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Question to those EX servicemen who are over 30 ?

Me and be , I live on a razor blade I go to work when I am ill because £70 that is left from my income means decent grub and a few cheep cans and my internet access. I cannot look any farther than next week seriously. The rest of the people like me are either too stoned /pissed to see life as I do. They go to work and come home and get wasted. There is no time for self improvement. I have met many ex service personel who are like me the only ones I feel are doing OK have large extended families.
 
old bloke I do believe I spent most of my money paying for a car, my burtons card and my dixons card.

I wasn't alone.
 
WasMe said:
Where do you live civpop??? Sounds like a scene from Shameless!!!!

RG1 its normal trust me people here live in a triangle that is 3 miles square. Thank fcuk there are a few university students to lighten things up.
 
Jeeeeezz and I thought I had it tough, fookin hell fella, pick your chin up mate, like some of the others said try a bit of education OU or get a better job, yes I know easier said than done. Have you tried the Highways Agency, they are recruiting big time as eventually they will replace traffic cops on motorways. My neighbour is applying now and he reckons about £25k on shifts!! Their site is easily found plus, as far as I am aware not as stringent an entry as being a cop (sh1t job anyway).
You never know whats round the corner!!! plus if you get into debt etc have you considered RBL or SAFFA or even your old Regt. Association for help. FFS dont end up like some of the ex forces lads I have come across, living on the streets. You may not know it but you probably have a sh1t load of top qualities / skills that you can adapt/transfer to a better job.. Good Luck and chin up...........
 
Civpop please what I am about to say do not take this the wrong way.
You are a ex serviceman and selling yourself too f**king short.
The squaddie mentality is always to look after someone else first.
You as you said are now a civvy and f**k the rest its time too look after number one during working hours and revert to Squad mentality at the legion pub mates etc.
It really annoys me when I see ex-service pers through trg etc not realising their own potential.
Listen mate there are many options to you and probably you have not been shown/guided/taught etc on how to promote yourself.
Ask yourself this one question...... what are your plus points for employment. Chances are you have never written them down because of the other pers first attitude then translated that to a CV.
You are 1000 times better than 99% of civvies in your line of work.
Think about the knobs you work with and thier per admin and the people that task you. Sorry mate but it just pisses me off when I hear this about former service personnel. Career Transitional Partnership, Focus magazine are a start.
 
There are parts of the country still were housing is still cheap. As an ex squaddie used to moving around, have you considered moving? I left 18months ago after 22, and lucky for me my home town area is still dirt cheap. My 3 Bed semi with kitchen extension, in a nice village locatrion with driveway for 3 cars, garden large enough for a full size swimming pool, £95,000.
NG20. Worth considering :D
My kids are grown up and are facing same trap, they moved up here to, my duagthers terrace cost them 45k 2 years ago. Ok its not briliant, but its theirs and now worth 55k
 
I can identify with 99.9% of what you're saying. Like yourself, I only have my meagre wages to eke out a living on, with nothing saved. I am not living the life of Reilly either. I'll save when I can afford it - which I rarely can. I am not out on the piss every night either, as I'm a shift worker. I average just over a grand a month take home - half of which goes on rent - and I'm lucky in that respect, because it's usually higher where I live - and that's my share of the rent. The rest just goes - at an alarming rate. And I'm still wearing kit I had twenty years back, so I ain't blowing it on store cards!

I will never be able to get on the housing ladder, and nor do I wish to, as I think the whole country is going to shit. As for Council Tax? There has to be a better alternative to simply bricks & mortar. Mortgage at 40? I think not. Retire at 65? Where to and what with? Buggered if I know. I'm just day-to-day-ing it like you. On a plus point, I'm living in a semi-rural environment and thankfully am not deposited on a housing estate full of mongs and druggies.

Qualifications? None. Not an O Level to my name. Back to school or OU? It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest - and in any case, having a degree these days is not like having one twenty years ago was. Personal qualities. Yeah, loads... probably. Put it this way. I can run rings 'round the Oxbridge twats I work for - and I'm no mong. But on paper? Zilch.

