Actually I'd rather be on benefits

[Spudulika]

... than have to work 40 hours a week in a boring minimum wage job.

Not doing either myself thankfully (working DH, I have well-paid p/t job), but thoroughly resenting the line that the conservatives are taking that the reason many people have a terrible quality of life is because they're not working, and that they'll invariably have a better quality of life if they're not on benefits, because going to work somehow always makes your life better.

I suspect that the majority of mp's have never done these sorts of jobs, and have never had to live on the minimum wage, otherwise they wouldn't be saying this.

IMO what makes people's live shit is being educationally and culturally impoverished, poor housing and poor mental and physical health, none of which are likely to be alleviated by spending 40 hours doing repetitive manual labour.

If work doesn't leave you significantly better off financially, is in itself not interesting, and results in you becoming time poor, so you have fewer hours to read, stroll in the park, meet with friends or watch interesting films on TV (all of which activities are free and accessible to the unemployed), how on earth can you be said to be better off doing it?

And then there's the option of enriching your life by doing voluntary work while unemployed, or studying.

So - if you were an MP and I was an unemployed person, how would you persuade me that I would be much happier cleaning out buses for 40 hours a week, than sitting at home reading the newspaper and listening to the radio?

If you contact a school and offer to go in and read with children, they will often snap your hand off.

I did it before I was CRB checked and was just never left on my own with the children.

Same with old people's homes.

Schools and old people's homes don't advertise for volunteers, but will usually find a use for them!

I think by removing benefits by stealth eg capping housing benefit, removing disability payments etc when the government says the Universal Credit will make work pay what they means is you'll starve/be homeless if you don't work. They aren't raising minimum wage, jobs won't be paying more money so it stands to reason (even with an increase in the income tax threshold) people will be working for the same or similar money that they were receiving in benefits. In real terms they won't be much better off at all and that's if they can find a permanent job with regular hours in the first place.

And why shouldn't the 'menial' jobs and things like childcare or care work pay more? We can't all improve ourselves and get well-paid jobs. Someone has to do the jobs that aren't well paid so why shouldn't they be paid a living wage to do it? Oh yeah, because the private sector would move everything abroad where people will work for a pittance. Sounds like corporate terrorism to me.

Oh, and there's a name for people on benefits who have two foreign holidays, new cars and SkyHD and the moon on a stick - drug dealers.

Really on the CRB check? Mine is 2 years old and most places have asked for me to pay for it to be updated before going on the waiting list.

Oh, and there's a name for people on benefits who have two foreign holidays, new cars and SkyHD and the moon on a stick - drug dealers

BigTuna or are 'single parents' with 4 children all of whom have the same surname as each other, but a different one to the mother, but (interestingly) the same name as the landlord. What are the chances of that!

Me too spud

From I ma sitting now I can see acres and acres of farm land. When harvest time comes he will employ armies of foreign pickers.
Yet there are many able bodied and willing young people locally...but they dare not take the job becauase when it finishes (usually quite quickly and often inaccruately depending on weather) they will have hell of a job sorting out their benefits once again. And what will they live on in the menatime?

If they had a guaranteed subsidence benefit they would, I bet, snatch the farmer's hands off for thr work.

Similarly I employ various people who cannot take on any overtime as it buggers with their WTC. How silly...I'm sure they'd love to earn a little extra...but there's no point for them as things stand.

And all those who have great ideas for small businesses that might not work...but then again they just might.

xstitch, im in a similar position to you - its soo frustrating. I have been told by people to get over myself because i say my qualifications hinder my job search, that ishoudlnt put my PhD on my CV, err, well it took me 7 years go get my degree and PhD, would those people kindly tell me what i should say i was doing for that period of time??

Well when I did it (it was about 6 years ago now) I explained that I wanted to gain classroom experience in case I wanted to train as teacher but that I didn't have a CRB check.

They said that wasn't a problem because I'd never be left on my own with the children - and I wasn't.

That may have been a school specific decision, but it was my experience.

I still stand by what my grandparents consistently said every time the word 'Tory' was mentioned in our house: 'Jobs for the boys'
Meaning: They like to keep the poor people poor and the rich people rich.

my issue with this is (predictably) the fact that we'd all like to stroll during the day etc etc but I cannot swallow that I should have to fund it. Sorry, I just can't. I don't particularly like my job but I do it coz funding what I want is MY responsibility, not anyone elses. Do bear in mind these are things we want to do, not need to do.

Working is far better. I was made redundant a year ago, and in the meantime I have lost confidence, self esteem, self worth, gained 2 stone and a need for antidepressants. Not working is shit.

passiveaggressive - yeah it probably is my problem if I can't recognise your "rhetorical" diatribe. But, hey ho, it's not as bad as your problem, so small mercies n all that.

xstitch I think that you could get somewhere to volunteer. I would consider your future plans for career and employment and work on that, do a course, free with open university and many other online collages and make a plan consider future goals. I think the fact you are unable to move due to court order is a problem, however you do need a plan for your self and goals to work towards.

