I finished up work at the old job and I have another job lined up to start in August. I can sponge off my savings until then but I'd rather not and I am getting a bit bored as well.
What are some good job options in a pinch? Any pay is okay. I have a car. Educated, tech savvy. The only restrictions are that I'd rather not work in food and I can't do heavy weight bearing as I am in line to get a hip replacement. What do people here reckon?
What skills do you have?
I'm a solicitor. I was headhunted to start at a new shop and boss man found out about it, so I got the heave ho. Between his kiss goodbye and the new shop's kiss hello, the money side is okay but I do not want to be kicking around the house much longer. Plus the boss lady at home is starting to annoy me. I worked for fifteen years straight and after being technically unemployed for several weeks I am now no better than a dole bludger in her eyes. So need something to do.
There is never a shortage of pro bono work at the local legal centre. Me reckon there would be a way too earn some CLE points at the same time.
True that, Im already on the roster at the local neighbourhood centre, but that will only get me out of the house every three weeks or so.
How did "boss man" find out? That sounds like an interesting story.
Boss probably reads his employee's emails?
Is "boss man" or "boss lady" the bigger boss?
Legal\Professional Services firms. Basically everyone knows everyone.
I got "Gardening Leave" the same way also some years back.
The disability support centres would love your time. There is the Disability Discrimination Legal Centre and many advocacy centres such as People With Disabilities Australia (Sydney based) are in desperate need of advocates and resources, especially with recent budget cut backs. For some paid work to support your good works you could put a syllabus together for a course at a community college and teach a few subjects. Alternatively Tafe and unis may want some stand ins at short notice. As you don't mention a specialisation I have taken the generalist approach. Hope this helps. I know the feeling of not being able to use your skills when you want to work. Also if you are good with the aged, volunteers to visit through in home care make a real difference to the lives of those who are house bound, some of whom are desperate for intelligent conversation. Good luck and good on you for getting on with life. "Gardening leave" is poor form from organisations that practise it.
Haha, you got it in one. Someone probably told him at golf.
Call centre? The charity collection people are always hiring and will have you on the phone same day. Pay is not supper, but you will get bonuses for hitting targets etc. Would be a job that you could face knowing it was only a few months.
I used to do that job actually. It involved copping a lot of abuse though, and I don't think people have gotten any more polite in the fifteen years since.
Do some research into investing in the stock markets.
From now to August is only two months and plenty of time to learn about how to put all the savings you have to good use. Plus, they will be skills that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
You can get a little job which pays you not that much money over the next month and a half, but if you learn to invest properly and you have a bit of savings, you can make much more money than that over the course of your life with the skills you've learned.
Thanks, and not a bad idea. However I have learned just from mucking around on Commsec that I am no day trader. I would lose my shirt and my shorts both if I tried to make short term trades over the next two months.
I don't think that is exactly what paulsterio was getting at. More along the lines of spend the time learning how to invest better so that you can look to building a long term share portfolio. Not day trading ;)
Don't listen to this. Investing is not something you can get away with "some research". It requires extensive knowledge and experience and many "professionals" who claim they understand the markets, actually know very little.
There are different levels of 'research'. The OP should be researching into his risk profile, and also, the various way of investing in the stock market. You have day traders vs investors. CFD's vs Shares. And then he should also have a look at how the market performs in short term, and then long term. How profits and losses are made via dividends and the impacts to taxes.
IMHO he's been involved in 'day trading' and his panic has caused him some losses. He should have a look at investing long term, and also what sort of attitudes are involved in doing so (don't panic! but be wary and as well informed as you can be).
Sorry buddy, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm university qualified in Finance and to say that investing requires "extensive knowledge" is baloney. People who say that often don't invest themselves and are simply too afraid to and hence, decide it's a good idea to scare off other people as well.
And let's be clear on other things as well. Investing is not day trading. Investing is not gambling. What you're thinking about is gambling. In order to be a successful investor, you need to move away from the gambling mentality. The gambling mentality is "oh, this stock SHOULD go up, so I'll buy it!" that's a stupid mentality which leads to people losing money.
Your best bet, as a beginning investor, is to buy ETF units which track an index which you would like to invest in based on your risk profile as well as your income/capital gain preferences.
It's bold to say that "professionals" don't understand the markets. What do you understand, buddy? Care to share?
If this piqued your interest, you could easily spend a few weeks looking at a bunch of investment properties.
What do people here reckon?
Well Employment Minister Eric Abetz suggests fruit picking in Tasmania SMH
Maybe some casual jobs in stocktaking ?
I did look at the fruit picking, but this Japanese girl who went strawberry picking said not to bother, they have more Asians that they can handle who just want to do the requisite time to get their second holiday visa.
She said that she barely made enough to buy the stuff she needed from the farm store to eat and so forth.
But the stocktaking idea sounds good.
