Using VPNs broke the WiFi on my phone

Hello. I'm using a Pixel 8, all updates installed etc. I have kept encountering this problem, and it's become extremely infuriating because I cannot sign into my work WiFi and then my booking on/off app, because the app can't grab my location properly. I have NO VPN installed anymore. Issue persists. I cannot restart the work router as I don't know where it is, and I work by myself after the staff have already left for the day. I had ProtonVPN, I had the kill switch on until I first encountered this problem. I therefore turn that feature off, hadn't helped. So I uninstalled PVPN completely and reset network settings, and it worked.

For about a week or two. Now it's broken again, and I have not had any VPN installed and it still happens. I've gotten so far as it shows me the nearby available networks, then suddenly it goes away and says "No other networks available", and I cannot figure out why.

I reset network & Bluetooth settings, I turn off auto DNS, I restart, nothing works. I repeat this cycle so many times, and I got a second of available networks then it just went away somehow.

I don't know what to do and it's very stressful to realise my phone is doing this once I've gotten in the building and realise I cannot sign on to work because the app cannot grab my location, despite NO VPN being installed at all.

This problem only began happening after I started using VPNs, and Proton is the only one I've been using. I am so confused and don't understand why this keeps happening. If I have to install the booking on/off app + YouTube music on an old phone just for work, then I will, but my phone shouldn't be doing this.

I cannot keep doing this cycle of reset settings, turn off auto DNS, restart phone, turn auto DNS back on, restart etc, it's so stressful and takes up so much time