The recession, benefits, the safety net, and the learning curve

SingleSue

Finding yourself out of work and dependent on benefits is not only soul destroying but also a bit of a struggle initially.

This goes for single males/females, men/woman with children, families etc.

One of the problems I found was the difference in the life I had before benefits and the life I lead now, things that when working you took for granted you could afford...the little things like being able to choose if you didn't want to cook at home that night, not worrying about that extra trip in the car, or buying a magazine. For the bigger things, you get an "oh begger" feeling when something goes wrong as you know there is no way you can afford to replace it, no nice little bonus at christmas or in the summer just the heart rending realisation that you have become the lowest of the low in the eyes of others as you can no longer provide on your own for yourself or your family.

Coupled with all of this (as if that isn't enough!), you are applying for jobs but getting nowhere and someone is telling you that there are thousands of jobs out there if only you apply yourself. So you do more training, get more skills, more qualifications.....and still no joy (or you might be lucky but it is very rarely at the salary you had before).

I suppose in a way I was one of the luckier ones when I was forced into not working and onto benefits, I had always had a stingy outlook and was never really frivolous, so no big commitments to pay but the shock of it, the shame of it and the anguish it causes the longer it goes on and the more knockbacks you receive (if they even deign to reply to your applications), the harder it becomes.

You end up feeling pretty worthless after a while, are seen as worthless by a fair few, no matter how much of a high flyer you may have been, how much tax you may have paid over the years, or how hard you are trying to gain employment.

I really feel for you Max, it is not nice and it is not easy...and I agree, single adults get the worse deal of all.

bo_drinker

The ones that play the system are into 2nd and 3rd generation, showing that the system has never been right. The characters that Graham Devon talks about are in all towns and breeding fast. They even made a tv programme about their way of life, it's called Shameless, a very apt title. It's what I call the "easy come easy go" generation. Magically the money is there every week, the "magic money" The word work is not in their vocabulary. The system is all wrong, there needs to be a different tier for the likes of the OP's situation, worked and payed taxes all their life and get less when they hit hard times than the shameless society get week in week out. And when he gets another job(soon I hope) they will still be there cap in hand. Shameless.
The thing is Max you now realise what your taxes are paying for.
Good luck in your search for a new job.

Graham_Devon

oneeye1 wrote: »

having kids means nowt.i have no work wife and 2 kids 1 under 5 1 under 1 and i get 101 a week to look after my house and family so glad ive been an honest worker all my life

£101 cash.

What about housing benefit, council tax benefit etc?

oneeye1

Graham_Devon wrote: »

£101 cash.

What about housing benefit, council tax benefit etc?

excuse me yes my council tax at 25 week sorry im off tom ,book that cruise round the med

SingleSue

bo_drinker wrote: »

The ones that play the system are into 2nd and 3rd generation, showing that the system has never been right. The characters that Graham Devon talks about are in all towns and breeding fast. They even made a tv programme about their way of life, it's called Shameless, a very apt title. It's what I call the "easy come easy go" generation. Magically the money is there every week, the "magic money" The word work is not in their vocabulary. The system is all wrong, there needs to be a different tier for the likes of the OP's situation, worked and payed taxes all their life and get less when they hit hard times than the shameless society get week in week out. And when he gets another job(soon I hope) they will still be there cap in hand. Shameless.
The thing is Max you now realise what your taxes are paying for.
Good luck in your search for a new job.

Unfortunately, it is those characters depicted in Shameless that colours most peoples views of the benefit claimant. It has come to the point where I now stay out of discussions (usually) on money as I know I would have to let on that I am on benefits, put up with the preconceived views (once it was realised that I am a single parent) and then have to explain the whole blooming lot.

It is the same for any claimant, in the eyes of some, their view is that every benefit claimant is the same - usually work shy, layabout, drinking white cider (or is that chavs?) and watching Jeremy Kyle on your luxury plasma tv. They only usually tend to change their view once things have been explained but why should an explanation be needed?

Of course, you lot on here know my story and have been bored with it on numerous occasions! :rotfl:

Graham_Devon

oneeye1 wrote: »

excuse me yes my council tax at 25 week sorry im off tom ,book that cruise round the med

No need to attack.

Just pointing out that you are only counting the cash, and not counting things others have to pay for. Many many people do the same thing, and I will always point it out.

Why? Because many many people have less than £400 per month after paying their council tax and rent / mortgage. Yet you were typing as if you were hard done by.

Max_Headroom_3

Sue, you're quite right and this absolutely isn't a "single mum on benefits" rant.

However there is serious injustice in the system, and more to the point the system simply does not work, as I have discovered to my (literal) cost first hand.

Just one more example, someone I know who's on long term benefits and has been for some while, living quite happily with a house and a car has just had a tattoo on her face.

Now there is someone who clearly doesn't even begin to concern herself with how employable she is... :mad:

bo_drinker

SingleSue wrote: »

Unfortunately, it is those characters depicted in Shameless that colours most peoples views of the benefit claimant. It has come to the point where I now stay out of discussions (usually) on money as I know I would have to let on that I am on benefits, put up with the preconceived views (once it was realised that I am a single parent) and then have to explain the whole blooming lot.

It is the same for any claimant, in the eyes of some, their view is that every benefit claimant is the same - usually work shy, layabout, drinking white cider (or is that chavs?) and watching Jeremy Kyle on your luxury plasma tv. They only usually tend to change their view once things have been explained but why should an explanation be needed?

Of course, you lot on here know my story and have been bored with it on numerous occasions! :rotfl:

I try not to tarr everyone with the same brush t b h.

bo_drinker

Max_Headroom wrote: »

Sue, you're quite right and this absolutely isn't a "single mum on benefits" rant.

However there is serious injustice in the system, and more to the point the system simply does not work, as I have discovered to my (literal) cost first hand.

Just one more example, someone I know who's on long term benefits and has been for some while, living quite happily with a house and a car has just had a tattoo on her face.

Now there is someone who clearly doesn't even begin to concern herself with how employable she is... :mad:

A tattoo on her face, nice. :rotfl:Again easy come easy go

SingleSue

Goodness, yes I have seen some of those too Max (an old school friend was showing me her new tattoo at the weekend, awful things if done to excess). I can't understand it personally, my life has always been about working and doing the best I can and my current situation has not changed that one little bit.

It is harder for the single person, I will admit that, whether they are working in a minimum wage job or unemployed and the system does not seem at all fair in that respect.

Keep plodding away and hopefully something will come up on the job front....and try not to get too disillusioned.