would you take this job?

[wonderingsoul]

i had an interveiw today, i didnt know the times or days untill the end.

i knew it was 15 hours, it goes well etc. the hours are 2.30 to 5.30 mon to friday. the only good thing is no weekends. but no real chance of over time on weekly chance.

im returning to work after a long gap, its only at a reatail store doing till work ..so its not like a carea that would have me earnign loads.

my problem is i need 16 hours to get working tax. and childcare help. which i wont get. with after school care during term time i will be £40 a month better off and ill be happier

but is it worth it? off course i can and would want a second job to up the hours but the shft and days make it harder to find a 2nd job to fit in with that. i cant work weekend or nights as im a single mum, the kids dont see thier dad and my rents would not help out babysitting. which makes it a little tricker.

so wwyd?? would you accept the offer of the job. ? i reeaally want to work, i think it'll help with my depression and anxity so much and half of me is thinking its a job. you can always look for more jobs whilst in work. but the other side is telling me that to hold out till one that fits better.

i have a second interveiw next week for a agency.

my anxity is playing havoic, so would quite like ot hear what other think/would do?

[Feminine]

How will you get help for the children out of term time? :)

I'd think about that in your position.

The work will be good for your mental health for sure.

[ninah]

I'd hang on for the agency interview

[AtSea1979]

Do a couple of hours "self employed", selling on eBay or something. That way u will get tax creds.

[cestlavielife]

tak the job if you like the store and thepeople. it regular hours . you can work around that eg holiday clubs. it's the hidden benefits eg if they paying a pension scheme, are you getting a discount on your shopping by being an employee etcetc - it isnt jsut the raw figure of how much better off you are.
it will do you good for your self esteem etc and over time you could get promoted move on.
you got to start somewhere.
if you kids in school then build netowrk with other parents to help you out when needed.

[wonderingsoul]

during school term near enough my whole wages would go on after school care leaving me with £10 a week for me.

during the hooildays i would be using all of my wages plus more for it, there is a nurdery that works during the hoildays so will work out how much it would cost .

its just iv spent months not hearing back from any one and i get two interview offers in one day.. im scared if i dont ill be jobless for month before getting another interveiw.

[Twitterqueen]

Can you ask the employer to increase the hours to 16? It's a widely accepted break point so I would think it is a very reasonable question.

[wonderingsoul]

atsea.. would that work? say if i walked a dog for a an hour or two a week, would that count and id get working tax?

the store is one that i wouldnt normally shop at, but like i say i really want to work, they where saying that no one but 2 people have more then 15 hours even though they all want it. so im not sure how much moving up the ladder there is at the store.

[Dahlen]

If you can afford to make ends meet (even if you're slightly worse off) taking the job, personally I'd take it. Paid employment is about so much more than money, although that's obviously the main consideration.

Factor in things like the increase in your confidence and self esteem and the fact that you can't progress your career or raise your income until you have something to start from.

I'm a single parent. During my DC's preschool years, I would have been better off on benefits that I was working but paying for childcare. I won't pretend it wasn't hard but it was well worth it.

Good luck.

[wonderingsoul]

twitter.. i did, she said only two people have 16 hours or more and if she gave me 16 hours it wouldnt go down to well with the others.

but i had though that if thats the case and they want more hours why not just split the 15 hours between the staff they all ready have?

[redskyatnight]

Re - the hours, I know a few people in retail who have school hour shifts and they all got their shifts by starting off with less helpful hours and proving themselves reliable, so they were first in the queue when different hours became available. Might that be a possibility in the future?

[kickassangel]

isn't 16 hours when they have to start paying NI contributions? So it keeps the store better off.

Is it the kind of job that you can just walk out of? Then you could take it but know that you could leave at any time, although you have to consider how much it will disrupt your dc's
It's a tough call so not sure.

[Jess03]

Also, so much easier to get another job once you have a job and you have a clear reason to shop around again in 6 months if you aren't getting more work from this shop. I'd take it as long as the holiday care isn't going to make you really hard up. I'd ask about the 16 hrs though. You'll find after building up some solid experience you can be choosier, see this as a short term foot in the door situation.

[teenagetantrums]

No I wouldn't as a single mum I will never work less than 16 hours, it messes up tax credits, but if you are working less than 16 hours you can get JSA (if you are signing on)and still keep a bit of your benefits and keep your child tax credits. Do you need to rely on housing benefit?

[wonderingsoul]

yes i do.. would i still get housing benifit.. im sure i woudl still get some.

i will check out hoiulday care and how much it would cost extra.

i dont think it would be possable to get more hours in the long run, the two people she was telling me about who get more then 15 hours have been with them for 20 years apperently and only do 18 .. but i have a feeling it is becasue they dont want to pay NI.

my main pro for this is it will boost my self esteem and mental health problems.

[Jess03]

Those are massive pros op, that's why I work too. It's so important to feel like you are useful. Check the money thoroughly though, don't do it if it'll really be financially terrible, you can keep looking with renewed certainty that someone wanted to hire you. Once you start feeling better, other options may open up. Good luck!

[StrawberryGashes]

Could you do catalogues like Avon or similar to get over 16 hours? With working tax credits you used to get money towards childcare too, up to 80% I think, is this still the case? If so then you'd be able to keep most of your wages and you'd get working tax and child tax credits too.

[Quinteszilla]

Take the job.

Once in the job you can ask for more hours.
It is also easier to look for work from the position of already having a job, as opposed to being unemployed looking for work.

Sadly very often employers look to employ people who are already working, as opposed to somebody without a "work record"

[wonderingsoul]

if i do 16 i can get working tax and child care help of 70 percent. i will look into dog walking /avon etc. will make an appoinment with the job centre to, they should have more detail etc.

i am very much leaning toward the taking the job. for my mental health and for the fact that it'll be easier to getr another job. how ever i doubt i will get more hours there, going by what the manager said.

thank you for helping with talking it through and for the good lluck wish's. it is much appricated.

its a scary thing going back into work after being off for so long. i wish i could just wave a magic wand and be in a job knowing whats happening and what i need to do.

[wonderingsoul]

i have 5 years ok work record. just theres a big gap ifygwim. but i do understand it looks better if your allready in work.

[missymayhemsmum]

Well, you could take the job as a step to the next job, but it sounds as though you will be no better off financially and your kids will miss out on some mummying after school. If you decide to turn it down would some volunteering help build your confidence/ mental health while you look for something more suitable?

[holidaysarenice]

I would probably take it and immediately look elsewhere. Easier to get a job from a job.

Also often morning hours come up and first chance goes to an afternoon/already working there rather than being advertised.

[DameFanny]

Who is this company that deliberately avoids paying NI contributions please? Just so I can avoid shopping there...

[LIZS]

You would still have time to find another p/t position, training course or volunteer which might improve your longer term prospects and contacts.

[blibblibs]

I work in retail and initially took the job working 10hrs a week with rubbish shifts. I now have the 25hrs I want and on the days I prefer.
There does tend to be a bit of movement in shifts in most shops and they are uaually always offered to the already exisiting employees then the not so great shifts are advertised.
I would say take it, see how the land lies and if it doesn't suit then you can always start looking again.