Benefits help

foreign_correspondent

JULE5 wrote: »

LOL!

I dont see how going into McDonalds will help really! Not the best bit of advice there really.I have a degree I have spent 4 years of my life and money to earn and working in McDonalds is not what i want to do.

oh do grow up! You have responsibilities, being an adult sometimes means having to do things we dont want to. 50% of the population now go to university so to be honest having a degree is unlikely t entitle you to some sort of elite career path. You have to fnd your way using hard work and perseverance.

As for entitledto I have done this and its saying we are only entitled to council tax benefit of £4 off a week, which isnt going to help.
£4 is better than nothing! Its almost £20 a month.

My main annoyance with the benefits process is they are not taking into account my personal situation of how much debt I have. i am in a lot more than 10k, which I was paying off with my very good salary and getting a job of minimum wage isnt going to help cover minimum payments let alone paying anything else.

Get a job, any job and stop being so precious.

Your partner needs to feel supported so get out there and earn something, anything. Whilst sitting at home you are earning nothing, and the time will stilll pass by. Use it constructively.

So - you've got a degree - good for you, and it should help you move onto better work in the long term. I am in my thirties, I have a degree, a masters degree and a postgrad profesional qualification, all of which have taken years of hard work and been costly, but a while ago, due to circumstances when I needed some work quickly, I took some minimum wage agency work as a receptionist (which is just about my nightmare job!).

My work does not define me, and whilst I hated it, it was temporary and brought some cash in. Your debts are really no concern of the benenefit office to be honest. Your debts, your partner and your child are your responsibility untimately. Do not let your seven months pregant partner feel like she is keeping you afloat, I expect she is exhausted.

Pretani

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Get a job, any job and stop being so precious.
.

La-dee-Da :rolleyes:

briona

Pretani wrote: »

La-dee-Da :rolleyes:

You dredged up a week old thread to say that?! What a contribution! :rolleyes:

simone83

I would agree with all the above, but right now what you need to do is it get things in perspective.

In two months things are going to be 10 times worse as your partner wont be working and you'll have an extra mouth to feed!

I seem to remember as a child (in the 80's) and the last market crash happened, my Dad lost his job (higher management of MFI) and to make ends meet he worked 3 minimum wage jobs and then did some odd jobs too.

oh, and we eat a lot of jam butties (could afford much else!!).

Anyone can make a baby - it takes a man to be a Father. What do you want your children to remember about you?

Honest question, because at the moment you wont be giving off the right signals about what being a family is about - In my opinion!

There are plenty of jobs out there and a man with a degree should be able to work out that 7 days of nothing is a lot less than 35 hours @ minimum wage!

Both in terms of money and self respect!

JULE5

Since last week i have registered with another 5 agencies and they have all contacted me saying there is nothing out there regarding engineering work. But i have also applied to a number of other jobs. These ranged from groundsman (needed a HND in cutting grass apparently), Mcdonalds said i was over qualified, NCP car park attendant (told i wasnt suitable as i had no experience).

I have also gone to every local supermarket and there are no jobs, all the shops in the local and some surrounding areas, and there is nothing minimum wage or part time.

Basically i cant get a job cos im either over qualified or dont have any experience. I have one job for Orange to hear from and thats it. Iv applied for mystery shopping and online surveys also.

I also have a friend who was made redundant at the same time as me at our last company. he is again having the same problem. So please dont say Im being snobby or i have no respect there is just a lack of jobs.

Citizens advice also told me that i would be better off not getting a job and scrapping through until the baby comes then i will be able to get loads of benefit. I DONT want to do this as I have some self respect as I dont want people saying they are paying for me to live a luxury life and i have always been taught to earn my way.

simone83

Ever though about trying work abroad?

I know its not the best option with a baby on the way but when my friend was made redundant as a structural engineer, he went to Dubai. 6 weeks on, 4 weeks off and an amazing wage.

JULE5

simone83 wrote: »

Ever though about trying work abroad?

I know its not the best option with a baby on the way but when my friend was made redundant as a structural engineer, he went to Dubai. 6 weeks on, 4 weeks off and an amazing wage.

Yeah i have an opportunity to work in Egypt and dubai but with the baby coming I dont really want to miss out.

Got a interview at Tesco on thursday so hopefully that will pull through. lol

Sherrie

Temporary xmas vacancies will be around in the stores soon, I noticed application in Argos today. Toysrus usually have xmas vacancies as well. There are many more just call round everywhere you can think of.

bambammy

Places like pizza hut, McDonald's, Burger King etc, don't want someone who's educated with a mind of their own. They'd prefer a brown nose white shirt licker.

Years ago, when I took a second job, x2 nights a week, night shift. I simply lied about my previous work experience, and answered my questions in a very simple manner. I found the night shift easier to cope with, in the cliche surroundings of the brown nose suck up brigade.

www.learndirect.co.uk is good for key words when applying for a specific job. Dress it up, lie, dress it down. Or take the job abroad. Weigh up the pros and cons of balancing a few jobs or going abroad.

It's a sad fact, but true. The system and the figures are flawed and it rewards the spongers. You are financially better off claiming benefits, to a certain extent. You'll get to go swimming for free, the gym at concession, free golf, school dinners. Working by the book, you'll lose all that leisurely pleasure, but keep dental treatments. The systems just great for rewarding you to not work.


For me at 16hrs a week, by the book after rent, council tax, babysitter and travel to and from work. I was £9 a week better off. The 30hr week, when worked out. I wasn't leaving my children with a sitter for another 14hrs, for an extra £30. I do it to set an example to my children, social interaction, and I got a wee legal system skin here and there when I could.

Financially, I'm worse off today, than what I was 10 years ago when I ...shock horror...when I claimed income support and did a bit of cash in hand. That's not so easy nowadays. But there are still legal ways to work the system to your benefit.

foreign_correspondent

JULE5 wrote: »

Since last week i have registered with another 5 agencies and they have all contacted me saying there is nothing out there regarding engineering work. But i have also applied to a number of other jobs. These ranged from groundsman (needed a HND in cutting grass apparently), Mcdonalds said i was over qualified, NCP car park attendant (told i wasnt suitable as i had no experience).

I have also gone to every local supermarket and there are no jobs, all the shops in the local and some surrounding areas, and there is nothing minimum wage or part time.

Basically i cant get a job cos im either over qualified or dont have any experience. I have one job for Orange to hear from and thats it. Iv applied for mystery shopping and online surveys also.

I also have a friend who was made redundant at the same time as me at our last company. he is again having the same problem. So please dont say Im being snobby or i have no respect there is just a lack of jobs.

Citizens advice also told me that i would be better off not getting a job and scrapping through until the baby comes then i will be able to get loads of benefit. I DONT want to do this as I have some self respect as I dont want people saying they are paying for me to live a luxury life and i have always been taught to earn my way.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things, well done. Also, look online and sign up for any emailing lists, newsletters etc which may advertise jobs in your field.

Don't get disheartened yet, my brother and his g/f have both graduated this summer - he has got a job in hos field but only on a temporary contract, and his g/f has signed up with several agencies, and after a few weeks wait is doing some data entry work as a stopgap whilst looking for work in her field.

I know it isnt easy, but you will find something if you try enough avenues. May also be worth looking at graduate schemes and emailing companies you would like to work for on spec.