I did stock taking at Bunnings and earned roughly 140 a day for just counting stuff. It's mind numbing work, but at least it's easy.
Where are you located? (city and suburb?)
Do some volunteer work. Good opportunity to get out into the community and make some contacts through those channels, whilst helping out some charitable organisations that would be very grateful for a skilled person like yourself. Pick one you like and ring them up and ask how you can help. Doesn't even need to be something you are particularly skilled in - might be a nice change of pace to help out at the animal refuge if that's your kind of thing.
I have definitely thought about it, and its something I would like to do, will have a look. The only problem is that if its non-paying work the missus' whip will still crack.
sign up to gapbuster, stable research etc and do some mystery shopping and market research. you can get about $80 for an hour or two of taste testing/answering questions etc.
Yeah I thought about offering myself up as a test subject for the medical research companies, a guy who my wife knows made quite a bit of money that way, he still seems to be functioning reasonably well too.
tell me more about this
You could ring up a few smaller Courier companies and offer an on call service (drop everything and go).
Sometimes they get stuck without drivers and get urgent calls to pick up/deliver something far away immediately. ie Brisbane-Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast.
One delivery could earn you a few hundred if you can bargain hard.
And if you're on call at a number of places, and get a few deliveries a week, could make some nice beer money.
sounds good, will def have a look
Have a look at some of the freelance websites. Get yourself an ABN and setup a cheap company. I'm not sure what kind of legal expertise you have but potentially there are folks out there on the internet that would pay a freelance Solicitor to write them up a will, a company partnership agreement, review a contract, sign their passport application or even just write them a Solicitor's letter to a recalcitrant debtor etc. Make some mileage and some return from your qualifications. have a look at what other freelancers are charging and see if you can do any better. Work from home via the net on your computer.
https://www.freelancer.com/ is a popular one but I am sure there are others!
unfortunately that is a big no no both with the Legal Services Commission as well as the lack of insurance, although that hasnt stopped people from asking me to do conveyancing for them and such…
OK Idea 2 - Army Reserve - Legal Corps. You contact defence recruiting and ask about Reserve Service as a Lawyer. You would have to do some Specialist Service officer training (which you could possibly do during your soujourn and for which you are paid). Following this you do part time Army Reserve service as a lawyer for Tax Free money (Army Reserve wages are tax free). I'm pretty sure the Army uses the lawyers for their specialist skills, they don't have them digging gun pits etc, there are plenty of soldiers without law degrees to do that!
Army Legal Corps is, by all accounts an outstanding networking tool in the legal profession as there are a load of influential lawyers that do part-time service in the Ares. Potentially you make connections in your part time job that help with your full time job…oh and maybe you might get a chance to blow some stuff up along the way as well!
wow, hadnt even thought of that. very interesting, thanks for thinking outside of the square.
Having said that by the Time you do your interviews, psych, medicals, admin, etc you're looking at a solid 2-3 months at best BEFORE you're even shipped off to Kapooka for your basic soldiering skills. I think this is more suited AFTER you've started your new job.
Sorry, carry on!
There's also something like 1 position for every 500-1000 members, and I doubt it's a high-turnover role.
Not trying to stop you though - you'd be best off applying for more than just Legal Officer.
Army Legal Reserve positions are in extremely short supply.
You've been a lawyer for 15 years - I can only assume you are at partner level having worked for that long - what is your client base doing between now and August?
I dont know whether you are involved in the profession or not, but the assumption that people have that after 5 years I will be senior associate, 10 years I will be junior partner, etc etc, is no longer the case (if it ever was).
My impression is that there are not many senior associates being made junior partners these days (if Proctor is any guide). In fact a lot of firms have the opposite problem of too many partners - I have certainly heard of quite a few partners being pushed out.
And there is a huge oversupply of law graduates at the moment - even getting in the door is becoming a big hurdle, and I feel sorry for the kids out there that are having huge problems just getting a gig.
Helps to hear that some people understand our plight.
Every time a Barrister asks me what area of law I will practice in, and I respond that I'd be an idiot not to take the first opportunity that comes my way, they selectively ignore me from that point onwards.
This is after having graduated from a premier university, with a ton of extracurriculars and having forked out for my PTC/Admission. I've applied for about 70 legal secretary jobs, and even they wont touch me.
I have a friend who is travelling from Essendon to Morwell to do night-shift volunteering, just to try to keep building up his resume.
It is insane.
Its bloody unconscionable for the universities to take these poor kids, load them up with HECS and then shove them out the door with a less than even chance of being able to find a job within a year or so. I know kids that have good marks, have done a lot of experience with the legal services. One girl I know is eligible to be admitted but is putting off applying for admission until she has a job to go to. I really feel for them.
The problem is that it is cheap and easy for the universities to create positions for law students. You don't even need to buy the library as it is all on the internet now. Just get some academics (who dont even need to have practised in their lives) and whack up a few subjects.
