How many jobs per week am I expected to apply for on universal credit

I think the issue here is most families need both parents working and people who perceived that they have done the 'right' thing find that they are both having to work full time just to get by.

Lots of parents (not all) would love to be a sty at home parent or work less hours but their finances/career choices don't allow it.

It therefore feels 'unfair' when someone gets funded by the taxpayer to have that luxury and get away with working 10 hours a WEEK!

Some people are doing more than that in a single shift.

There are 000s or arguments for each side about what is best for the children re childcare etc but based on emotion its what feels fair.

Just the way in which the OP is written implies she doesn't want to get job.

The problem is the workers can only afford to pay so much tax and the country can't afford to have as many people out of work.

I think Labour is going to implement some pretty sharp changes.

Thank you but that's the reality of being a FT working parent. I talk from experience.

Whether it's benefits or being a stay at home mum with a husband that pays for everything it seems to bring out a lot of anger on here. I think some do resent putting their children in child care for long hours.

The fact that Sahms with husbands that provide attract similar vitriol is proof that it's not just about how they feel their taxes are wasted

I think @Nousernameforme may have forgotten to factor in the larger income tax take produced by mothers being able to work more hours.

So many silly comments on this thread.

The OP has 15 hours of childcare available, so she needs to find work within those hours.

She can't put her child into nursery full time while she's job hunting - she doesn't have any money.

Anyone who is jealous of the OP being at home with her child or only working part time is completely free to quit their job, leave their husband and live in poverty.

Oh, just stop it. Yes, OP probably needs to adjust her expectations of what's realistic, but 'workshy' people typically don't create threads that relate to job searching. Especially not if they know what a snake pit Mumsnet can be.

I'm sensing more than a touch of bitterness in your posts. Labelling a mother workshy because she'd like to find a way to make work fit around being with her DC if possible. I hope you don't call yourself a feminist.

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/116231/pdf/

have a read. Funding childcare can unlock 28 billion.

OP have you thought about an AAT qualification, this might enable you to do bookkeeping work part-time (and possibly from home) whilst your DC is little and build up to a better paid accountancy job in the future. You might be able to get this funded and study evenings at a local college or online. Or similar with a paralegal and building to becoming a solicitor though paralegal work might not be so flexible. It sounds like you are bright and capable so might be worth making steps towards a future career.

And how's she going to pay for it before she has a job?

Exactly. I got over 1k a month for PT childcare alone for a few years. Approx 40k I'd guess. I will never even pay a tiddly fraction of that back in tax.
It would have been cheaper to the all mighty tax payers if I stayed at home, looked after my kids and did OU to increase my future earnings. My bills (Inc mortgage) were much cheaper than 1k.

On paper that’s all true. But it’s not about black and white facts is it, of course being employed has more personal benefits, that’s why men have more power in this world than women regardless of if they have children or not. They rarely have to be concerned about anyone but themselves when navigating the workplace or training. They don’t have to factor in the extra costs that higher nursery hours bring, and if you’ve been out of work for a while then shift work is more likely than 9-5 jobs. That means extra pressure looking for childcare in unsociable hours. That’s hoping you have a child who thrives in a constant childcare environment, isn’t prone to illness every other week, doesn’t have additional needs.

No work shouldn’t be seen as ‘optional’, but perhaps we should focus more on why childcare is only on the mother to both arrange/pay for/work around and be both financially and socially sanctioned when she finds herself between a rock and hard place doing so. Your post is an answer to a symptom not the cause.

I worked, until recently (made redundant on the belief that employment support can be done via an App, so welcome to the world of AI and no jobs) as Employment Support Officer, for a very large housing association, with a high number of properties in areas of some of the worst social deprivation, in the UK. My role was to supporting residents back into work and we were very successful with those that wanted (and could) work, but I've also seen those that do want to work, need to upskill having been sadly let down by our educational system and those that have made a religion of avoiding work, so we should not be thinking that we know all those who are seeking work, as they are as different in their circumstances as us! Also there but for the Grace of God go some of us, as I've also seen how life can turn on a sixpence!

