they need in order to live happy and self-sufficient lives. They deserve the best, most talented and dedicated of teachers.
It’s true that you and your friends will be interviewed for the same jobs. This is the inevitable consequence of a selection process that is designed to take on those most capable of helping these disadvantaged students. So it’s in those students’ interests that all those applying for such roles do not see themselves as competing with each other, but rather as showing that they meet the highest professional standards.
I very much doubt that you would expect a good friend and colleague to be deliberately hesitant in interview for fear of being preferred to you, and no one will expect that of you.
Just keep reminding yourself that the most important people here are the students. You would be wrong to deny them your skills. You need to do your very best at interviews, not to do down your friends but to serve the students.
Readers say
• Don’t think of it as a competition. You are offering yourself as a candidate and the selection panel makes the decision. If you get selected then your colleagues will be happy for you, just as you would be for them. If you don’t apply, and your colleagues also don’t apply, then the people you are helping will lose out – and that isn’t what you want. Theoldun
• You imply that you have the same skills and experience as your colleagues, that you are a homogenous group. This is your error and the reason you feel as you do. In reality, every one of you has your own strengths, weaknesses, approach and experience. The key is to bring out and honestly represent who you are as a professional – your passions and areas of expertise. The panel may or may not be looking for what you offer. They may prefer those of one of your “competitors”. This doesn’t mean you are inferior to them. It just means they were looking for something different.
In this way, you can see which elements of the process you can control, and those you can’t. A better metaphor would be a jigsaw, where recruiters are trying to find the piece that fits. All you and your colleagues can do is represent yourself the best you can. room32
I was put off a degree due to the debt involved – but how do I find creative work?
I am probably in the same sinking ship of despair as many other young people, but I honestly can’t find much help for my situation. I am a well-travelled and curious 24-year-old, but I cannot find a job where I feel I belong.
I wanted to study at university, but the thought of throwing my mortarboard in the air in delight, when in fact I had £50,000 of debt, was enough to put me off. I have worked in offices, chalets, restaurants, private houses and childcare all over the world, but I long to be in a workplace where I can be creative.
My main creative focus is photography and all aspects of design, especially architecture (I wanted to study this at university), but unfortunately these don’t pay the bills. I’ve been desperately searching for a position that does not require a degree.
I now work as an admin assistant and, after eight years of trying to find somewhere to fit in, I am exhausted. I have so much to give when I am really passionate in my work. But I am not sure which way to turn, as I have no experience working in the creative industries, and no degree.
Jeremy says
Even a good degree wouldn’t necessarily guarantee you a job in the creative industries. But before others can accept your self-assessment of having creative ability, they will quite understandably look for evidence. Although you say that your main creative focus is photography and all aspects of design, I’m not clear from your letter just how much actual, physical work you have to show for it.
You will greatly increase your chances of landing the sort of job you desire if you have an immaculate and intriguing portfolio of work. If no such portfolio exists, set about compiling one immediately. It should have an online presence and ideally be modular, so you can easily adapt it to be relevant to different sectors: retail, travel, architecture and so on. You should then actively target companies within these sectors. Your varied work experiences from around the world, carefully selected for each application, could also prove valuable.
Readers say
• It’s unclear if you want to work “in the industry” or to actually be creative. The latter needs no degree – go out and practise photography, put your best work online, practise designing stuff, come up with ideas, share them online, see if you have friends who work in places where your ideas could become reality. Or get a non-creative job in a place where creative jobs happen. Show interest, share ideas and see if those are good enough to get you shifting across jobs. whood
• If student loans worry you that much, study architecture in Germany. Fees are low, living is cheap and this will save you thousands. There are also many options for getting a scholarship if and when you qualify. Aranzazu
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
