A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I need some careers advice. I have been offered an interview for one of the top hotels in London . They have positions for Food and Beverage Attendants and Cloak Room Attendants. I havent done any of that kind of work before though. Do you know what a Cloak Room Attendant does ?. I'm not sure which position they would want me to do though as they havent said yet. The thing is, i dont live in, or close to, London, so i wouldnt be able to do it if its afull time job, as i dont have accommodation there. It said i would be working at events, so do you think this could be casual work ?. Another problem though is that i'm going on holiday in five weeks, so i should be saving up for that. I am on Jobseekers Allowance. Anyone who lives in the UK will know what that is, so i dont get much money, but i have heard that the jobcentre can help pay towards travel expenses. So, the cost of travel might not be a problem. I have always wanted to work in London, but i'm not sure if now is the right time to do it ?.I have also seen some jobs advertised with a recruitment agency. The jobs would only last for a few weeks, but i have had experience with that kind of work ( They are office jobs ) , and they are closer to home.I have also had an offer to do some voluntary work from home as a researcher. It's for a charity and i would be researching events. Do you think that would be a good idea too as an extra job ?. I think my confidence is also low because i havent had an interview for a long time, and i have had lots of rejections for jobs, or i havent heard back from some employers at all.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (25 October 2010): Just to be clear. are those kind of hotel jobs usually casual/temporary ?. I'm actually thinking that doing the agency work for now would be the best idea. I have also considered live in b and b jobs, and live in hotel jobs. i have seen them advertised, but i might wait a while before i apply for those. at least then i would be living there, and there wouldnt be any travel to work. but obviously i would need to travel to london, then back again whenever the job finishes. at least i am trying.
A
female
reader, celtic_tiger +, writes (25 October 2010):
 I agree with KC100
Working in London is expensive - I dont know where you live, but when I have to go into london on the train for work (Its about 45 mins on the train for me) it costs approx £40 for a day return if its a peak time train (before 9am).
Then you have either buses or taxis on top of that.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (25 October 2010): About the holiday, to be fair, i have been saving up for it since February this year, and it is only for the weekend. I'm stunned actually by your reaction to that !. I'm not some scrounger who doesn't want to work !!. And it isn't exactly a holiday. I just say holiday because it's going away. It's to see a concert, but i have to stay over night and it's because it is the last concert that my favourite band are doing. And do you think i want to be sat at home all the time ?. I have to go somewhere or i would go insane !. I'm actually an intelligent person. I just dont have much confidence. Regardinng the voluntary work, that is doing research for a Charity called Sue Ryder Care.I've been applying for jobs in London because i love the city. I have visited there before. And also, there arent many jobs going here as its such a small town, and obviously there would be more opportunities in a city. I think i will end up doing the voluntary work and the agency office work. I just dont like the thought of not getting paid for the voluntary work though, and obviously, i would rather have a permanent job than a temporary job.
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A
female
reader, k_c100 +, writes (25 October 2010):
 Ok, I will go through your questions one by one:
1. a cloak room attendant is pretty much like a person who works in the cloak room at a night club/bar - you take people's coats, bags, umbrellas etc, give them a ticket and watch over that area, then when the person returns you take their ticket and return their belongings to them. Really quite simple and nothing more than that - its just looking after other people's belongings and giving good customer serivce to everyone you deal with.
2. Why are you applying for jobs when you dont live near London? How far away are you? Because it does not make sense to committ to a job in a good hotel, where punctuality, excellent appearance and fantastic customer service is key. So if you are arriving late due to bad traffic, where you have been rained on from changing buses/trains/tube etc and in a grumpy mood from a long commute then you are not going to be the best person for this job. Common sense is required here - you need to think about what the employer will want from you and if you can give it to them, if the answer is no then dont apply. And think about the travel costs - if you are going to spend a fortune getting in and out of London this will cancel out most of the money coming in, so you will have little of your wages left over.
3. Event work - not sure on this one. Normally the only places that do casual, event based work are events only venues - like football stadiums, marquees etc. But hotels will have events going on most days of the week so I doubt it will be casual for you.
4. Going on holiday - I am sorry but you absolutely should not be going on holiday. I do not work 40+ hours a week to give my taxes to a 24 year old just so they can go on holiday. I know that is harsh but really, think about your priorities. That money you receive on job seekers is to search for jobs, go to interviews, keep you ticking over until you get a job. NOT so you can go on holiday! That is just the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! And dont say I dont know what it is like on job seekers blah blah blah....I was on it last year so I know exactly what it is like. After uni I had a job for 9 months but the company went bust, so I was unemployed for about 2-3 months. I went on job seekers too, but I never dreamt of using that money for anything else other than going to interviews, getting clothes that would be appropriate for the interviews etc. Getting a job was my only thought - not jetting off to have a nice holiday courtesy of the tax payers. So get your priorities straight - holidays can come when you can afford them, not when you are claiming benefits.
5. Job seekers give you a little extra money to get to interviews if you need it and pass the means test (talk to them when you next sign on) but it is NOT for travel expenses when you have a job. When you get a job, all your benefits stop and you have to pay for yourself. No-one is going to pay for you to get to and from work, that is your own responsibility.
6. If there is work you have done in the past available in your area then definitely go for it - that sounds like a much better idea than going for a job in London. If you have exeperience in that area then you are more likely to get it, so definitely apply for that one.
7. Voluntary work is ALWAYS a good idea - that looks great on your CV and will show a prospective employer that you have not just been sitting on your bum claiming the dole, you have actually done something good and useful with your time. So definitely go ahead with that - it is a great idea.
I hope this helps and good luck!
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (25 October 2010): if you don't live close to London, there is really no point in applying to be a cloak attendant in a London hotel, trains tubes and bus fares will cancel out your earnings
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