My stock advice is don't be afraid to go regional. There are still jobs to be had away from the cities. I cut my teeth doing duty lawyer in bush courts, it schools you up pretty quickly.
If it helps at all, this was my path to scoring a legal career with sub-par grades.
It ended up well for me.
That first year though, gee whiz, some of the things were the stuff of nightmares (well lawyer nightmares).
There are less jobs than you might think for regional grads/juniors.
How long ago did you cut your teeth while working in the bush? I know things have changed a lot, even in the last 3-4 years. Many government agencies are only backfilling positions.
My good friend has gone to work in the bush. She moved way out into the valley, and she's only working as a legal assistant in a CLC despite having been admitted off her own back and having a good range of extracurriculars.
I don't mean to be negative or discourage people from making an effort (to the contrary), but I really don't think many lawyers understand how hard it is to get a grad job without being in the top 10% (as well as excellent interpersonal skills, an endlessly buoyant personality etc) or having very close connections.
Well done, this is in line with the sorts of things I've heard/experienced. Your success is well-earned.
Thanks buddy! I'm pretty happy that it turned out for the best.
Yeah I'm a lawyer too, in Adelaide though. Had a pretty plum gig straight after graduating uni in 2010 for ~1.5 years (including some overseas travel with work, which was great fun) then did an associateship. Unfortunately there wasn't scope for me to go back to my original firm after I finished that. At another mid-tier firm now. I had probably 2 months between jobs when I finished my associateship and found the role I am in now (although I did go travelling for 3 months between finishing my associateship and starting to job-hunt)…nearly went crazy so I understand your plight!
In Adelaide however, from everything I have seen it would be very unusual for you to work in commercial law for 15 years and not make partner. Pretty much every one of my contemporaries has made SA after about 5 years continuous practice. I appreciate this is probably different interstate, however I am surprised to hear it is as different as you say…
In any event, if you have been practising for 15 years, I would still have expected you to build your own client base in that time - at my firm, we are put under quite a lot of pressure to do extensive networking even at my relatively junior level (although not without support and training to make the most out of such activities). And my firm is far from the top of the tree in Adelaide, let alone Australia.
EDIT - to take things even more off-topic - I am bloody glad I graduated when I did - even the highest performing graduates I know of are struggling to get jobs now. That said, I think that it is entirely wrong for even a 2-3 year PAE practitioner to feel employment security pressure in the workplace because of the glut of graduates. There is such a vast yawning chasm between the capabilities of even the best 6+ GPA graduate and someone who has had 2-3 years experience. And that gap only widens as you gain more experience. Even getting used to the jarring nature of billable units and time capturing takes a good 6 months (if not longer), let alone learning how to manage time effectively and bill such that you can minimise write-offs and maximise recovery rates.
I'm in litigation. We did work mainly for a select group of property developers and medium-cap companies. I handled pretty much anything that came up. Defendant/Plaintiff PI, planning and environment, subcontractors charges, garden-variety commercial litigation.
It is a shame, because I don't think they're going to find anyone who can handle all that, not that I think I'm indispensible, but it would be unusual to find that skill set outside of specialist construction firms. They have some really good matters on at the moment too.
Out of the lawyers I know, one guy is still trying to crack junior partner at a top-tier firm. There are a couple of people who have made salaried partner at mid-tier firms. Some work in government (these people used to be made fun of, now we envy the hell out of them). A couple have started up shops by themselves. Some are in-house counsel, some work for legal services. Quite a mix actually.
I suppose what I meant was that the blue chippers are not putting on many partners at the moment. Still, I'm surprised that you say that all your friends made partner at mid-tier firms within 5 years post admission, I was 26 at that time, and still rather baby-faced.
Woah wait a second - you have specialist construction law experience? I'd go to Dubai - firms will willingly make new positions for Aussies with Construction Law experience.
I ordinarily don't care about getting negged but I am curious as to why in this circumstance - do people out there genuinely believe that it is acceptable to practice for 15 years and not have a client base?
I didnt neg you for what its worth. As to the client base, I'm barred from trying to pinch them, and the boss will be charming them over the next couple of months to try and make sure that I don't.
is there a restraint - how long? 3 months?!
^This. You've got a car, maybe even a few interesting stories to tell if people are interested. No real upfront cost. Happy days!
Happy days until you receive a fine… which some have been receiving on Whirlpool.
I can't believe this hasn't been suggested yet:
You're already on OzBargain, become a professional!
I didn't get you
Do some work at home - surely there is something that needs doing!
Tell your boss lady that you are going to work in another state and won't be back for 1 month, instead go on a holiday to europe. lol.
In Victoria, the local council is always looking for school crossing supervisors.
Go to court and find interesting cases to watch. Now if only I had a dollar for the number of times I have heard lecturers tell law students to do this.
