I’ve just finished my day shift at the pupil referral unit I work for, and I’m on my way to a three-hour shift doing youth work this evening. When I get home I’ll start work on the Open University assignment I have due in. Is it too much? Probably. But I think unless you are well off, everyone is the same at the moment. I’ve always had a second job, so it’s not new to me. Second, third, whatever. I’m juggling so I don’t drop the balls. But now, even nurses are getting second jobs.
What’s stressing me out is I can’t take any holiday. Because if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. My main job is through an agency, and I’m contracted. I had a tooth infection recently and that was five days without any pay because I was ill. I think I need to look for a five-day-a-week PAYE job. Then I can still do my part-time youth work and the Saturday job I have, which is supervising reparation work with young people who are giving back to the community by picking up litter.
I have an NHS dentist but because I work – even though I’m on a low salary – I have to pay. This is why people are not going to the dentist but going DIY. It costs me £23.80 every time I need to see the dentist and £9.35 for each prescription. If you’re on a low wage, that’s a lot of money. My tooth needs to be extracted, but I have odontophobia so I need to be sedated. I will have to pay for the sedation. I have to sort it out because If I don’t have my health, I can’t work – and then I don’t have any income.
I’ve started to look for a new job. Council jobs, charity jobs, still in the same sector. I look at the weekend, in the evening. I’ve got my CV out there on job apps, Reed, Indeed and so on. Because I’m not in a proper salaried job earning enough money, I have to do all the other jobs. But once I have my Open University degree in youth justice, I will be on a good salary. I’m halfway through: only another three years.
I started the year with a feeling of a fresh start, but with everything going on in parliament and how the government is treating the nurses, and Rishi Sunak not listening … It makes me feel sad, how we as a people are being treated. Tory sleaze every day, a drip, drip, drip effect. Nadhim Zahawi’s tax fine made me so angry. I feel like the government is actually sticking two fingers up at us, saying: “You minions, you need to pay tax. But we are of a different ilk to you so deserve better.” There’s no accountability. There’s no respectability.
It feels like things are a lot tougher. Some of the cheap stores, the pound shops, are not selling anything for £1, they have put everything up by 20p so it’s £1.19 or £1.20. They used to be cheaper than Superdrug for toiletries, mouthwash, things like that. I went to one recently that used to sell everything for a pound. Now nothing’s a pound in there. It needs to change its name.
But even though I am finding it tough, I appreciate what I have and give thought to those that have less. For that I am grateful. I am working, I have jobs, and a roof over my head. And thank you to those people who got in touch to show support and positive feedback from my last article.
