Appointment tomorrow

[Focus on Life]

So I have an appointment in the morning to register for temp agency office work, never done temping before - always done office work though but its always been permanent - but I so dont wanna feel tied to a permanent job whilst I'm still dreaming and hoping of building my Keepsake Kollections business up - d'ya know what I mean?

I think its cos I worked for a big BIG corporate for 17 years and had to think about 20 other people all day every day, got dragged off to London for too many pointless meetings, blah blah blah

I know the pay isnt going to be as good but, if I can afford to do it, I'd rather do something simple and straightforward during the day that I can forget about when I leave it and come home to my real job at night

...anyone else ever done office temping and how did you find it?

Shaz x

[Sprinkles]

sorry, i dont have any experience with temping...

..but many best wishes and good luck tomorrow with the registering :D

[Debeadz]

I've done office temp work before Shaz.

It's not too bad but the pay is normally peanuts compared to a permanent position but then again you don't really have any responsibility in your role as a temp and as you say you can go home at the end of the day and forget about it. It's also a nice option in that, if you don't like it on day one you don't have to go again and can just ring the agency and be placed somewhere else.

Good luck with the interview tomorrow :)

[BeadsbyLili]

Shaz I know just what you mean about the corporate life bit and I am still not missing it either ! I did a bit of temping in my early working life and in my experience there's both good and bad in it depending on what you want - i.e. if you just want to do the job, earn money and not get too involved it is great but if you are looking for any sort of career development you can feel a bit frustrated because you are unlikely to be given anything too responsible. Good luck & keep believing in the dream ;)

[Apple Tree Crafts]

...Try it, just for a wee bit. If you don't like it, go somewhere else, try something different. At least with temping, it'll be something new every once in a while...office work, but different walls.

Good luck tomorrow Chuck!

[Ifor-Jones]

I've done it in the past Shaz, generally when I had left a job and was looking around. I found it fine, if you are a worker you will always fit in and I lost count of the number of jobs I was offered. That can sometimes be good if you like the firm you are working for and think you wouldn't mind staying, it gives you a chance to see what the places are like.

Good luck to you, I am sure you will be fine.

[Focus on Life]

Thanks darlings!

I've had my fill of career progression working for some other beggar now so, if I can manage to pay the bills on temp rates, I think I'l be quite happy to be the one without responsibility for a change - then I can come home knowing my main focus is my very own little business :)

I'll give it a try, I need to meet a few other agencies too and find out how much work each of them expect to be able to put my way, then at least I should be able to figure out if I can afford to live on a "full time" temp rate and take it from there

I do like the way it wont tie me down - I can give it a bash and if I dont like it, try sumat else! :p

...at least then my Keepsake orders will be a bonus wont they? How lovely

Thanks, keep you posted, just filling out the application form now (even though its a duplicate of my CV they already have, doncha just hate that?)

Shaz x

[mymiyel]

I'm temping at the moment Shaz,

I personally think it's way better than a permanent job.

I love the weekly pay - it makes me money seem so much more (or at least that's what I'm telling myself :p) and you have the freedom of leaving whenever you like if you decide you don't like it. And because of this, everyone is really nice to you, you hardly ever get shouted at (unless you do something catastrophically wrong) because they know that if they pee you off you can just walk.

On the other hand, you don't get things like sick pay so if you're not there you don't get paid, and the company could also just tell you not to bother coming in the next day because you're "surplus to requirements".

But as you said, it's just an extra side job to your REAL job and it is something you can leave as soon as you walk out of the office. Do it, and see if it's worth it with the extra money it's bringing in - you can always leave whenever you like.

Hope this helps hun. :)

[Tip Top]

Go girl!!!:D

And if you don't like it then ask for another placement! If you don't try you will never know! And life is too short for what if's;)

[Focus on Life]

I'm temping at the moment Shaz,

I personally think it's way better than a permanent job.

I love the weekly pay - it makes me money seem so much more (or at least that's what I'm telling myself :p)

Hope this helps hun. :)

Yes it does thanks love - and woo hoo, I never even thought about weekly pay! - gosh I havent been paid weekly since I was a little dot straight out of school! :sm:

Shaz x

[Focus on Life]

Doh I just thought of another great perk temping could turn out to be! :sm::D:mf::p:o

Lots more potential Keepsake Kollection Kustomers!

Oh I can just see me schmoozing everyone in the offices and casually dropping business cards about the place and bringing in personalised cards & pictures I've made and having the boss say "course you can bring your samples in tomorrow Shaz"

...getting a bit excited now...

shaz x

[mymiyel]

...getting a bit excited now...

shaz x

About starting an office job...you'll get over that one quickly.

But yes, very good point!! Lots of customers who always bring more customers.... You'll be leaving in no time to see to the lucrative empire you've built!! :p

Yx

[SusieQ]

Good luck Shaz. With your personality you will be fine wherever you go!! Love Sue.xx:D

[Focus on Life]

But yes, very good point!! Lots of customers who always bring more customers.... You'll be leaving in no time to see to the lucrative empire you've built!! :p

Yx

Now theyre nice very words to focus on - lucrative and empire! :)

...and thanks Sue chuck! :D

Will let y'all know how tomorrow goes when its gone

Shaz x

[sweet]

How did it go Shaz?

I have a permanent part time job, that pays the bills! But i'm also signed up to two agenicies aswell just incase I see something that I might really need to buy! lol. Ones a catering agency and the other is a child care agency.

