Single mum in a trap! Help please!

dizzyb_2

Hi i have already posted this in "Up your income" so apologies if you have already read it.

Hi there,

I am in a bit of a predicament and I would be grateful for any advice from anyone! Here goes.....

I am a single mum of a 5 year old boy and i have been on benefits since may 2007. During this time, I have retrained as a teaching assistant doing voluntary work in local schools, yet there are no actual jobs at present in my area. I have been offered supply work (no set hours) by the school i completed my NVQ in but i worry this will mess up my benefits so i feel that I may have to turn it down! :-( This then means that the experience i need to gain in order to put on my CV for future jobs is limited. I cannot afford to stay on income support any more and i desperately need a job but then this closes me up for being available for supply work! I just don't know what to do, I seem to be completely backed into a corner. If i take another job, then i will have wasted this past 16 months. If i don't then i don't know how long i will be waiting for a full-time (over 16 hours at least) vacancy to come up in a school. I was thinking I could set up some sort of "free lance personal assistant" in the meantime and in between supply work. Where by i do favours for people and recieve payment. I am constantly getting calls from family members when they are at work asking me to pick up dry cleaning, parcels from the post office, nip to asda, feed and let the dog out etc as they know i am available and not working. I don't mind doing this but i wondered if this is something i could turn into a casual business? Of course i would have to do it all properly and become self employed, i just have no idea if this is a viable business and how to go about it! How would it all work with my supply work, benefits and everything! I am really stressing about this and i just can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Since have been writing this, i recieved a phone call from the school to ask if i can work 4 hours on friday as a one off. What do i do?! If anyone can help, i would be very grateful.

Thank you from a very dizzy feeling dizzyb!

:-)

lilac_lady

I'd do the 4 hours at the school on Friday and book an appointment with a back to work advisor at the DWP to see if you can be guided through your dilema. Good luck.

dizzyb_2

Thank you lilac lady. x

Oldernotwiser

Make that the Lone Parent Advisor and I'd agree with you.

dizzyb_2

I wouldn't do it only for family Zziggi! lol! I would put an ad in our local newsagents and use word of mouth. I have found quite a few adverts through google where these people call themselves, lifestyle managers! They offer loads of services to busy people in their local areas. And yes, knowing my family, they would probably manage to do things for themselves all of a sudden! ;-)

mum2boys_3

Zziggi wrote: »

I would hazzard a guess that if you started doing this as a business (i.e. expecting payment) the requests from family & friends would dry up pretty sharpish!

I agree .

Your lone parent adviser is definately the best first port of call here - but also could you maybe get a Sat/ Sun job for a few hours to keep income steady and help out when you get no hours? I think HB and Council tax credit could be averaged out over a few weeks if your hours vary - and even recalculated for times you get no TA work - it's worth doing for the experience imo, you are much more likely to secure a "proper" job then.