Will I be worse off?

AnxiousMum

Wow - OP - think four weeks ahead from now - your husband will lose the mortgage coverage anyways, as he will then be working full time hours. You will still get some child tax credits, and as said above, you may even get some working tax credits. You have got a great opportunity to actualy benefit from your training, training that no doubt cost you a bit of money! You have a job in school, dont' know how old your children are - are they in school? If so, you've got it good - no childcare, being able to be around when your children are off of school, the luxury of picking them up, dropping them off etc. I know how much easier that makes my life!

As a teaching assistant, I'll bet you that you don't just work 18 hours per week. I don't know of any that actually work only their contracted hours, there are always extra hours available, as there's alway something to do.

Also, things may not be a whole lot better financially immediately, but what about next year, when there is a vacancy with more hours, either at the school you are going to work at or another local school? You can only move up and advance from here - thereby improving your overall financial picture as the years go on. If you decide not to work at the moment, it will make it that much harder to find the perfectly ideal job again years down the road, and you'll be starting all over in the same position, possibly without any child tax credits depending on the new budget! If you wait to go back to work, you're training will be 'old', there'll be a gap in your cv, and you may not find it as easy to get employment.

Check out the calculations on your new salary and your husband's new salary - you may be surprised at what you will still receive.

Congratulations on the job by the way!

narabanekeater

Ta salarys remember are Pro rata and even as a level one im sure your talking 7 pounds plus an hour
You could always use entitled to to put your earnings into to have a look and what youll be getting when you both go to work

LizzieS_2

kingfisherblue wrote: »

The OP is unlikely to qualify for IS as she is not a single parent and does not have any disabilities or care for somebody who has.

I meant income based JSA with top up for partner - assuming OP was comparing totally being on benefits to working (not clear whether looking at herself or both).

TotallyBroke

You will have 2 wages, 1 fulltime and 1 part time. You will still get CTC although maybe at a slightly reduced amount due to the wages. You may earn too much for WTC between you but you would if needed still qualify for the Childcare element of WTC so if you needed to use breakfast clubs or childminder/nursery. You would basically get 3 weeks out of every 4weeks paid for.

Jomo

andyandflo wrote: »

Hi,
It's a pleasure. Some folk may think that - but - so what, it is your life and with a family to bring up you do have to look after No.1. Nobody else will!! As long as it is legal, you are quite entitled to use or take advantage of any benefit that helps improve or maintain your family life. Government passed the laws, and if people have any objection to that school of thought they should be looking to their MP to lobby for a change in the law.

Good luck in your quest.

Have you not considered that taking the job would be the better option, thinking about number one's well being etc. etc.

It isn't all about money money money!!

Wee_Willy_Harris

Jomo wrote: »

Have you not considered that taking the job would be the better option, thinking about number one's well being etc. etc.

It isn't all about money money money!!

I agree. The benefits of working are many, personal, social, emotional, physical. The question you should be asking is not so much "will I be better off", but "can I manage financially". Medical students would be "better off" if they worked filling shelves at Asda.

AnxiousMum

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

I agree. The benefits of working are many, personal, social, emotional, physical. The question you should be asking is not so much "will I be better off", but "can I manage financially". Medical students would be "better off" if they worked filling shelves at Asda.

LOL - Don't tell my son that! So true though if you only look at it short term.

wingobins

Thanks for all your help guys. Just to update, I have asked in school to reduce the hours to 16 unless a full time position came up. The rest I will do as voluntary as I already do a lot of voluntary within school (I'm still doing further training). I was worried financially as although I assumed it to be £6 per hour it might (possible but not decided) be a little bit more as I am trained at level 2 but have to start at level 1. Oldernotwise...if a full time job is on offer then I will accept but this is a step up to get where I want and bearing in mind the special needs children only come in 3 days a week. I started training at nursing but it did not work out with childcare etc so this is the perfect opportunity to work around my children. By working 16 hours I can still claim some ctc and by sept, all my children will be in full time school.
Thanks again. xx

andyandflo

Jomo wrote: »

Have you not considered that taking the job would be the better option, thinking about number one's well being etc. etc.

It isn't all about money money money!!

I would agree with you that working is better for you but at the expense of being worse off???

Unfortunately in today's world - everything's about money!!! Or haven't you been reading the newspapers over the past 6 months? When did you ever last hear of an MP doing the job for the job's sake?
I may be very cynical, but after many years working for the government both with HMRC and latterly, The Official Receiver, I have yet to find many individuals that don't think that money is a prime mover in their lives!

Every day I was asked one way or another - what do I get out of it, why should I work and pay my debts off, is there anything that I know they haven't claimed for and no, I'm not going to go to work and end up paying CSA!!

Yes, find a job and if you are lucky enough, enjoy it - but surely not at the expense of your family losing out!! I am absolutley sure that if I told my wife that our income would drop by half just because I love the work - I know where she would tell me to go!!!

Wee_Willy_Harris

Your own wife would deny you the chance of true happiness???? Yours was an unwise choice.