Hey,
I’ve been ‘floating’ around on the forum for a while just reading posts (all very helpful, thanks!), have since passed my Cat C (first time, 3 minors) in a 26t curtain sider, in an opticruise gear box (so I have my manual licence even though it’s like an automatic…which I hated, I like gearboxes in cars rather than automatic cars, feels more controlled!) and have now started on the job hunt!
I’m 23 and currently work in a special needs school but i’ve grown up around trucks all my life!
So, day 1, not much luck, went round 4 companies, some seemed interested but just said they don’t have any work at the moment.
Day 2, 3 companies were on the hit list, for 2 of them I got the same response as yesterday but then the 3rd I got a bit further with. I spoke to the “hiring bloke” and then the big boss of the company walked in so had a bit of a group conversation, spoke about my situation, age, being a girl, experience and all that. The company are mainly a pallet hauling business and are at the point where they are thinking/needing more drivers. They said in these times the insurance people have come down hard, not so much on age but more the new licence but if an “intelligent” person comes along with no experience they are willing to give it a try…I past the intelligent test (thankfully!) and the boss was saying if I came in on a Saturday morning, he’d let me drive around the airfield where they are based to see if he thinks I’m ok. From there, he said as I’m a complete novice he’d send me out with another driver for 2/3 weeks, learning the ropes and all that, BUT unpaid.
Here’s the thing, if at the end he’s not happy/thinks i’m not strong enough blah blah there may not be a job at the end. He said that he’s not too sure about making me quit my current job for it and then possibly end up jobless if it all goes pear shaped etc. But being in a school I get the 6 weeks holidays off (and my current contract means that I also get my normal pay for the whole summer…I didn’t tell them this!) so I said if they’d be happy to hang on, I could do the shadowing in the holidays which they seemed quite happy with and then its almost like i’m not doing it for free because i’m still being paid by the school. Then if no job comes about I haven’t really lost anything, I still have my job come september and i’d have had a bit of experience.
Nothings set yet though, I’m still going to go hunting tomorrow to see what other opportunities come about but i’ve got the blokes number and he’s got mine and said its in my hands now, all I need to do is call and we’ll do the test run.
Hope this gives some positivity to other young newbies, there are people out there willing to listen (even if nothing comes of it!). My bit of advise would be just drive round and see people face to face rather than phone calls/emails and research about the company online (rather than just find the address) because then they know you care and have actually aimed for them rather than just dropping in and you can talk about their fleet and their work. Seems to be working quite nicely for me 
To me 2/3 weeks unpaid to find out if your reach their expectations is just a “bit” OTT 
