Many people may be wondering if it is still ok to ask for a pay rise at work during the Covid pandemic? You may be in one of the industries that has really boomed and having to work harder than you did before so therefore think that you have the right to a pay rise. These are unprecedented times at the moment and employers are very cautious to make any changes with the unpredictability of the economy. They are unlikely to be handing out pay rises at the moment but if you show that you are being a good worker you may get rewarded with a pay rise or promotion when things start to return to normal a bit. If you are having to work a lot of extra hours then you could ask if it is possible to earn some overtime’s as this will only need to be paid when the work is flowing.

If you are not having to work much extra but are struggling for money then it may not be a pay rise that you are entitled to. It may be that you need more financial help from the government, in which case you should look in to universal credit or help towards bills.

Getting a new job can be problematic in normal times but in the current climate it is an extremely challenging task. There are however ways to increase your chances of success and find employment if you are willing to put effort into the task.

The first thing to do is to register your interest in employment with businesses by sending out a well written and relevant CV. This should be tailored to the role you are interested in if possible. Target employers who may be recruiting staff such as large retail, manufacturing and caring as these employers are still operating relatively normally. It is important to be as flexible as possible regarding working hours as this will make your application more attractive.

If you are successful and are offered an interview then do plenty of research into the company and the role so that you can talk knowledgably about the business and the company ethos and ask questions that are pertinent to the role.

Should you be unsuccessful in your search for employment consider whether you have a skill that you could use if you were self employed such as designing and making items to sell or upcycling furniture. You never know it could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in your working life.

If you decide that you want to work with children in education in some capacity two of the careers you may look at are teaching or working as a teaching assistant. Both of these choices involve working closely with children in the classroom, helping them to achieve their potential academically and a certain amount of planning and record keeping but the main difference between the two roles is the level of responsibility and accountability that is required.

If you decide that you want to train as a teacher then it is necessary to study to degree level in a chosen subject whereas a teaching assistant should have a good standard of education and possibly a vocational qualification for some roles. A higher-level teaching assistant would generally need to have studied for a level three BTEC in a subject relevant to education.

One of the main differences in these two career paths is the level of pay that each role attracts. A teacher, once qualified earns considerably more than a teaching assistant and has the benefit of better job security and pension benefits however if you want to work in a school but do not want to take on the pressures that many teachers have to deal with perhaps a job as a teaching assistant would be a better choice.

For some people, the idea of doing a job which allows you to go travelling around different parts of the world sounds like a dream come true. Although at present, travel is being restricted as much as possible by many companies, than doesn’t mean you cannot look for something that you may wish to pursue in the future.

are thousands of job roles available where you will be expected to travel as part of your career and this travel is not always limited to within the UK. Jobs such as reps for international companies, jobs where you are required to teach or train people how to use equipment, may require you to go to different countries week after week.

This will allow you to see places and meet people that previously, you may not have had the opportunity to do previously.

Traveling with work is not always glamourous and you may find that you often stay in substandard accommodation and have to be up and out early for your job but many find the perks of the job out weight the down sides. If you have a family then you may have to consider if it would work with you being away for periods of time, this is especially true if you have younger children who may not understand.

The job of teaching has certainly not been a very enjoyable one of late but for many teachers, they have felt proud that they have been able to help on some way towards the crisis we have all suffered. The job of a teacher can be stressful at the best of times and it may be that you have decided full time teaching isn’t for you anymore.

Teachers need to train for a number of years to be qualified. After this they will usually have one year where they are classed as an NQT (newly qualified teacher) and during this time they will get some valuable experience they need to progress with their career.

Stress from work load or from a difficult class can cause some teachers to leave the profession but for others they may just want slightly less responsibility and supply teaching may be the perfect solution. Supply teaching is a great way to still teach but take away a little of the stress. Often as a supply teacher you will not be responsible for as much of the work load i.e. creating displays or marking as many books and you can often teach in a different school / class over the period of a week, making it easier if you do have a difficult class.

