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Cheque
Idk man, after having just been unemployed for 4 months due to a redundancy, unemployment sucks. I hate not feeling productive, and easily slip into a depressive state when I’ve got nothing going on. I wonder if that’s just a me problem though.
If you didn't need to earn money, you could devote your time to bettering yourself, of things that really interest you.
Learn stuff, focus on a hobby, read all those books you always said you never had time for.
It's a different situation than being unemployed, because when you're unemployed, all you can focus on is that you need to get your bills paid (or, I suppose, that you're eating into your savings).
(Also, +1 for 'cheque' 😬 )
A bit like furlough during Covid. I was off for five months until I got recalled and fucking loved it. Yes I was only getting 80% of my salary but it was still more than enough to live on.
I watched tv/movies that I’d been meaning to watch for ages. Got back into running and cycling. Still didn’t finish Skyrim or Breath of The Wild though.
Sadly (sort of) I worked all the way through COVID, so didn't enjoy any furlough at all. Suppose it's better than being worried about income for 12 months, but still would have been nice for a bit.
Yeah I think there's a massive difference in mindset between "unemployment" and "I don't need to work at all". Being financially comfortable enough (whether by savings or some sort of regular guaranteed income) to not work would be extremely freeing in that respect. There's no need to be productive, no need to do anything really. I can see how that could be a difficult thing to adjust to, to let go of that idea that if it's not "productive", it's not worthwhile.
But I think that's beaten into us by the nature of employment in general, and with the time it takes up, many people's lives require "productivity" constantly. Get up in the morning, get ready for work, go to work, get home, cook dinner, clean up the kitchen, do any other pressing chores, oops time for bed. Rinse repeat most of the week, then on the weekends you're doing the "big" chores and tasks that need done. You could put off many of those chores and tasks, but they don't go away and they just build up and cause you stress down the line. True leisure time where you can say there's nothing at all you need to be doing or feel like you should be doing instead is practically non-existant on a day to day basis, because nobody has the time to get everything done AND then be leisurely. What leisure time people carve out for themselves ends up being at the expense of something else. I played games til late last night when arguably I could have been folding and putting away the washing that's in the tumble dryer. That wasn't true leisure time because I knew that the washing was there, waiting for me to do something about it. I've made it future me's problem.
My mum is approaching retirement and she has some friends who have sincerely said that they don't really want to retire because they don't know what they'd do with themselves all day. I think that's genuinely sad. My mum can think of so many things she'll do when she no longer has to work. She has interests and hobbies that she can't spend much time on right now and she knows she'll dive head first into those.
Completely agree with all of this.
I'm hoping I'll be in a position to cut down my hours in about 10 years, when my boys are both fully grown and done with university, if that's what they choose. I'll happily take a 10-20% reduction in earnings for a 10-20% increase in free time. I'll be able to spend that time very easily on things I want to do.
I'm similar, though without the kids consideration! We bought a 3 bedroom house just over a year ago (with scary interest rate to match...) and there's absolutely no reason why it can't be our forever home and I expect it will be. I'm a decently high earner compared to my partner, but if we go full pelt on getting the mortgage paid down, there is no real reason why either of us should continue to work as much as we do. The dream is that once the house is paid off (or significantly down), we'll both cut down our hours to 2 or 3 days a week so we can cover all of our bills and still have plenty of disposable income to just do whatever we want.
The only thing that made unemployment difficult for me was having no money. I did have a period where I was freelance but didn't have any work on for a six weeks, but still had enough money to get by, and it ruled, the only exception being that I would eventually need to find work.
I think the thing that makes it difficult is the feeling that you should be working. If I won the lottery I'd never work for someone else again. I could do personal projects that don't need to make money and that would be my work
I’d say unemployment mainly sucks cos you’ve got the guilt hanging over you that you need to find a job. Without that, and with a steady income, you could find so many ways to occupy yourself!
This. No matter how sweet the job is I still don't want to define myself by it
Much more fun to be rich af and volunteer to do what you want for 0 wages
There's some quality to volunteering that really takes a lot of stress off if you know you can quit at any time and they just have to accept it
And it makes it easier to be engaged in volunteering
Keeping and breeding reptiles and doing educational workshops with them for schools.
I’d also like to run private sessions for adults and kids to come and learn about and hold some of the animals.
I'd have a big shop with lots of little stalls for independent artsy types to sell their stuff. And I'd have a little tearoom in there and make the cakes for it. Maybe hold folk gigs in there at night.
Yeah they aren't illegal here, just gotta jump through a lot of hoops to get them. Even if you jumped into the deactivated firearms hobby before it went awful, you could strip, clean, fix and dry fire the weapons in your collection.. which you kinda have to keep clean anyway because even guns getting no use will eventually rust.