Issues are huge in finding work as a single parent and here's just a few -

• Lack of nursery places and any that are accessible via public transport due to their geographical location
• Fragmentation of nursery offer, so the offer is irregular days, odd hours, that don't fit with work
• Reduction in the length of school days and schools no longer necessarily being close to housing (worse in new build, rural areas, where many don't have cars, as they never learnt to drive or can afford one)!
• Homes built on green field sites miles from infrastruction and with little, if any, employment, other than a one stop shop, where they offer 4 hour contracts to a huge number of people to ensure they always have cover, but nobody has sufficient hours / regular hours to earn a living
• Check out Turn2us website and see if wages really do pay more that benefits, as they don't for all. When you earn you start to incur costs that actually put you into a negative situation, such as council tax, prescriptions.... travel up to 90 minutes each way depending on your UC requirements!
• Employers want employees when they are busy and the hours are often when schools are not in operation, evenings, weekends.

The Government know the issues and all of the above and so many more, have been fed back to the Department of Education, Department of Work and Pensions for years but no one is willing to take real action. Add into this conversation UC and you have another issue, as it doesn't work well with zero hours, or irregular hours.

Job Centres are now being told to get tough with job seekers, so be prepared for what comes next, as money is really going to be tight and I predict very much tighter. We also have some areas that cover full council tax for those on benefits and they've decided they are about to start charging them small amounts, so things are going to get very messy indeed!

Wage stagnation and raising of the minimum wage is not helping either and I've seen roles asking for experience / degree level education locally, in Hampshire, offering £28K!

When work really pays for all, is logistically possible, then it pays to work!

You had your DH looking after your children while you worked nightshifts. Had you separated from your DH and been a single parent like OP that wouldn’t have been an option for you

Get off your high horse. Before you come at me, I worked alternative work patterns with my XH when ds was a baby, including night shifts.

I don't despise the working parents.
I will repeat myself however that it costs the government far more in tax payers money to pay for someone else to look after the child.

Exactly.

.

i dont think anyone said working parents produce better humans. However, being raised in poverty is one of the biggest factors in outcomes.

We will also have to agree to disagree. When you take into account the long term net positive financial impact childcare funds itself.

just to add - those working parents that you despise so much? Thank god for them otherwise you would pay for all of the public services/benefits that you undoubtedly use.

It's been a while since I was most recently enrolled at Hogwarts School for Jobseeking Wizards (2011) but I've always found that if you approach it positively and engage with the advisors, they're pretty sound. They have to deal with, as you can imagine, the full gamut of Joe Public, so you being sound to them makes their job easier and frankly nicer.

Could you not go for limited capacity to work? Sounds like you might have a case for it.

Yes, and resentment too - 'we had to, so why shouldn't OP'.

There is a societal-level issue here, where the high cost of living and wage stagnation has forced more and more families to need both parents working full time, long hours, with commutes and high stress. This is, in most cases, not the best set up for the wellbeing of any of the family members, least of all for the tiny children, who have to spend long hours per week in childcare away from their main caregiver, during a fundamental time for their psychological and emotional development.

It wasn't so long ago that families could afford to buy a modest 3 bed house on one middling wage, and have a reasonable lifestyle, with time for rest and recreation and one parent to be spending time nurturing the children. Not any more. Now both parents are out full time, families are incredibly squeezed. That's a problem.

For OP, we don't know why she needs to only work 10 hours, so jumping down her throat, quick to condemn, is rather premature.

This. there is nothing wrong with wanting to stay at home with your young children better than the poster sending them to childminders for 12 hours a day

It’s up to 30 hours OR you have to earn over the threshold (£892) per month.

I was looking at 20 hour school dinner nanny jobs term time only jobs (minimum wage) which works out as just over the threshold £892 limit so technically you don’t need to work the 30 hours.

It also depends on circumstances. My friend is a single mum to a 3 yo and school aged child and has been told she needs to job search 18 hours a week. They will put you forward for job interviews and job fairs aswell which you need to attend.

I think there are many things worth looking into regarding child development and the impact it has. I don't think it's as simple as working parents produce better humans.

But that isn't what we are talking about here. People are focused purely on what it's costing the tax payer I was pointing out that those pious little worker bees are costing the tax payer far more.

Yes but who is going to employ her for ten hours per week? Where is the children's dad and why isn't he sharing the childcare dropoffs and pickups? This is how we trap women in poverty, dependent on benefits.