Agency work can be great, sometimes I have been flooded with work and other times I havnt heard a thing from them. They can expect you to be somewhere 5 minutes ago when they phone you at half 7 in the morning bcoz someone has called in sick! But I just put my phone on silent before I go to bed and not worry about it! :D

And if you wake up one morning and just feel like not playing the game, just dont answer your phone! Or call them back after 10 minutes, by which time they would have passed the work onto someone else, but you still look keen! lol...I think i've been with agencies for too long!!!! ;)

s.x

[Hopej]

Good luck today Shaz! Hope it goes well, will be thinking of you. Let us know how you get on.

I havent done office temping before (but did work for a care agency) so cant offer any extra advice, but it sounds like you have had a lot of great advice already. :)

[Tip Top]

Yep good luck from me too!!:D

[Poppy4lee]

Loads of luck Shaz, not that you'll need it, I bet you'll be really in demand!! I can't wait to find out how you got on!!

[creativeclare]

Hi Shaz,

I sometimes do supply teaching (on top of my 2 days per week) when I need extra cash, car bills etc. It`s a good way of topping up your income.


It`s great because I don`t care if I don`t fit in, don`t make friends, sit in someone elses chair in the staff room, wear the wrong clothes, etc. I come home and forget about it. I can usually tell within the first two hours if I like a place, if I don`t want to go back, I phone the agency and ask them to find me somewhere else. But....some teaching agencies are better than others so I guess that would be the same with temp agencies. When I registered, I phoned up Schools and asked them which teaching agencies they used. That was quite a useful excersise because some schools said "don`t register with Fred Bloggs Agency because they don`t pay on time etc or we`ve had a bad experience with chalkies r us so we don`t recruit from them" Could you think of organizations you might fancy working at and ask them which agencies they use?? Might save you the hassle of registering etc only to find they`re not what you expected.

My Husband has a got a lady working with him at mo who`s a temp. But she`s a self employed temp not through an agency.

Good Luck and if you don`t like it, just move on to something else. Finally Universities and colleges use extra admin support at this time of year to support the processing of exam results, any point in sending your CV to a few local to you??

[Focus on Life]

Aw you're all so good, bless ya :)

Well I went this morning and did my little "tests" - standard stuff like copy typing, data entry and judgement tests and, even though I havent done owt like that for donkeys years, she said "there are no flies on you, brilliant results" so that'll do for me :p

...even though I can just imagine they blow sunshine up everyone's btm whilst theyre still within earshot in the building anyway! :mf:

Sweet - interesting about you being with other agencies, I did say this morning I'd like to stay with one if they can keep me busy enough but, if not, I'd have to join another as well - they have an office in Rochdale and in Blackburn though so she's putting both branches on the case and trying to get me something to start on Monday - oh gosh I'll have to start trusting the sat nav wont I?!?! :mad:

(oh and she did mention permanent part time jobs too so I've said let me know if anything of that type comes up)

Just off to get my calculator out to make sure an average temp rate is gonna pay the bills - but I've never been on an hourly rate before - if I work out a 35 hour week, is there an average % you can deduct for tax/NI to get a reasonable guesstimate of how much you'd be bringing home each week? :confused:

Thanks gang, let you know when I hear anything more!

shaz x

[craftyfoxni]

OH thinks it's about 23% if thats any help should give you a rough idea what you might have left each week

[Focus on Life]

Thanks for that - I couldnt get a rough idea from my old payslips cos I had stuff like sharesave scheme payments coming out first so it was a bit confusing

Looks like I might be starting an "ongoing" contract on Monday!
Anything from 26 hours - 37.5 hours per week, up to me!
Assuming I dont offend/annoy/mollest anyone at my pre-interview in the morning :)

Keep you posted again
Thanks
Shaz x

[creativeclare]

That all sounds really positive. Well done!

Yup, tax is between 22%-25%. I was emergency taxed for the first month which was lots more than the usual rate but I did get it back the following month. I couldn`t provide a P60 so I was given a random taxt code until it was sorted hence taxed at a higher rate.


It`s happened really quickly! Great news.

[Tip Top]

OOOhhhhhh!!

Do you think you'll get t'internet access at work??!!;)

[icecreamgirl]

You can earn a certain amount before you pay tax, This year i think its £5,435.
So you may want to look into whether it's worth working full time and paying tax, or just working part time so you dont pay tax then you will have more time to spend on you crafts?
Just a thought..

[Ballerinacaz]

I've never done temping before. Well, actually, i've never really had a proper job, I'm still at school full time and scrounging off my mum for craft supplies lol
Anyway good luck with your job, I'm sure you'll be fab!!!!

[Focus on Life]

You can earn a certain amount before you pay tax, This year i think its £5,435.
So you may want to look into whether it's worth working full time and paying tax, or just working part time so you dont pay tax then you will have more time to spend on you crafts?
Just a thought..

Thats certainly worth thinking about, although the pesky mortgage is a big beastie so I think it'll have to be full time for now and see if I could reduce it once I've got more regular craft orders :)

Thanks guys, meeting them 10.30 tomorrow so if all goes well, this will be my last weekend as a Lady of Leisure :mad: but I did give my Keepsake business card to the temp manager this morning so she could see my blog so I'm starting as I mean to go on :D

Shaz x

[wyattbean]

Good luck Shaz, wish i could do some temping too and leave the job in the office where it belongs! That darn mortgage keeps getting in the way!

Sue