The generally accepted view among voluntary organisations, the general public and often the unemployed themselves is that volunteering can have a significant impact in the search for paid employment. Volunteering can serve as an important alternative to paid work for those with disabilities or long-term illnesses as it can help maintain self-worth and provide vital social contact with others in the community.

Undertaking some form of volunteering during unemployment brings with it many personal and social benefits, even if it does not lead to paid work. It helps to build positive attitudes to work and can increase the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the workplace. If the volunteer has been unemployed for a while getting used to the requirements to be punctual and reliable will be useful abilities to develop as will interacting with colleagues on a regular basis. There may be the opportunity to engage in further studies or gain qualifications whilst volunteering which would be beneficial when applying for jobs.

The type of volunteering work that is on offer varies considerably but whether it be helping out in a charity shop, sorting donations or serving customers or working on environmental projects in the local area the social benefits of getting involved in this way are worthwhile.

When you have been working for a while at a company you may feel that you deserve a pay rise especially if you have been taking on more responsibility or have been asked to train other workers so how do you approach this with your employer in a way that will persuade them to grant you a rise in salary.

The first thing to organise is to write down all the reasons why you feel that a pay rise is deserved. This could include listing all the extra responsibilities you have taken on since starting work with the company, any additional training that you have undertaken which has benefitted the business especially if this training has been completed in your own time and skills that you bring to the company that improve productivity or services.

It is a good idea to do research online as to the average pay that is offered for your position in other companies as this can be used in discussions with your employer.

Sometimes is it a wise move to apply for other jobs and if you are offered a job with a higher salary you could ask your current employer to match it if they want to retain your services.

So many of us are in turmoil at the moment and are struggling to know if and when we can return to our normal jobs. It may be that you work for a company that is still not allowed to trade at the moment and with many companies stating they can not go on for much longer if they cannot trade, it is unsure which businesses will survive and which won’t.

If you do find yourself out of work, there is likely to be millions of other people in the same situation so you need to give yourself the best possible chance of finding a job when this is all over. One of the best ways to do this is to register with a recruitment agency.  A recruitment agency is a great way to discover potential job positions that you may not be advertised elsewhere. Most recruitment agencies have a large number of job positions available and some companies chose to only advertise their vacancy with a particular agency meaning you are unlikely to find them by searching online or looking in the local paper.

Often agencies do not charge a fee for you to register with them. If they find you a permanent position their fee is usually taken off the company employing you, not you. If they are finding you temporary work, they will often take a percentage of your salary.

A recruitment agency can not only help you find a job but many also offer help with CV and cover letter writing, and interview techniques.

If you are a business owner or responsible for recruitment within a company then you often need to decide if you are going to undergo recruiting yourself or enlist the help or an agency. There are advantages and disadvantages of doing both, but you can save a huge amount of time by using an agency to fill the position. An agency will be responsible for advertising the job and then they will carry out initial phone interviews. This will allow them to short list prospective candidate before they get through to you, saving you a huge amount of time.  Obviously, there will be a cost involved in this but many agencies only charge if they find you a suitable candidate. Also, often the cost is less than it would have cost in your time and advertising fees should you have decided to advertise it yourself. Some recruitment agencies will advise you that you can only advertise the job through them, so think carefully before you exclusively go with one firm.   If after some time they are not passing through the right sort of candidates, be sure to update them on what exactly you are looking for and where they are going wrong.

If you are happy and settled with your current employer but would like to have the opportunity for promotion what is the best way to increase your chances of success without jeopardising your job?

Most forward-thinking businesses realise that some of their workforce are going to, over time, be looking to gain promotion and improve their career prospects and so should welcome any enquiries about this.

The first consideration is whether there is a position available in the company currently or whether you will need to wait until a post becomes vacant or the company expands the number of employees. If a position is advertised, then you will need to alert your line manager to the fact that you would like to be considered. If there does not seem to be the opportunity for this in the near future, it may be that you will need to look further afield.

In preparation for a possible interview it is a wise move to write down your previous accomplishments within the company such as improvements you have made, targets you have reached and any other factors that make you an asset to the company. If you have been able to complete any further training that is necessary for you to work in a managerial role this will benefit your application considerably.