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Despite what many people may think teaching can be an extremely stressful job. Recent research has shown that many teachers in primary and secondary schools often feel stressed in their role. Not only do you have to find ways of dealing with disruptive pupils but also must ensure that they learn what they need to, to help them in further education and to ensure they have the knowledge to pass their exams.

Teachers will also have to cope with Ofsted inspections which are usually carried out every three years or so and this can add a lot of work to an already busy schedule without even considering the added pressure of having someone watch how you teach and report on it.

Teachers often do not just work 9 till 3 with many of them doing work most evenings and weekends. Although teachers are usually given PPA time which is usually a few hours every week, this is no where near enough time to complete everything they need to do. Along with teaching they also have to be able to mark work, set homework, wrote reports, plan and carry out parents’ evenings plus other commitments such as assemblies and after school clubs. With this huge work load it is no wonder it is a very stressful job but on the plus side it can also be extremely rewarding.

Almost all of us have to work in order to afford to live but work can very easily take over our lives, which isn’t always a good thing.

If you have a demanding job you may have to work long hours which means there is little time left to spend with loved ones. Over time, this can become an issue and you may find that you need to rethink these in order to get the balance right. There is not necessarily a right or wrong but many of us would like to have more time at home but simply cannot afford to work less hours.

It may be that you feel you need to earn as much money as possible, so grab any extra overtime with both hands, but if you have no time to enjoy that extra money it can seem a little pointless. If you are saving up for something in particular then set yourself a goal and try and ensure that you still have some time off work in-between.

When looking at the balance between the two, try and see how well your job fits in with the other people in your house. If for example you have children at school and a partner that works during the day, then working normal day shifts are probably going to allow you the most time together.

As a business owner, there may come a time when you feel you need to take on extra staff to deal with the increase in demand for your products or services. This can be a very exciting time, but often it can also be quite daunting, especially if it is the first time you have had to go through a recruitment process. Finding staff that are not only qualified and have the relevant experience you require, but can also be relied upon can be hard and you will have to try and carry out effective interviews so you can really find out the truth about candidates, as what they put on their CV may not always be completely accurate.

Some employers out tasks for the candidates that are applying for the position to complete during their interview process. This can allow them to see if they have the skills and experience that is required to do the job that they are looking to fill. Although this is a good way to fish out the people who exaggerated their CV a little too much, you may actually end missing out on a good candidate simply because their nerves got the better of them on the day.

If you are wanting to find work through the summer holidays then you need to start applying now. The schools break up during the last week of July but the colleges and universities often break up a few weeks before that.

Summer jobs are often a little hard to come by as many people are applying so competition is high. If you can get in with a company and prove yourself, then you may find that they will use you again during other holidays.

When applying for any job regardless of whether it is a permanent position or a temporary one, it is important to ensure that your CV is up to scratch. Make sure that you have an up to date version and that it is correct in terms of contact details, qualifications and employment history.

It is always a good idea to do a CV drop and visit local businesses that you wish to work for and leave a copy of your CV with them. Even if they are not currently advertising for members of staff you may find as soon as they do need someone, your name is first on the list.

Registering with an agency is also a quick way to find work although you may need to be flexible and be open to working at different places day to day.

If you have been in the same industry for a number of years there may come a time when you fancy a change. It can be daunting to leave the industry that you have come to know so well to start a new adventure, but sometimes it is just the change we need.

People often decide to have a change in career for many reasons. It may be that their lifestyle has changed following on from moving somewhere new, getting closer to retirement age, just wanting a change or because they have recently started a family. Whatever the reason, it is important to remember that it’s never too late to do something else. If you are reliant on a wage then you may find it more difficult to give up work completely to go back to education, but if this is something that you really want to do, you may be able to manage with the help you may get from government schemes and student loans etc.

There are some great questionnaires you can complete online which will then give you a list of jobs that may suit your likes and needs. These questionnaires often ask you about what you enjoy and what you are good at or not so good at. It may ask you what qualifications and experience you already have before it shows you jobs that you may be interested in.