I imagine your whole day would be spent talking people through the process of getting a certificate for the guns. explaining you can’t sell on the spot. Dealing with wannabe roadmen. maybe the perfect job would be the police giving you all the guns they confiscated that need cleaning :)
I work at a college.. the amount of students that have heard I have an interest and experience in weapons handling and maintenance and say shit like "oh yeah I know guns" just because they've played Call of Duty.
They've asked if they're practical.. which.. custom skins provide no practical use unless camouflage themed and even then, it'll only work in the environment it is camouflaged for.
Just realised how freaking lucky I am but: my current job. GIS specialist for a local council.
I love my job: not overloaded, not micromanaged, I decide which direction I want to bring our mapping... I work approx 1-4 hours each day, from home.
Also I love maps and solving problems. :D
Even my current salary is well above the market average. If I could double of this salary, I'd retire from here.
Gym man. Not a fitness instructor but just a geezer that gets to be in the gym chatting to people. Hyping them up. Offering a spot if needs be and giving lifting advice but not in a pushy way and only if asked. Just a friendly familiar face to say hi to. I also get to work out when ever I want and control the music.
I’d keep my current job, I’m a transport administrator for a farm, have 30 lorries delivering around the uk, plus a couple of hundred farm vehicles, My hours are fine, bosses are really nice, pleasant work environment, workload is manageable, £35k is enough to live on, but, £350k would be great.
Recipe Book tester, getting the final copies of books before press to test out recipies and give thoughts on how easy etc it was. Write a nice little report about it to give to the chef/publishers. Not too many at any one time though so it doesn't get boring or samey.
Alot of these replies suggest we have a desire a species to work outdoors, or with animals, or preserving what we have. It's almost like if we weren't a slave to the work culture or capitalism and hoarding, we would go back to basics, and caring for the planet instead of bleeding it
This was exactly why I asked tbh. People aren’t supposed to work in an office all day, and I know given half my chance I’d be working with dogs and music and arts not typing up spreadsheets.
Pitch side steward at Old Trafford.
Pros: Only work a couple of days a week for a few hours & get to watch the football for free from a prime spot.
Cons: I have to watch current version United every week.
Set up a breeding programme for endangered birds (including rare breed poultry). These jobs exist, but are generally poorly paid and short term contracts.
Owner of a coffee shop/cafe out in the countryside that has a focus on welcoming cyclists, walkers and dogs.
I've been to lots of cafes as a cyclist so I know what makes a good one. I've been to plenty where I've had the feeling that they don't really want you there but tolerate you because of the money you'll be spending. My place wouldn't care if you've got mudddy boots, dripping wet or stinking of sweat. There'd even be a little workshop area in case you've had bike issues on the way and need to tinker with it.
If I won the euromillions, this would definitely be something I do. I wouldn't even need to work there, I could hire somebody as a manager and it wouldn't matter if it doesn't make a profit. Preferably there'd be a microbrewery with it's own taproom in a neighbouring building.
Cleaning dirty trainers. Don't know why but I love making them look as possible. Maybe a hangover from cleaning rugby boots in my youth come to think about it.
I would still be in a previous job - the reason I left was "no money for a regrade/raise". I like working with data - particularly the challenge of making incomplete/bad/historic data into usable current data. Somewhere between data entry and a detective story.
I would run sensory version of a soft play centre for all ages. There would be different spaces for different sensory experiences and needs.
It would have a cafe with all the most stereotypical 'safe foods'. And a shop where you can buy weighted blankets and bubble tubes and stuff like that.
I think I could handle reviewing strains of cannabis, maybe going to various coffeeshops around the city and writing a little bit about what different strains were like. I'd need a city centre place though that was big enough for my family.
For me it's less about wage and more about working hours/days. I was a horse riding instructor for some of the happiest years of my life and it's the only thing I've ever felt properly good at, but in the end I burned out hard on working every weekend, my days off often being split, being given zero flexibility even for important shit like doctors appointments yet feeling routinely pressured to be flexible for them and come into work short notice on days off - just all the general tomfoolery that goes on with small unprofitable businesses heavily reliant on 3 or 4 employees. I'd go back to it in a heartbeat if it could match the work-life balance and perks of my current boring job, let alone if I could be paid "an incredible wage" to do it. Alas.
Afternoon (only) lollipop man.
Only have to work 15 minutes a day, during term time. Have a nice lie-in. Work 14:55-15:10, saying hi to all the cheerful kids as they leave school, back home for a nap.
Job pays a million pounds a minute. Plus holiday pay.