Xstitch, i dont know what you are qualified to do, i am volunteering in my old lab,i'm loving it, but had to make excuses to my supervisor this week because i don't have the money to get there :( I can't be forking out £25 on bus fairs when i can only just manage to put food on the table this week. There is no chance of them paying expenses as the department is on its knees. Im enjoying being back but i know im on a hiding to nothing when it comes to getting a job back there again and that feels quite fruitless. I am mid training to work for the redcross too, but again, its so frustrating because yes i enjoy using my skills, but i NEED some bloody money!!

I just want to be able to take my DD on holiday (nothing extravagant, but a Sun holiday is beyond us at the moment) we have done sun holiday with her in the past and she begs us to go again, but we cant afford it. So frustrating when i know of people on benefits who do this twice a bloody year

Madlizzy I could've written the same post as you. Having always worked, not working is a hell of a shock to the mind and body. I had no idea the impact it would have until it happened to me.

A benefit of working is being around others and getting things done, even with the repetitive stuff you talk about. Low stress and who knows chatting about crap with people who have become friends at work.

I think Sun holidays work out too bloody expensive anyway passiveaggressive.

My DH didn't make the payment in time for ours in April and was told he'd have to wait until the next round iyswim? Anyways, he didn't tell me, and panicked, and booked somewhere close by for the same week without telling me, as he thought I'd be mad with disappointment, after he'd taken his last week off work for the year. Turned out a lot cheaper than the Sun holiday!

"if you were an MP and I was an unemployed person, how would you persuade me that I would be much happier cleaning out buses for 40 hours a week, than sitting at home reading the newspaper and listening to the radio?"

all the things that have been said: pride, example to children, getting out of the house, social interaction, and the chance of working towards getting a better (more interesting and better paid) job one day.

but if that doesn't work then you have to change the finances so that working always pays more. Either raise the minimum wage so that work pays more (but this is likely to reduce available jobs) or lower benefits.

Thing is razzle, yeah we are in finacial mire at the moment but that is being sorted out, you are always going to be ignorant

Wordfactory

that's very true. In the last 14 months dh has been employed, unemployed, self employed, employed, unemployed, employed and now unemployed.

Each time I try and sort out tax credits they haven't sorted it out properly from the time before. They're currently saying they can't change it (so we get enough to feed the kids) because I haven't done my renewal yet due to the accountants still working out the self employment figures.
I an see how it would easier to just stick to benefits rather than deal with all this crap.

xstitch I would strongly recommend the Red Cross as a voluntary organisation. I was when i realised the opportunities they offer and am mid training, although ive sort of let it slip due to my lab work (guilty emoticon) to do messaging and tracing work for people separated by war. Its extremely interesting, if not heart wrenching work (im very excited about it and will be picking up on it again soon) - now if money were no issue, i would happily do that all time. They dont get many volunteers because its a bit of a political hot potato, you have to put your politics to one side if you work for the red cross but they are brilliant and crying out for volunteers. I was very when a friend suggested voluntary work, i dont want to be standing in a charity shop thanks all the same, its not for me - but there are some really exciting opportunities. Sorry, i sound like a sales pitch for the red cross but they are brilliant

bronze, im with you there - self employed is bloody tough and the goverment dont make it easy for people to help themselves, thats for sure.

razzlebone I'm baffled by that comment too.

Over-extend yourself buying a ridiculously-priced house, simply hand the key back and in the worst-case scenario a council house is provided straight away?

Bollocks.

I dont know how i feel about raising the minimum wage though, would that work or would it put lots of small businesses out of operation becaues they couldnt afford to pay staff? I guess there are no easy answers. The government needs to do more, but more of what? i dont have the anwers thats for sure

I have that problem with my CV. Have tried to leave of my qualifications many a time but it leaves not only the gap where I gained the qualifications but the gap where I could not have been doing the job I was doing if I had not had the qualifications IYSWIM. Adds up to almost 15 years. That is a very big CV gap to try and account for.

Also living in the middle of nowhere does make travel difficult. I had a hospital appointment last week and it cost me £10 to get there. Couldn't fork out £50 a week to get to a voluntary post. Its just not feasible,

Have just sent off another application there in between my posts. Don't hold out much hope tbh. It is very draining trying to be upbeat and tell people how wonderful you are when you really know what they are thinking about you.

My bank was creating a scene this week because I don't have a passport. These are expensive and there is no prospect of going abroad anytime soon so would be irresponsible of me to spend money on one IMO.