Wife forced to leave work - what benefits are we entitled to?

cw18

I was told by my Union Rep as well as a friend who (until recently) used to work for a charity (one that helped people who needed home care to different degrees depending on how bad a day/week they were having)

cw18

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's a terribly generalised thing to suggest! The OP's wife may well be a professional woman or someone with a high level of trade skills. Just because women have babies doesn't mean that they're fit for nothing other than shelf filling in a supermarket.

I agree that having children doesn't mean she's lost her ability to do the same work as she was doing mentally (or physically), but have to agree with the person who suggested this type of work as it does tend to be one of the most flexible in terms of working hours.

lesley1960

shop-to-drop wrote: »

It is better than doing nothing which is what the OP suggests. I am a graduate myself and have no problems with working in a supermarket. I think you are the one who is generalising about supermarket workers.

I think the Op said he works away alot , so childcare would become an issue again

cw18

but the supermarkets around us do seem to do short shifts during school hours, so that shouldn't be a major issue (especially as I assume from the OP's post that the elder child will start school in September 2009, which will reduce the required childcare).

the other local establishment that seems to have lunch time shifts (due to the increase in trade from the local secondary school children, who are almost all allowed off school grounds due to their catering facilities being too small for the number of pupils -- especially since they "modernised" said catering facilities ) is McDonalds.

Idiophreak

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's a terribly generalised thing to suggest! The OP's wife may well be a professional woman or someone with a high level of trade skills. Just because women have babies doesn't mean that they're fit for nothing other than shelf filling in a supermarket.

So what if she is? She can try and find a job in a "professional" place, using all her "trade skills", but under flexible conditions, working part time or having holidays off etc, applying against those that are willing and able to work full time...guess what? She won't get one.

Then what does she do?
a) Sit at home, safe in the knowledge that she's better than supermarket work, but driving the household into financially difficulty (which is the problem in the first place)
b) Suck it up and try and find *any* job that's likely to be flexible enough to help her out like...supermarkets.

Sorry, it seems entirely reasonable advice to me...

shop-to-drop

lesley1960 wrote: »

I think the Op said he works away alot , so childcare would become an issue again

I would say, don't write it off until you check it out. It is probably the best option and most likely to be able to be flexible. How much is a lot? I was full-time H/W for longer than I would have liked as I didn't think I would find a job flexible enough as my husband worked long hours and would sometimes go away at short notice also grandparents are both 3 hours away and so needed to have some weekends free for visits. Once I got this job I realised that i could have applied long ago.

I work 2 nights a week and take home £480 every 4 weeks and get 10% off at Tesco and other special staff offers and share schemes etc. It is really worth doing and could make a real difference to the OP's family as they are worried about meeting their high outgoings. My shopping bill has also reduced at least 30% since working there since spotting bargains etc. I am happy to have a job in the local community that has no commuting, no stress to take home with me. No childcare or other costs. Lots of interesting customers and colleagues. Despite peoples generalisation of supermarket workers there is such a diverse selection of staff different education, ages, nationalities, abilities. Tesco have posters up in the staff areas reminding staff of flexible working they really promote it. If the OP's wife decides to go this route I would suggest taking a small amount of hours and see how it goes. There's lots of O/T available to top up. Now is a good time to be looking for this type of work but be quick.

Oldernotwiser

shop-to-drop wrote: »

It is better than doing nothing which is what the OP suggests. I am a graduate myself and have no problems with working in a supermarket. I think you are the one who is generalising about supermarket workers.

I don't have a problem with it myself, as a strategy of last resort. I didn't feel that the OP's wife was that far down the road, that's all.

Oldernotwiser

Idiophreak wrote: »

So what if she is? She can try and find a job in a "professional" place, using all her "trade skills", but under flexible conditions, working part time or having holidays off etc, applying against those that are willing and able to work full time...guess what? She won't get one.

Then what does she do?
a) Sit at home, safe in the knowledge that she's better than supermarket work, but driving the household into financially difficulty (which is the problem in the first place)
b) Suck it up and try and find *any* job that's likely to be flexible enough to help her out like...supermarkets.

Sorry, it seems entirely reasonable advice to me...

Somebody who's a teacher could do private coaching, a nurse could do bank shifts, a plumber could do occasional work. All of these things would pay twice as much as working in a supermarket and still allow her to keep any skills she has up to date.

I've done cleaning, call centre work and bar work myself, as well as working in professional jobs, so I'm no snob about it. I just feel that women with children shouldn't necessarily set their sights so low, just because they become mothers. Nobody would suggest that a man in a high powered job should go and work in B&Q, just because he's become a father!

Idiophreak

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Nobody would suggest that a man in a high powered job should go and work in B&Q, just because he's become a father!

Becoming a father has nothing to do with it, it's just about doing a job when you need one. You see a thread "I need money, but the only job I can get is in B+Q...I'm a high powered businessman, normally" ...I *bet* the responses say something like "suck it up, you need the money, do the job til something better comes along". Not "you're right, you should hold out for the best job you can get".

When someone comes along and says "I need a very flexible job", I don't see what's wrong with saying "they could get a job in a supermarket". I don't think s-t-d was saying supermarket work is all the OP's wife was good for, etc - just that it was an option. As are those you've listed.

But without knowing the skills of the OP's wife (which we don't afaik), the value of suggesting "part time electrician" in the first instance is somewhat limited. Supermarket work is good, flexible employment that most anyone can do...

Oldernotwiser

I understand what you're saying and agree that the OP has given us little information to go on. However, for all we know, the OP's wife could be a solicitor, a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist (unlikely though these may be) and for someone to immediately suggest she gets a few hours shiftwork in a supermarket seems inappropriate and rather sexist.

Personally, I can't see why she doesn't carry on in her normal job and leave the kids at nursery/childminders like everybody else. It's the OP who seems to be making such a big deal out of such an ordinary state of affairs.