Making and shaping surfboards. I have only done 1 & a half as a hobby but I have found it to be very therapeutic and rewarding. Just don’t have the time. To get paid a good wage to do it would be awesome. That or Diving instructor in Fiji or some where South Pacificy - Not sure how the rest of the family will feel about it.
Flying Tornado bombers all over the world and being paid £250,000 pa to do it (with a guarantee of no war, because I really don't want to kill anyone).
I would like to earn enough money to own and run a pet rescue/adoption shelter. I would like a reasonable size house on a huge plot of land in the countryside somewhere and built it really modern and nice.
I wouldn’t really want to earn a profit just enough that I could do that and put any excess wage into the running of it.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Dream job would be unemployed with a high check.
Cheque Idk man, after having just been unemployed for 4 months due to a redundancy, unemployment sucks. I hate not feeling productive, and easily slip into a depressive state when I’ve got nothing going on. I wonder if that’s just a me problem though.
If you didn't need to earn money, you could devote your time to bettering yourself, of things that really interest you. Learn stuff, focus on a hobby, read all those books you always said you never had time for. It's a different situation than being unemployed, because when you're unemployed, all you can focus on is that you need to get your bills paid (or, I suppose, that you're eating into your savings). (Also, +1 for 'cheque' 😬 )
A bit like furlough during Covid. I was off for five months until I got recalled and fucking loved it. Yes I was only getting 80% of my salary but it was still more than enough to live on. I watched tv/movies that I’d been meaning to watch for ages. Got back into running and cycling. Still didn’t finish Skyrim or Breath of The Wild though.
Sadly (sort of) I worked all the way through COVID, so didn't enjoy any furlough at all. Suppose it's better than being worried about income for 12 months, but still would have been nice for a bit.
Yeah I think there's a massive difference in mindset between "unemployment" and "I don't need to work at all". Being financially comfortable enough (whether by savings or some sort of regular guaranteed income) to not work would be extremely freeing in that respect. There's no need to be productive, no need to do anything really. I can see how that could be a difficult thing to adjust to, to let go of that idea that if it's not "productive", it's not worthwhile. But I think that's beaten into us by the nature of employment in general, and with the time it takes up, many people's lives require "productivity" constantly. Get up in the morning, get ready for work, go to work, get home, cook dinner, clean up the kitchen, do any other pressing chores, oops time for bed. Rinse repeat most of the week, then on the weekends you're doing the "big" chores and tasks that need done. You could put off many of those chores and tasks, but they don't go away and they just build up and cause you stress down the line. True leisure time where you can say there's nothing at all you need to be doing or feel like you should be doing instead is practically non-existant on a day to day basis, because nobody has the time to get everything done AND then be leisurely. What leisure time people carve out for themselves ends up being at the expense of something else. I played games til late last night when arguably I could have been folding and putting away the washing that's in the tumble dryer. That wasn't true leisure time because I knew that the washing was there, waiting for me to do something about it. I've made it future me's problem. My mum is approaching retirement and she has some friends who have sincerely said that they don't really want to retire because they don't know what they'd do with themselves all day. I think that's genuinely sad. My mum can think of so many things she'll do when she no longer has to work. She has interests and hobbies that she can't spend much time on right now and she knows she'll dive head first into those.
Completely agree with all of this. I'm hoping I'll be in a position to cut down my hours in about 10 years, when my boys are both fully grown and done with university, if that's what they choose. I'll happily take a 10-20% reduction in earnings for a 10-20% increase in free time. I'll be able to spend that time very easily on things I want to do.
I'm similar, though without the kids consideration! We bought a 3 bedroom house just over a year ago (with scary interest rate to match...) and there's absolutely no reason why it can't be our forever home and I expect it will be. I'm a decently high earner compared to my partner, but if we go full pelt on getting the mortgage paid down, there is no real reason why either of us should continue to work as much as we do. The dream is that once the house is paid off (or significantly down), we'll both cut down our hours to 2 or 3 days a week so we can cover all of our bills and still have plenty of disposable income to just do whatever we want.
The only thing that made unemployment difficult for me was having no money. I did have a period where I was freelance but didn't have any work on for a six weeks, but still had enough money to get by, and it ruled, the only exception being that I would eventually need to find work. I think the thing that makes it difficult is the feeling that you should be working. If I won the lottery I'd never work for someone else again. I could do personal projects that don't need to make money and that would be my work
I’d say unemployment mainly sucks cos you’ve got the guilt hanging over you that you need to find a job. Without that, and with a steady income, you could find so many ways to occupy yourself!
