on newstart want to study

I'm single mum to 2 primary school aged kids, dad lives overseas. I've been a SAHM since having kids, thats 10yrs, and finding it impossible to get a job. I would like to retrain and do a nursing degree next year, but can't start till March when I could go on austudy, which means I have to do the newstart job hunting thing till then. which means lying to prospective employers about how much I want their jobs and I will stay with them for a couple of years which I won't. I'm going to do a pt course from now till december which is 14 hrs a week, but centrelink say I will still have to look for work, I asked about volunteer work and he kind of looked vague and didn't really answer the question...But then I would still have the gap from Dec to March to fill. Any suggestions? Also the job agency said after 13 weeks looking for work I have to start going to their seminars/training etc which are held 9-3.30pm. I said I have to pick up kids from school at 3.00pm and she basically said tough!

how about working in a nursing related field, like an aged care facility? or depending where you live some hosptials employ AINs (assistants in nursing) fo are doing training/going to.

maybe then the job wont be a waste of time?

but in saying that, you will get the grunt work, and it might not be the type of nursing you want to do, but dont let it scare you away!!!!!!

on the other side, apply for jobs you KNOW you dont have the qualifications for, will count as looking but you wont have to worry about following it through....wow i sound like a pro at this messing with the system. I dont even know if that will work as i've never been on any centrelink thing before.

Good luck with it, and even more good luck with your study next year!!

Its hard isn't it? I think you need to do 15 hours a week to qualify as full time. Maybe you could do another course via flexible learning or something as well?
Or try to find something part time just while your kids are at school?

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I said I have to pick up kids from school at 3.00pm and she basically said tough!

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That sucks. I don't know what you can do about that - I got stuck on WFTD a few years ago that went to 4pm and nothing was negotiable. I just had to pay for my own petrol to get there to sit around doing virtually nothing (really increasing my employability - NOT) as there was no local WFTD (I could have been sent up to 90mins drive away with no compensation), and get someone else to pick the kidlet up from school.

There's probably some ombudsman you can contact to negotiate on your behalf to get out 1/2 hour early for school pickup. It is totally moronic to force a single mum without a support network handy to be somewhere else when the kids need picking up. And of course if you need to pay a babysitter $20 an hour to pick your kids up and look after them for 1/2 hour before you get home there's no compensation.

Actually most centerlink stuff is moronic. I'm on newstart with a dependant partner with a bub due any minute now - partner is on parenting payment so I can't get it - and there is NOTHING in the system that allows for someone breastfeeding a tiny baby to wriggle out of those same stupid seminars.

you can get an aged care qualification paid for atm. Thought about going down avenue?

c'link are not able to approve volunteer work - needs to be negotiationed with your job services provider. as long as your activity comes up to 15 hours per week, you'll be ok.

if you have 14 contact hours of study and you can get confirmation that you are expected to study more than an hour at home, it will get you to your 15 hours

from Dec to Mar, you would just have to suck it up and look for work - you never know, you might find an employer that you actually enjoy working for if you put yourself out there - and then you could continue working PT or casual as well as studying - extra money and all that jazz...

thanks for all your replies :clap: Its so tough on mums; I am trying really hard to find a job, I used to work doing recruitment so know how to do a decent CV; I've spent hours and hours on some apps doing "key competency" answers (2 pages long) I reckon as soon as they figure out that I haven't worked for 10yrs I just go in the "no" pile...so disheartening
I have no local support network having lived o/s for last 18 years and only have inlaws local - in their 70s and have NEVER offered 1 minute of help with kids. As I am newly back in Aust I have no idea about Clink and job agencies - they didn't exist when I left and it is so confusing who does what. I tried to get "approval" for my p/t course and each one sent me back to the other cos its an unusual course they've never heard of (still an RTO tho) and the 14hrs is avg time each week to "study the course work and complete each assessment module" as its a distance ed course so doesn't have contact hours...starting to wish I hadn't enrolled now it all seems too hard:cry::cry:

you can do it Rosie!!! don't give up!!!!

Rosie there are quite a few changes coming into effect from 1st of July for principal carers (basically a general relaxing of the rules) - I'll find out for you tomorrow and get back to you :)