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.
Sharron Spice is in her 30s and lives in London. She tweets at @mSharronSpice