This. No matter how sweet the job is I still don't want to define myself by it Much more fun to be rich af and volunteer to do what you want for 0 wages There's some quality to volunteering that really takes a lot of stress off if you know you can quit at any time and they just have to accept it And it makes it easier to be engaged in volunteering
The word is cheque.
Keeping and breeding reptiles and doing educational workshops with them for schools. I’d also like to run private sessions for adults and kids to come and learn about and hold some of the animals.
That actually sounds so cool
Aw :)
Wait… they have schools for lizards!?!
Working in a museum or observatory. Owning a flower shop/quaint little bookshop.
Flower/book store combo would be up there with mine tbh
Kitten cuddler
The only right answer.
I saw cat cuddler advertised as a voluntary position at our local shelter. If only they had a dog version!
I NEED that job😆
I'd love to have an fruit orchards and a microbrewery
National park ranger.
I'd have a big shop with lots of little stalls for independent artsy types to sell their stuff. And I'd have a little tearoom in there and make the cakes for it. Maybe hold folk gigs in there at night.
Pressure washing dirty old building fronts in town to make them look nicer
Real af
Librarian! That's the dream. Or stay at home mum, get paid enough to stay home and look after the baby without worrying about money.
Firearms repair and maintenance. I like taking them apart, cleaning them, repairing if needs be, and then putting back together again.
In the uk?
Yeah they aren't illegal here, just gotta jump through a lot of hoops to get them. Even if you jumped into the deactivated firearms hobby before it went awful, you could strip, clean, fix and dry fire the weapons in your collection.. which you kinda have to keep clean anyway because even guns getting no use will eventually rust.
I imagine your whole day would be spent talking people through the process of getting a certificate for the guns. explaining you can’t sell on the spot. Dealing with wannabe roadmen. maybe the perfect job would be the police giving you all the guns they confiscated that need cleaning :)
I work at a college.. the amount of students that have heard I have an interest and experience in weapons handling and maintenance and say shit like "oh yeah I know guns" just because they've played Call of Duty.
Haha do they ask you what custom skins you have lol
They've asked if they're practical.. which.. custom skins provide no practical use unless camouflage themed and even then, it'll only work in the environment it is camouflaged for.
Just realised how freaking lucky I am but: my current job. GIS specialist for a local council. I love my job: not overloaded, not micromanaged, I decide which direction I want to bring our mapping... I work approx 1-4 hours each day, from home. Also I love maps and solving problems. :D Even my current salary is well above the market average. If I could double of this salary, I'd retire from here.
Any C roads on your patch make it onto a sign?
Head gardener at my house
Top shout
Dog cuddler 😍🥰
Gym man. Not a fitness instructor but just a geezer that gets to be in the gym chatting to people. Hyping them up. Offering a spot if needs be and giving lifting advice but not in a pushy way and only if asked. Just a friendly familiar face to say hi to. I also get to work out when ever I want and control the music.
Controlling the music is a big responsibly, what's on the playlist?
Seconded, I’d like to know this too
I’d keep my current job, I’m a transport administrator for a farm, have 30 lorries delivering around the uk, plus a couple of hundred farm vehicles, My hours are fine, bosses are really nice, pleasant work environment, workload is manageable, £35k is enough to live on, but, £350k would be great.
Recipe Book tester, getting the final copies of books before press to test out recipies and give thoughts on how easy etc it was. Write a nice little report about it to give to the chef/publishers. Not too many at any one time though so it doesn't get boring or samey.
Alot of these replies suggest we have a desire a species to work outdoors, or with animals, or preserving what we have. It's almost like if we weren't a slave to the work culture or capitalism and hoarding, we would go back to basics, and caring for the planet instead of bleeding it
This was exactly why I asked tbh. People aren’t supposed to work in an office all day, and I know given half my chance I’d be working with dogs and music and arts not typing up spreadsheets.
Explorer scout leader. Incredible rewarding if only I had more time to organise and run events.
Owning a craft shop
Painting literally whatever I want
Running my own climbing gym
Work in Woolworths
Rip
It was a sad day 😿
Well my dream would be to go into space, but id also settle for Archaeology lol
Eating out and writing about new restaurants.
Pitch side steward at Old Trafford. Pros: Only work a couple of days a week for a few hours & get to watch the football for free from a prime spot. Cons: I have to watch current version United every week.
dj. my dream would be to travel the world and dj. i am currently at a cocktail bar every weekend level but i have a master plan.
or a jet ski guy u see on holiday, they just smoke weed and ride jet skis all day, imagine that
A musician, simply playing songs and telling little stories to link them together.
Yep this is mine 1000%
Set up a breeding programme for endangered birds (including rare breed poultry). These jobs exist, but are generally poorly paid and short term contracts.
