Leave job and take a risk?

LegacyUser

I am in a job I really hate at the moment and feel like I am stuck. I want to be a trainee solicitor but can't get a training contract. My job is 40 hours a week, so I am struggling to get time offer any interviews I do get and cannot take time off unpaid for work experience. The people I worked with have all been let go and now I have to work more hours than before and have 0 flexibility - I cannot even take a half day without plenty of notice and it is not always possible anyway.

My problem is, that I need legal experience, and will have to go in at the very bottom rung of the ladder in a short term office assistant position.
I don't mind this, in fact I would love this, but all the jobs I could probably get are always need candidate for an immeadiate start. In fact I got offered 2 months work by a solicitor over the phone but couldn't take it as I need 1 months notice to leave my job.
So my question is, should I just bite the bullet and leave?? I know the economy is rubbish and if I leave it will be very hard and I will be paid buttons, but I am so miserable in my job, and by staying here I will never get where i want to be. I am not a big risk taker, which is why I have stayed here so long. I dread being here in another 2 years and feel like a failure already. I really don't know what to do

colonel1

unregistered wrote: »

I am in a job I really hate at the moment and feel like I am stuck. I want to be a trainee solicitor but can't get a training contract. My job is 40 hours a week, so I am struggling to get time offer any interviews I do get and cannot take time off unpaid for work experience. The people I worked with have all been let go and now I have to work more hours than before and have 0 flexibility - I cannot even take a half day without plenty of notice and it is not always possible anyway.

My problem is, that I need legal experience, and will have to go in at the very bottom rung of the ladder in a short term office assistant position.
I don't mind this, in fact I would love this, but all the jobs I could probably get are always need candidate for an immeadiate start. In fact I got offered 2 months work by a solicitor over the phone but couldn't take it as I need 1 months notice to leave my job.
So my question is, should I just bite the bullet and leave?? I know the economy is rubbish and if I leave it will be very hard and I will be paid buttons, but I am so miserable in my job, and by staying here I will never get where i want to be. I am not a big risk taker, which is why I have stayed here so long. I dread being here in another 2 years and feel like a failure already. I really don't know what to do

OMG, I am the same minus the offer of a job from a solicitor (and I am not a risk taker either). Have you thought of doing legal executive work as a way of getting the foot in the door? Plus there are 2 trainee solicitor ads up on the Law Society website. At the moment, I got a pfo from Arthur Cox and am waiting to hear from Byrne Wallace, Dillon Eustace and McCanns. You can PM me if you wish to discuss more.

daheff

Hi OP


Can you not arrange interviews for lunchtime? I know it may mean you need to stay late to get work done...but it would be worth short term pain for a longer term gain!


If you do decide to quit...the one positive thing i can say to you is that at least you are being offered interviews...so you should (hopefully) get back into the jobs market relatively quickly if that continues.

good luck, hope it works out for you