In your fifties - no job - what next?

sscrabble

If I lose my job (good chance I will ) the odds are I will never get another one - have tried while still working and have got nowhere. So what happens to me - mid-fifties single - own house paid for and £10000 in the bank . If I cannot get a job what happens - a I entitled to benefits for the next ten years until I get my pension? - do I have to spend all my savings ? Do I have to sell my house ? Would I be better claiming that I cannot work again because of stress and depression (have been on anti-depressants for three years but never gone off work sick with it) ? I feel I need to have a plan now because when and if it happens I would rather not have the additional stress of having to find out then.

System

there are age laws in place to protect you , theres no reason why you have to be unemployed my company have just taken on a 60 yr old [ there are already a couple there that age] maybe this worry is being exaserbated by the depression .

eamon

If you lose your job by redundancy then you must/can sign on for jobseekers allowance. You will probably only be entitled to contribution based jsa and this lasts approx 6 months. After that most benefits are means based and you would be required to live/exhaust of your liquid assets if they are over a certain limit. You can claim council tax benefit. Jobcentre plus will bend over backwards to try and get you of their books via an assortment of schemes (depending on where you live). Therefore if you fear the worst now is the time to do your research and see what you may be entitled to. And as other msers have said age discrimination is now illegal.

Eamon

tallyhoh

I am out of work & the same age group as you. I uploaded my CV onto Monster a couple of weeks ago (actually it was just to get the 100 points off Pigsback) & my phone has rung continually since. Mainly agencies but its work. I havent got any special skills except office admin.

sscrabble

I was surprised about the Monster thing working - will certainly look at that. Are the agencies looking for someone like you specifically , or just trying to get minimum wage labour ? - and is it city centre work or small town ( just wondering if Monster would work in a regional town rather than a city)
What difference would it make if I was incapable of working due to stress ? - do you still have to exhaust your savings or do the benefits continue indefinitely ? - while not wishing to work the system I would have no desire to use all my few savings - what happens then when unexpected bills crop up - you cannot pay them, and end up getting your house repossessed ?

bryanb

sscrabble wrote: »

I was surprised about the Monster thing working - will certainly look at that. Are the agencies looking for someone like you specifically , or just trying to get minimum wage labour ? - and is it city centre work or small town ( just wondering if Monster would work in a regional town rather than a city)
What difference would it make if I was incapable of working due to stress ? - do you still have to exhaust your savings or do the benefits continue indefinitely ? - while not wishing to work the system I would have no desire to use all my few savings - what happens then when unexpected bills crop up - you cannot pay them, and end up getting your house repossessed ?

There is nobody to repossess your house, as you said it's paid for, you own it! Try a hypothetical check on "entitled to" adjust the figures for different scenarios.

millie

I was made redundant at 58 and found another job, I am 61 now and trying to escape from that job but they are not keen to let me go. I work 3 part time days at present, I have now agreed to work 1 day a week as long as I can have it off if I want to go anywhere or on an extended holiday. They are over the moon with that idea, because I can do the wages and all the invoicing in that day so they can manage the rest. Older people are often favoured by employers especially small ones because of their life skills and reliability.

therealdessie

Don't forget charities - they often want people with good life experience, and the youngster's don't have a taste for that kind of work - get your name out there (as suggested Monster is a good starting place), and sign up for job alerts from all the major sites.

Oldernotwiser

therealdessie wrote: »

Don't forget charities - they often want people with good life experience, and the youngster's don't have a taste for that kind of work - get your name out there (as suggested Monster is a good starting place), and sign up for job alerts from all the major sites.

Working for charities and NFPs is very popular with all ages and entry to this area is very competitive. No harm trying, though.

therealdessie

My ex used to work for Age Concern, and I don't recall a single person there being under 45 - not saying that's old, either. Maybe it was the slant of the charity itself, but there certainly always seemed to be work for older members of staff.