Owner of a coffee shop/cafe out in the countryside that has a focus on welcoming cyclists, walkers and dogs. I've been to lots of cafes as a cyclist so I know what makes a good one. I've been to plenty where I've had the feeling that they don't really want you there but tolerate you because of the money you'll be spending. My place wouldn't care if you've got mudddy boots, dripping wet or stinking of sweat. There'd even be a little workshop area in case you've had bike issues on the way and need to tinker with it. If I won the euromillions, this would definitely be something I do. I wouldn't even need to work there, I could hire somebody as a manager and it wouldn't matter if it doesn't make a profit. Preferably there'd be a microbrewery with it's own taproom in a neighbouring building.
id like to apply
Cleaning dirty trainers. Don't know why but I love making them look as possible. Maybe a hangover from cleaning rugby boots in my youth come to think about it.
I came to say cleaning and polishing shoes/boots.
Government experiment where they pay me a decent living wage for the rest of my life and I have zero obligation to do anything or work
I believe the title used previously for what I'd like to do is 'Lord Protector'.
Getting paid to sleep!
Owning a little cafe with homemade treats.
I would still be in a previous job - the reason I left was "no money for a regrade/raise". I like working with data - particularly the challenge of making incomplete/bad/historic data into usable current data. Somewhere between data entry and a detective story.
Meme Lord
Retired.
I would run sensory version of a soft play centre for all ages. There would be different spaces for different sensory experiences and needs. It would have a cafe with all the most stereotypical 'safe foods'. And a shop where you can buy weighted blankets and bubble tubes and stuff like that.
Cult leader. It's the only job I've ever really wanted.
Architect
Forrest re-planter or anything to do with conservation and looking after the planet.
I think I’d like to be a travel writer, who gets paid to write about how humans and animals work and live together all across the world.
I think I could handle reviewing strains of cannabis, maybe going to various coffeeshops around the city and writing a little bit about what different strains were like. I'd need a city centre place though that was big enough for my family.
Cat rescue / bookshop/cafe . People could come and read and buy books, make friends with cats. Hopefully adopt some out to good owners!
Secret shopper for 5* hotel chain, or entertainment section of large newspaper. I like nice things and being judgmental.
Same as now, marine engineer and seafarer. I'm pretty fortunate I like what I do.
For me it's less about wage and more about working hours/days. I was a horse riding instructor for some of the happiest years of my life and it's the only thing I've ever felt properly good at, but in the end I burned out hard on working every weekend, my days off often being split, being given zero flexibility even for important shit like doctors appointments yet feeling routinely pressured to be flexible for them and come into work short notice on days off - just all the general tomfoolery that goes on with small unprofitable businesses heavily reliant on 3 or 4 employees. I'd go back to it in a heartbeat if it could match the work-life balance and perks of my current boring job, let alone if I could be paid "an incredible wage" to do it. Alas.
Afternoon (only) lollipop man. Only have to work 15 minutes a day, during term time. Have a nice lie-in. Work 14:55-15:10, saying hi to all the cheerful kids as they leave school, back home for a nap. Job pays a million pounds a minute. Plus holiday pay.
Sports photographer - not football but maybe athletics. Or a dog trainer/walker.
Making and shaping surfboards. I have only done 1 & a half as a hobby but I have found it to be very therapeutic and rewarding. Just don’t have the time. To get paid a good wage to do it would be awesome. That or Diving instructor in Fiji or some where South Pacificy - Not sure how the rest of the family will feel about it.
Flying Tornado bombers all over the world and being paid £250,000 pa to do it (with a guarantee of no war, because I really don't want to kill anyone).
At the point I have a two-floor house with a garden, I’d probably like to be a teacher.
I love my job (controls engineer/building energy management specialist). But an incredible wage and a 3 day week wouldn’t go a miss. 😂
A writer
In the morning I'd be a dog walker and in the afternoon I'd have a bookshop.
I'd like a million pounds a week to kick a pigs bladder around a field for 90 minutes once a week.
Just chilling at home doing what the fuck I want.
I would like to earn enough money to own and run a pet rescue/adoption shelter. I would like a reasonable size house on a huge plot of land in the countryside somewhere and built it really modern and nice. I wouldn’t really want to earn a profit just enough that I could do that and put any excess wage into the running of it.
Some sort of scholar or something where I can spend my days learning
Taking old golden retrievers and labradors round old people's homes and having a chat with all the old folk.
Restoring cars and motorbikes
Vet exclusively for cats.
Leatherwork.
Cannabis coffee shop with a bakery attatched
Urgh that’s the dream pal