Thanks, but Ive been admitted more than a decade now, I think I'll give it a pass.
How about temp agency debt collection or conveyancing?
OP has a car, Ozbargain's preferred method of collecting debt is motorcycle :)
OP is in Queensland, could be a bit trickey. Can AustPost still ride postie bikes wearing Austpost colours ?
They give u a scooter, and u must not be more then 100 kilos. Outside of that all u need is a P plate for motorbike
Short term contract with the government. There's heaps around now due to the recruitment freeze and it should be relatively easy to get one with your skillset.
thanks for the suggestion, not a bad idea
Stripping might be good to get you out of the house but I guess you'd be in the same position with the wife.
Might have to lose a few kilos first too. I might need to wait for the hip replacement first.
This guy doesn't want to work he has an excuse for everything
I guess none of us like working or we wouldn't be here.
I'm thankful my gap between jobs is going to be 2-3 weeks. I'd go stir crazy after that.
I was wondering if anyone sincerely knows if there are any employers in Sydney that are actually desparately looking for casual workers for the same period (where they know you‘re not interested in anything long-term). I know quite a few students who are struggling to find short-term stints that quickly (without deceiving the employer). From my experience living and working with hundreds of backpackers in Sydney sadly your best bet may be to work cash in hand with a pay cut (via Gumtree). Most professional adults you‘ll ask for advice are out of touch with the modern reality but I think you‘ll be surprised how many labourers there are without white cards, kitchens in Sydney that pay adults less than $16 an hour and hairdressers with 20 years experience still receiving below award wage. There are also countless foreign students who work illegally to top up their 20 hour limit (which understandably can‘t support Sydney rent, and lifestyle expenses). These days it‘s much harder to score a casual job via agencies over the phone to show “real“ interest since some are moving to 100% on-line for casual applications (e.g. Adecco). Since around 2004 it‘s been impossible to apply in person at Coles supermarkets in the Eastern Suburbs so I suppose that was a warning of things to come. In the shopping centre cafe I worked in a few years ago the manager would never hire you during the school vacation period if you were over 16 or so (it would cost too much to pay you legally) and we received 100s of printed resumes a fortnight for 1 position. And as another poster pointed out - those already “seasonal“ fruit picking jobs won‘t be easy to get unless they discriminate against working holiday makers (one full day of work was enough to pay my weekly hostel rent but some weeks that‘s all you‘d get).
Its definitely becoming harder all round, isn't it? It gives me the shits when old folks whinge about how tough they had it and how easy young people have it now, when employment security was far greater for them and two-thirds of them held a union card.
Here's a similar site to make $5 quickies, you can answer legal questions or something…
What area of law do you work in?
He should be working in harmony with Natural Law.
paizuri, if you want to do great work and help people, you should start by understanding Natural Law.
Watch the seminar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASUHN3gNxWo
I believe he's better off focusing on an area of law that's in demand.
Litigation.
I believe blaming immigrants for our poor living conditions is such arbitrary thinking. It's not the illegal immigrants that are the problem. We live in a Australia where the rich get richer and they won't share their wealth, the money we make gets filtered to the rich. If you look at it this way. Australia has limited amount of money, its common knowledge that the elite\rich in Australia hold the vast majority of this money. These poor immigrants have neither money nor power. How can they make any difference to our way of life if our own system is corrupt. I'd be pointing the fingers at the wealthy that don't distribute their wealth. We're getting brainwashed into seeing a obvious discrepancy but getting misdirected by the media which is owned by rich people.
Karl Kruszelnicki He holds degrees in mathematics, biomedical engineering, medicine and surgery. He has also studied astrophysics, computer science, and philosophy. He has worked as a physicist, labourer, roadie for bands, car mechanic, filmmaker, hospital scientific officer, biomedical engineer, TV weatherman, taxi driver, and doctor.
Time to make use of all those Udemy courses.
Sperm donor?
I actually considered that as a student. Glad I didnt go through with it though.
Hold informal community wide seminars and educative meet-ups to build contacts and references in the suburb or council you will work in. Read the community newspaper for adverts. Make some you tube videos to spread the word. Use FB, twitter, etc.
freelancer.com.au and offer your legal skills
We should get together and start a massage business or something.
My brother! Where have you been all my life?
I think we should call it: "Senzuri and Paizuri's 100% legit massage shop"
I shudder to think what a paizuri with 2 men would be like.
"I'm a solicitor."
"We did work mainly for a select group of property developers and medium-cap companies. "
How about a doing a financial planning course? You can do it in relatively shorter period without too much expense. There aren't enough financial planners with legal knowledge in this industry. Few benefits:
1. You might be able to do it on the side
2. It could potentially become your own business eventually
3. Worst case, you learn something related to investments
Sorry forgot to mention that I am based in brisbane.