Part time to Full time employment example..

Ozzy29

Ok, I've seen a lot of people on here slating people for sticking to part time work instead of getting a full time job. I only have one child at home and don't need child care. I'm 41 and my business failed in late 2009. I had a couple of years of hell doing anything I could (paper rounds, cleaning etc.) and then found a temping job 2 days per week early last year. In November this turned into full time temporary. I didn't think I'd be much better off but thought it may be around £20 per week.

Part time 16hrs with tax credits/HB/CTB: £1,617.
Full time 37.5hrs with tax credits/HB/CTB: £1,634.

That's an increase of £17 per month. My outgoings are £1,462 so i have a disposable income of £172 per month. My washing machine broke down in December, the clutch went on my car this month. I'm waiting to see what will happen in February. How do I pay for these repairs without getting into debt?

I live in fear that my temporary job will end. It was hard enough finding this job.

I will not stop working full time. I am battling for maintenance payments so that life can stop being a constant fight to stay on top.

I still get some housing benefit and Tax credits working full time. The only difference is in my own mind. I feel like a real member of society and love to work. I had 3 children and when my daughter was 3 and started nursery I got a part time job. I've always worked but was always frowned upon for being a single parent who fleeced the system. Seriously, I understand there are a lot of single parents out there that put themselves before their children (as a cab driver on minimum wage I would take them 'shopping') but there are also a lot of us that have truly struggled and done our best. I don't go out, I have no social life and do wonder what I will do when my daughter leaves for uni. I don't mind this because my kids come first. My eldest is at uni too, my middle child is on a bit of a self awareness journey (hmmmm) but hopefully will get on track soon.

I just wanted to show people a different view of single parents.
I really hope some of you can be a bit more understanding now.

(I can give you a breakdown of my outgoings if you think its high!)

OldMotherTucker

Hang in and keep going!

I poo poo in the face of of bias that looks down on my single parent family. (Why no 'poo poo in the face of bias' smiley?):rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Aim for the full time hours - those are the jobs that lead to promotion and pay rises - because one day CTC will stop altogether:eek::eek:

I'm celebrating a major pay rise in a job I enjoy that I don't have to take home with me and planning a little road trip with DD1 to scout out the Uni places she's been offered!

BigAunty

Yes, it's a shame that full time workers aren't always rewarded with a higher income than part time workers because of the steep withdrawal of benefits and effect of taxation, child care, transport to work, etc. Hopefully this is something that will be remedied under the Universal Credit system.

The unfortunate side effect of tax credits and high housing costs are that they eroded the clear difference in disposable income between non-working, partly working and fully employed households. DWPs own figures show that a family of 3 kids earning more than 30k plus with the same housing costs of another household where they earn 9k means that the household earning 3 times as much is only better off by around 10%.

To make your income go further, download the MSE budget planner and work through the site to slash costs or post a SOA on the debt free wanabee board so the posters there can pick over it.

Sometimes working washing machines are given away on Freecycle, Freeshare, Gumtree freebies, etc - post a wanted ad.

FBaby

Most here know the reality that working full-time as a single parent rarely leaves you better off financially. Still, the aim of the government should be for single parents to get off benefits, whether better off or not, it shouldn't a choice.

Saying that, I do get annoyed when single parents working 16 hours or so, especially those whose kids are at school come and moan how hard they have it. They don't. They have at worse just about the same disposable income than those who work 37 hours. What they have though is time to do all those things that need doing that those working full-time lack of, that includes such activities that will mean your outgoings are less. Time is money.

LunaLady

I reduced my hours from 37 to 25 when I started uni in October. I am not really much worse off as the drop in salary is negated by the child care costs.

Ozzy29

Yeah it's a crazy system. I agree that everyone should be working if they can, but the government should be targeting the many two parent families that are not working at all and the single people with no kids. I saw it all as a cab driver, every type of low life you can imagine. working part time as a single parent is a step up from being on benefits so until children are older I think these parents should be left alone.

I am also studying a degree part time. I could never have done this when my kids were younger and still work full time.

The government may make it easy for parents to get on benefits but they make it very very hard to get off them. They need to concentrate more on training.

I'm very happy now and I'm sure things will get better financially in a few years (I've been saying that for 22 yrs!), I just wish my kids could have benefited from a not so stressed mum for all those years.

RoxieW

YOu have my sympathies. I work full time - more than full time! - with three children ages 10, 8 and 4. It is hugely difficult, especially with minimal help. What keeps me going is how proud my boys are of me and the example and work ethic that I want to pass on to them. Everything that we have, we have earnt, and that's a great feeling.

Gentile

Ozzy29 wrote: »

Yeah it's a crazy system. I agree that everyone should be working if they can, but the government should be targeting the many two parent families that are not working at all and the single people with no kids. I saw it all as a cab driver, every type of low life you can imagine. working part time as a single parent is a step up from being on benefits so until children are older I think these parents should be left alone.

I am also studying a degree part time. I could never have done this when my kids were younger and still work full time.

The government may make it easy for parents to get on benefits but they make it very very hard to get off them. They need to concentrate more on training.

I'm very happy now and I'm sure things will get better financially in a few years (I've been saying that for 22 yrs!), I just wish my kids could have benefited from a not so stressed mum for all those years.

You seem to have a lot of real life examples of how single mums are completely milking the system. However, bear in mind that on here such examples are considered myths. according to some there is no example that single mums are popping out kids by the dozen and enjoying shopping on benefit money.

Anyway, I complete agree that the working class has been decimated in the last decade by Labour. For some reason, which is known only to Gordon Brown and his female subordinates, they decided that part time working people would get an enormous amount of money back as tax credits. It was supposed to be a credit of the tax that was already paid but that theory does not make sense because there are people getting more than what they earn bac as tax credit.

Welcome to the world of Labour where an entire generation will only work a few hours and the state will support them but the only condition is they should go and vote Labour come general election time. In return they will borrow billions every year and tax the working class till they bleed to death and give all this cash to the non working/part time working class and make them richer.

mel48rose

RoxieW wrote: »

YOu have my sympathies. I work full time - more than full time! - with three children ages 10, 8 and 4. It is hugely difficult, especially with minimal help. What keeps me going is how proud my boys are of me and the example and work ethic that I want to pass on to them. Everything that we have, we have earnt, and that's a great feeling.

Here here. My situation is exactly the same. A strong work ethic is something my children have been educated in. Don't expect anyone to carry you through life eh.

FBaby

working part time as a single parent is a step up from being on benefits so until children are older I think these parents should be left alone.

But that's the key, are old? There have been a number of threads of single parents working only the minimum 16 hours required even when their kids were independent at college, who cry that they don't know how they will support themselves when they lose all children related benefits.

I can just about support that single parents of children under the age of 5 should be able to work part-time. After 5, childcare costs go down quite a bit with only before/after school clubs and holiday (and you can then try to require either only morning or only after school care) and working full-time should bring in more than relying mostly on tax credits.

In any case, there is no excuse for a single parent not to be able to work full-time after their children are at secondary school. It's not like this is an unpredictable event.

Ozzy29

Too true FBaby!