Hey guys, sorry I've not had much to add to the conversation of late, I've just unfortunately been let go of my current contract at work so I'm spending all my energy on keeping my and the families heads above water. I'm positive it's just a temporary glitch and hopefully I'll have more time (and income) to spend on this bonkers hobby!

Good luck, Stuart, hope you get everything sorted quickly

All the best, Stuart! Yes, life and more important things always have to take precedence — it tends to put our hobby in perspective, that’s for sure! 🙂

I hope things soon improve for you Stuart. We live in very difficult times when it comes to finding work.

Hope you find something soon Stuart. Each day in work here is a bonus at the moment. This country seems to be in a right mess and all the news seems worried about is everthing that NOT important.

All the best Stuart, the hobby will still be around when you get yourself sorted, keep your head up and try and stay positive.

Best of luck on the job front Stuart. You're a true professional from what I've seen and heard on what you do.
I don't envisage you out of sorts for long pal despite the state of the nation since the Brexit vote.

The wisdom of our nation eh mate!

Keep the faith buddy!

Something will turn up, it always does for those with flair and talent.

being made redundant, dreadful had it in the past, very best wishes on finding future employment stuart

To attempt to work in the UK with one company for 40 years since my start to working life is a complete no chance. No chance whatsoever.

The world changes now at such pace that whatever you believe you're good at, is last year's news by the time you've realized the fact.

It's all about adapting to change and transferable skills in today's world.

'Get comfortable with the uncomfortable"....I guess he was right!

It's not right, but full on pressure in the workplace today is the norm. You should be working like its your life on line if you want to keep a job now for next week let alone next year!

How times have changed in this country.

I remember someone interviewed on TV, this man was over 50; he was a qualified electrician, and said that he had applied for 200 jobs, and only five had bothered to reply, and that was to say 'No'. The best times that I remember were the 70s, when you could just leave a job on Friday and begin a new one on Monday. We never heard of CVs in those days. When the Job Centre was called The Labour Exchange, they found people work, and any employer that someone was sent to would have to have a very good reason for saying you were unsuitable. Now you find your own job. Very soon people will be expected to work until 70.

And if like me you dont have a skill ur in the poop.

Tom; take someone who worked as a labourer, and as they get older they can't perform heavy tasks, or they have health issues; you can't change your occupation to something like accounting.

Thats very true.

You have to try and do whatever you can Robert in such circumstances
There is nothing to stop the said labourer taking a fork lift course for example and then finding work in a warehouse or a factory , supermarket etc.

You have to think positive in this life when it comes to things like employment and look to what you can do, not what you no longer can.

Once you write yourself off, the rest of the world will do likewise. It shows in a person's confidence, appearance and attitude.

You also have to be very prepared to put yourself out now more in this era than ever previously before, take hard work, long demanding and unsociable hours and less than what is considered to be decent pay, as the norm nowadays.
Everyone is in the same boat these days except the very very fortunate few.
If you come home exhausted every time you leave the workplace nowadays, you stand half a chance of remaining employed and employable in today's world I reckon.
Otherwise, someone else will do the work.

The main issue I have in my industry is younger kids fresh out of university, are willing to work longer hours AND be taken for granted by businesses whereas at my age, I'll stick up for myself and won't be pushed around (i'll take a lunch hour instead of working at my desk and I won't work until 8 o'clock at night because someone else screwed up). Experience seems to count for very little these days unfortunately, and even though I am bloody good at what I do, many places are happy with a half-arsed 'get it out the door and f*ck it' attitude which doesn't sit well with the pride I have in what I do. However, some contacts have come through and I'm getting some freelance work over the next couple of weeks which should lead to more work, fingers crossed.

Here's hoping Stuart and your experiences seem only to mirror what I was saying earlier, hence my last line!

Good luck with it all matey.

What's a lunch hour btw???

I have an older cousin , and he went to Grammar School where they taught subjects like Latin, and his uncle was one of the teachers there. He spent most of his life as a Civil Servant, until he became redundant. I suggested he try B&Q as they used to advertise on TV that they employed older people. He wrote back saying that he had tried that, and got the following reply 'It takes a special kind of person to work for B&Q, unfortunately, you are not that person'. He ended up taking all kinds of jobs, like pizza making, then finished as a salesman for McCarthy and Stone, selling retirement homes. He's retired now, and I officially reach state pension age in October, YIPPEE. The other good news is that next month the dark nights start drawing in again.

What I will say Stuart, as you are with a young family still yet, it is thankfully, still quite unusual (even in this country with all of it's management autocratic and draconian styles of managing actual people), to show so little empathy at your stage of life so far as long working hours are concerned.

Most management teams of larger blue chip organizations and those aspiring to be one, fully recognize the importance of spending time with a young family as either a father or as a mother of course.

I'd like to think your next position will grant you the necessary flexibility to be able to juggle home life and work life expectations to a far greater satisfactory and recognized level.
Otherwise, they probably are a company who don't deserve the commitment by their staff that they expect, and probably don't get the performance or results from their staff that they are duly seeking as a result.

You reap what you sow in this world!

Mickey's Christmas Carol rings a few bells here!

Where I used to work if you were good at your job you were marked down for low productivity. Those that did more jobs, but had more poor workmanship ended up promoted or put in jobs where they could cause no damage.

I now have the worst boss ever a real slave driver, I'm self employed.

One place I worked , you could get on if you were prepared to work all the overtime they offered. One worker was given 3 weeks to improve or they would 'Let him go', as they styled it. He would do any amount of overtime; because of that they overlooked the fact that he never finished his work on time, and eventually he was made assistant night manager.

And where i work, (30 years service so far), if your not in the "click" then you pretty much kept onto while the useless tossers seem to go up the ladder. Anyone over 30 is seen as "always negative", i could go on but i think this is a pattern seen a lot in today's workplace.
Cant have a go at the useless tossers who seem to get away with sitting on there phones all day because if you tell them off they get "stressed" and "upset" even though the company s handbook states not to use them except in an emergency. They do dating, social networking,
This country is producing a real namby pamby generation. I cant help feeling i will be the next one.
I see exactly what Stuart is saying when he said he wont be pushed around and takes his entitled hour for lunch. Generally we do but if you dont sort of work through when people are away your seen as "unhelpful". I see the same people be late every day, go sick at bank holidays, Fridays and Mondays yet there never dealt with.
When i was off with stress caused by work, (as the Dr put on my sick note) for three weeks around 4 years ago they refused to pay me. I hope to F*** i win the lotto before i retire.Fat chance though

I know the feeling Tom. One time I got depression, the Dr signed me off, and I went back, but it was too early, and I was signed off again. The management got nasty with me over my time off; I told them to talk to my doctor as he decided whether I was fit for work. They deliberately took me off that job and gave me a nasty one, and the Union rep said he was sympathetic but couldn't do anything. The Unions had gone from having too much power to not enough. So I gave them my notice. There was also a man that regularly took time off to go fishing, and the management knew of this, but said nothing.
There was a time when you got a gold watch for 25 years service with any company, followed by another if you completed 40 years. I suppose that's a thing of the past.
If you have a company pension, you can take this at 55 years.

the work place is dreadful now, can't wait to finish, less than 2 yrs to go, will fly by

Best of luck Stuart - You'll Soon bounce back. I've been an Actor and a teacher and my teaching career has gone so far in periods of 8 years - but hopefully my home tuition gig now will last for the rest of my professional life - fingers crossed.