I am trying to get off the hamster wheel. I'm working on a book that will hopefully go some way (upon publication) to helping me convince potential employers that I'm an employable asset. I consider this to be infinitely better than a degree. We'll see. I do believe that there is a narrow window of opportunity that comes but once a lifetime. If you miss it then you're fcuked and have to muddle through the best you can.

A few friends are out now after doing their 22. They're doing quite nicely - but luck and providence and a good forces pension make the difference. Me? I left the mob after seven years in 1990 and thought I knew it all. Wrong! Had I waited four years, I could have done very nicely out of a redundancy package. Again, windows and opportunities. I did have one: they offered me an extension and two stripes and I turned it down. So, who's to blame? Pass that bottle!

So matey. There's nothing constructive that I can add I'm afraid. Whilst our circumstances are similar, they also differ slightly - but not much it seems. One thing is certain though: you're not alone!
 
My Army pesion pays for my living exspense's out here, one ex navy PO in same boat as me, he has his own bungalow, I own my own small condo.
One other ex Staff Sgt now on Old age pensioner, has very nice life style out here with his misses and lives in similar manner.
You do need to have some savings to take care of Serious expenditure, but it's Practical if your sensible with your income/expenditure.
john
But Then Bill Gates probably has a budget.
 
Civpop
Who do you work for ?
No wage rise in 4 years pretty p1ss poor
Have you tried agency work?
Generally it's paid a bit better than certanly general haulage
If not try sticking your name down with one of the supermarket transport departments even Tesco dot com drivers are on £6+ basic and time and half and double for overtime and thats for van driving the HGV drivers are on 30k+
Thes jobs aren't as hard to get into as people think give it a go
I do agree with the points you make and don't start me on council tax
 
Civpop ..

Have you tried SSAFA ??

www.ssafa.org.uk

I had a bad time on leaving the RAF at 30 and they were a great help, they have seen it all before so should be able to help in some way. They helped me financially and were a great emotional crutch as well. The Councillors are all ex forces and know the score so you will be amongst mates.

Also found these Agency Websites for Driving Jobs :

www.careersinlogistics.co.uk

www.agencycentral.co.uk/jobsites/driving.htm

www.fish4.co.uk/jobs/sector/Driving.html

Agree with what you say totally but the bottom line fella is that the only one who can make things better for yourself is you, Ive been in the same situation and can only sympathise but I found it was always darkest before the dawn.

Heres hoping your lot improves.
 
civpop, you sound like your in danger of spiralling into a pit. A couple of options have sprung to mind but both require a different mind-set and might not sound that appealing at first.

The first is to band together with some mates and get yourselves on the property ladder (buy-to-let etc) - requires a deposit. Its a 5 year game plan and you've all got to stick with it to reap the rewards. From then on you just keep trading up.

The second is to up-sticks and take a chance that your practical skills, determination and congeniality will land you on your feet in some other part of the world. Get out of the rut, try for example long-haul work across Africa and grab any opportunity that presents itself - it'll be a challenge put a smile back on your face and restore your self-esteem and confidence.

Best of luck.
 
Hi Civpop

I have been touched by your story, also by the response it has provoked from other users. There is some good advice there.

When I did resettlement, the thing I remember most is that 85% of all jobs are unadvertised. Your best asset is your network and this would seem to be part of it. One of these suggestions might be the one for you.

Have you been in to the British Legion for a pint? There are still many employers who place a real value on the loyalty and commitment that ex servicemen bring to the workplace. The local Legion would be a good place to get wired into that network.

Theere are a number of networking sites ot there on the www, linked in is one. You might be surprised that you migh come accross old muckers who are now in civvy jobs. Have you been in touch with your Regimental association? Your local branch might help expand your network, our association has a section purely focused on finding jobs for leavers.

An 22 year served colleague of mine is doing an excellent job as a CPSO, the pay there is not bad and he got promoted quite quickly. Being Ex military there was a lot he could bring to the table there.

He treats each day as a Farmer's daughter patrol. From RG1 you might even get free travel as a Met CPSO, they are paying up to £26K to start
PM me if you need more detail and good luck !
 

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