What sort of work can we consider for my husband?
My husband is late forties. He’s been a hard working labourer all his life but because of it he’s got a lot of body issues; he had a neck operation in his younger years, his back is wrecked, and he has tennis-elbow in both arms (tendons are tearing away from his elbow). He’s unskilled, and while by no means stupid (though he thinks he is), he’s uneducated and has very little confidence about doing any sort of education, given he hasn’t got any (nor wants to learn any, sadly) technical literacy skills (ie computer skills, typing skills, etc). He hasn’t any hobbies that he can leverage off. He’s currently working but fears he may not be able to do it for much longer at the rate his arms are giving out - this will preclude him from doing any sort of job that will require lifting or heavy use of his forearms; we’ve considered applying at supermarkets but there would be lifting and packing shelves involved; we’ve considered him becoming a truck driver but not sure about how the steering wheel and loading/unloading would go on his arms. He’s had cortisone shots and other treatments for his arms but he’s at the end of all options other than surgery to attempt to reattach the tendons - as this is considered a pre-condition income protection won’t cover us. We’ve looked into work cover without success due to the casual nature of his work and moving from employer to employer. I work but I don’t earn enough for us to go to one income so he can give up work - the hours I keep also means I cannot go and get a second job. But I earn too much for any sort of government assistance. We have kids. We are at our wits end trying to work out what my husband could do for work to bring money in while respecting his increasingly limited mobility. My husband wants to work. He enjoys working. However this situation is starting to impact on his mental health and I fear he is starting to think we’d be better off without him (as in permanently 😢😭). Has anyone been in this position that could offer any suggestions as to what he might be able to do for work? Or what he could retrain into? TIA from one worried, frightened mumma.
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11 Replies
he should become a workplace heath and safety officer.
all his labouring years will help him greatly with the study.
no manual work and great pay.
tell him to have a chat with his closest tafe, he can do this.
He recently studied something else previously when we were looking at a business in the construction industry but got bamboozled by all the legislation involved when completing assignments etc and so is now ‘gun shy’ about any role involving legislation; but it’s a great idea to go chat with the TAFE guidance councillor to see what other options might be available for study options. 🙏🏻
I agree with WHS course, then do Cert IV in training and assessment so he can run courses at workplaces etc. He would have so much experience on this with all the different workplaces. There are heaps of WHS businesses around also jobs in public sector. Most tafe courses have a whs unit so there's plenty of work. You just have to convince him to study, it will be difficult but its very flexible these days if he does it with TAFE, they make allowances for people that aren't good with writing or reading and have tutors to help.
Look at the job options others have offered.
Have a look at his Super. He might have TPD cover. If he gets to a point where he can no longer work it might kick in. It's a pain to claim, but it might help.
Bunnings?
We have seriously thought about Bunnings but unsure of how much lifting/filling shelves, etc, would be involved.
You don’t know til you try. Try and prioritise saving so he can have the surgery. He needs to prioritise his health he has a lot of life left.
You mentioned his tech skills are non existent so perhaps he should just pull his socks up and accept that he needs to learn some non-manual skills. Go to TAFE and do a computer course. Then look at something like a call centre, emergency services call taker or similar.
Dump truck operator. 6 figure salary, more time at home and not a heap of heavy lifting.
Given what you've mentioned about his fears around paperwork etc, I highly recommend My Solution Training. They're a training company who train one on one so he has a trainer all to himself to help with the course work and gets several hours in the machines.
Dump truck operator. 6 figure salary, more time at home and not a heap of heavy lifting.
Given what you've mentioned about his fears around paperwork etc, I highly recommend My Solution Training. They're a training company who train one on one so he has a trainer all to himself to help with the course work and gets several hours in the machines.
What about a postman? My husband does this. It's sorting small packets and letters, then riding a 3 wheeler or scooter to deliver.
Also, it may be a crap job, but what about a bus driver. No idea about it but they are always advertising for them and it would just be getting the licence.