Coronavirus: 'My mum was Hoovering during my Zoom meetings'

Hayley Keohane has set up her own work station while living with her parents

"I'm grateful that my biggest frustration was my mum Hoovering in the background of my Zoom meetings."

For Hayley Keohane, 24, moving back in with her parents and launching a job hunt after five years of living away has been a challenge - but she can still see the funny side.

In the last 20 years, the number of 20-34-year-olds living with their parents in the UK has risen by 49%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

But with the coronavirus pandemic taking hold in the last few months, many more young people have been forced back into their childhood homes with a feeling of being "stuck in limbo".

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Hayley spent four years at university followed by a year of travelling, so returning to the family home was always going to be an adjustment.

"I'm really grateful and lucky that I was able to live at home, because although I worked while I was travelling, I didn't have a job to come home to straight away," she said.

"But I was always going to miss my independence after being away for such a long time."

After moving back home to Cwmbran, Torfaen, in January, she initially started working at a school before lockdown struck.

The following months were then spent filling in numerous job applications for a permanent role, with opportunities becoming more sparse as Covid-19 accelerated.

"It can be draining when you're just constantly getting rejections," she said. "I felt like I was stuck in limbo and I'd never get out.

"And then when I finally got an interview, I had to ask my mum to go out and do the shopping in that hour so that I could concentrate."

Hayley Keohane went travelling after university

The interview for a job in the sustainable travel industry was a success - and Hayley's immediate thought was to move out into a rental property.

"I'm nowhere near ready to put a deposit down on a place, which does make me worry a bit for the future. But especially after lockdown, I was ready for my own space again.

"Naturally there are some worries. Like if there's a second wave of coronavirus, will I be stuck in a flat by myself?

"And when I'm looking for places, I'm thinking mostly about whether it has space for a home office more than any other conveniences. I would never have even considered that a few months ago."

However, despite the uncertainty, Hayley remains grateful for the positives.

"I know that I've been luckier than a lot of young people during Covid-19, and I've reached a stage now where I'm excited about the future compared to where I was at the beginning of lockdown," she added.

"The pandemic has hit everyone in so many different ways."

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According to an ONS survey in May, people aged 16 to 29 who were concerned about Covid-19 were most worried about the effects of coronavirus on their schools and universities, their wellbeing, work and household finances.

However, younger people were generally more optimistic about lockdown than their elders, according to the survey, with more than half expecting life to return to normal within six months.

'I've missed my friends'

For Cole, 21, lockdown has meant being thousands of miles from his friends.

He's from New Jersey in the United States but studies at the University of South Wales, having opted to do his journalism course in the UK after previous visits to relatives in Cardiff.

When the lockdown was looming in the UK, he was faced with a decision about where he should spend his summer.

"I had a flight booked home in May, so I scrambled to get that changed having decided I'd rather head home to my family," he said.

"I did consider staying in Wales, but with all my housemates going home for the summer, I didn't want to be living by myself through it."

Cole decided to study journalism in Wales

Spending long amounts of time away from his family meant that Cole looked forward to being at home for the summer and, despite the state having a strict lockdown in place, they've gotten on well.

"Naturally, we've had small arguments that just come with being stuck in the house for a long time, but it hasn't been too bad for me," he said.

"I think what I've missed the most though, is my friends back in the UK and the routine of going to our classes together."

More difficult is the uncertainty about whether Cole will be coming back to his studies in September, with the UK potentially facing further twists in the pandemic tale.

"It's quite daunting not knowing what's going to happen," he added.

"I'm still in the process of figuring that out at the moment. Doing a journalism course is very practical and involves a lot of meeting people, so we don't quite know how that's going to work yet."

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Cole had planned to spend his summer completing a media internship but that has been put on hold along with a family road trip around Malta.

"It was really disappointing to find out that my internship had been postponed. It was something I was really looking forward to, but I'm hopeful that I can get to do it at some point," he said.

"I'm grateful to have another year left of studying because I think for those graduating this year and trying to find a job, it's going to be really tough."