I work for the Courts & Tribunals Service carrying out PIP tribunals, as a "disability qualified" member. I have a disability, which is a hearing loss.
We are employed as "fee paid" so only paid per day we sit, with no holiday or sick pay or pension. We also got no furlough money when most of our booked sessions were cancelled for April and May. They said they do not employ us and neither are we self employed. So no help even though we work for the Government.
They now say our workload may drop a lot as DWP are not doing assessments, so a lot fewer appeals will be requested.
So I need to look for something more reliable as a job. Has anyone any suggestions what sort of thing I could do? We read the paperwork, question the appellant and make a decision, working in a team. I would like to keep the tribunals on alongside for when it picks up again, so I couldn't work for CAB for example, as it would be a conflict of interest.
Before this job I didn't work much for a long time as I have a child with a disability. I have a Masters in Environmental Protection and worked as a consultant in air quality but all my knowledge is totally outdated now.
I also live in a town with no consultancies in and can't look at working in a city as I have more kids and need to be back for the end of childcare at 6, as my husband works away (can't change his job / career).
So any suggestions what I could be looking for please? I just want a steady couple of days a week. Thanks!