With technology ever advancing at an increasing rate, it is vital for many businesses to have a good grasp on what technology can do for them and how best to use it within their business. Some companies take it upon themselves to research new software, programmes and technology than can be used within the day to day running of the business and to work out how effective these solutions will be for them. 

If you are struggling for time to do this, or want to have an experts opinion then you can opt to use an IT management consultant. The job of an IT management consultant is to offer the best advice on developments and offer cutting edge technology strategies that are bespoke to the needs of your business. This may be anything from upgrading internal PC’s to sending staff on IT related training courses. They can also advise you on where you are overspending on IT and where you can cut costs to bring you’re spending down and increasing your profits. 

As a business consultant you may find the job very rewarding at times, but you also may feel that it can be quite stressful and there is often a lot of pressure. The main part of your job will involve going in to businesses and looking at the way the business is ran and offering suggestions about it can be improved. It may be that you think improvements can be made in terms of their finances such as reducing overheads by using different suppliers or cutting down on staffing costs or that you think they need to invest more on certain marketing avenues.
Firstly as a consultant it is important that you know about your client and their industry inside out. You will need to work out what their companies USP is, who their competitors are and what their customers like / dislike about them. Knowing the history of the business and their finance information is vital. You should try and memorise some facts and figures such as turnover, profit and loss and where the biggest spend is. As a good consultant you should look to increase a business’s profits by increasing sales and cutting down on spending.

If you did well at school and got your GCSE’s but didn’t go on to college or university then you may wonder if it is possible for you to do this at a later time. As we get older we often have more commitments such as rent or mortgage, running a car and possibly children. This will mean that we have to rely on our income even more so that we may have done when we were younger. For many people, this stops them going back into education as they feel they cannot afford to not be working full time. This may be the case, but there are options which you may want to consider which will allow you to do both.
Often if you have good GCSE’s you can get straight on to a degree level course without having to do A levels or obtain an NVQ first. You may wish to do an access course for a year which gets you back into learning and can help to teach you about writing assessments etc.
The Open University allows you to complete your learning from home and can be done full time or part time allowing you to still work. If you have a job that is flexible you may not have to cut down your working hours too much as long as you can commit your spare time to your degree.

Most employers will ask for references when you apply for a job vacancy with them. Depending on what job you are applying for you may need to give more than one and often a personal reference and a work reference. Most universities and colleges now even ask for references from people that are applying to go on certain courses.

When choosing who you want to ask for a reference you may be limited and only be able to give one or two employers, but if you do have a choice make sure you pick someone recent but who is most likely to be able to give you a good, relevant reference. Companies like to see references from people you have worked with in similar job roles to the one that you are applying for. You should be aware that references may be asked for before you are offered a job so it you do not want your current employer to know you are looking for a new job, do not give them as a reference or ask if they could be contacted if you are successful in the process.

Personal references should be provided by someone that has known you for a while but ideally not family. These will be a little informal and often is more about the employer getting to find out a bit about the type of person you are.

Many candidates who are searching for work often become stressed and feel anxious. This can have a massive knock-on effect on their lives but also impact their chances of landing the job they want, therefore stressing about finding employment will probably make it hard to find work.

Stress and anxiety can have a negative impact on how well you perform in interviews, your ability to negotiate and also can become so overwhelming that you, in fact, stop the job search altogether.

When searching for work you need to find ways to cope and manage your stress levels and be able to deal with them so they do no impact your daily life.

Often stress and anxiety around recruitment are linked to money worries. It may be that you are out of work and realise that you cannot afford to pay bills etc without a steady income for much longer. Stress often comes from lack of confidence, you need to find ways of improving your self-esteem and confidence in order to show this when in an interview etc. Before attending an interview or job trial take a few moments to practise some deep breathing techniques that will allow you to gain self-control again and go in feeling relaxed and composed.