London - Looking for immediate start thing to fill empty days while looking for a permanent job.

[Helen Back]

Suppose someone in London is looking for permanent work and is actively job hunting, but in the meantime their days are empty and they just wander the streets of central London by day before going home in the evening because sitting aroun dat home all day is not an option.

What is something that someone could do in London during the day, preferably paid or perhaps volunteering, that they could walk into and start the next day?

For more context, this person has a clean DBS certificate so can immediately prove that they can be trusted so they don't have to wait weeks to start.

So to clarify:
Immediate start. Tomorrow or day after tomorrow.
From 8 or 9 am to about 4pm.
Central-ish London
Volunteering or low pay okay

Any ideas, anyone?

 

[Maggot]

The hospitality industry is crying out for people. So many pubs, restaurants etc are short-staffed atm. I should be easy to find work there.

 

[Pickman's model]

write to local archives offering your services as a volunteer

 

[Helen Back]

The hospitality industry is crying out for people. So many pubs, restaurants etc are short-staffed atm. I should be easy to find work there.

Good idea! Although it does a bit evening-y.

 

[Sue]

write to local archives offering your services as a volunteer

I know someone who did this at a very large and very old cemetery. Lots of fascinating stuff.

 

[Helen Back]

write to local archives offering your services as a volunteer

Local archives?

 

[Pickman's model]

Local archives?

local authority archives eg hackney archives, islington local history centre

 

[Helen Back]

local authority archives eg hackney archives, islington local history centre

Sounds interesting. Not sure sure it's a 'you can start tomorrow' type thing but I'll suggest it.

 

[Helen Back]

I know someone who did this at a very large and very old cemetery. Lots of fascinating stuff.

Oooh, spooky! I like!

 

[Puddy_Tat]

dunno really. at one time, some of the job centres in central london did specialise in casual work - one in soho tended more towards what would now be called 'hospitality' and one in borough high street did all sorts. but thinking about it, that must have been 30+ years ago, and the job centres and unemployment benefit offices were two separate things then, and they never seemed too bothered about talking to each other.

not sure how many volunteer organisations want people on the basis of them just walking in off the street and potentially only staying for a short time (i did consider some volunteering for when i wasn't in regular work a few years back, and some specifically said they didn't want people who were looking for full time work.) some things want volunteers for a few days round a special event now and then but that may not suit.

many boroughs have a volunteering centre or some such - may be worth exploring, they will probably all have an online presence as well now.

in some parts of london, the library service is partly volunteers now.

and without knowing all the circumstances, i think that volunteering can count as 'making yourself unavailable for work' as far as JSA is concerned - i'm very out of touch with that end of things.

with paid jobs - employers often like 'flexibility' in terms of wanting employee to be available if and when it suits the employer, but are often not so keen on someone who's only doing it while they look for something better / permanent. (is this person likely to want odd days off at a moment's notice for interviews?)

alternative may be short term things, e.g. covering for sudden peaks or someone being off sick, but it's likely to last days or a week or two at a time (may vary depending on what line of work.) sites like 'indeed' you can search on 'immediate start'

 

[Epona]

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OH used this for a couple of years for work - some of it is hospitality and evening work, but it varies.
It's entirely app based and faceless, but they pay on time.