AIBU to think there is a difference.

[mollyandme123]

After a conversation earlier I was left feeling like rubbish, is there really no difference between people who choose not to work and claim, and people who work but claim top ups. Are all benefits viewed as the same.

Teenage I'm not benefit bashing at all but I don't believe I have to agree with certain benefits because I am on a diff kind as its all different and in different scenarios so yes I agree with benefits .. but not it being used as a lifestyle choice. But there is a difference

I was thinking about this the other day, I work in childcare which is notoriously low paid, most of the people I trained with (we all qualified in 2000) have either moved on to earn more or top up wages with their tax creds. Who would do the low paid but still essential jobs if there was no help to survive (and I mean survive not live!) on those wages.
We would all be leaving our children with school leavers and police like you op would leave their careers they were trained for and experienced in as soon as they needed to be providers.
We should not be ashamed to work in responsible but low paid professions.

Sounds to me like your sister is putting you down to try and make herself feel better about the easy life she has when she can see how hard you work for what you have. IYSWIM?

Your sister sounds like a douche. I don't claim anything but don't judge those that do either - whether that's unemployment benefits or the top up ones. She really shouldn't be so smug and judgmental, life rarely goes as planned- what if her husband left her

Well she is educated too has a degree in law but took years out for kids, her kids are both at school now.

I rent a 2 bed flat , and have 1 in school and 2 younger, we live v different lifestyles.

Molly you're the one with the career, so what if you are helped in that by benefits.

Was she really having a dig at ex partner. Do you get any help from your children's father?

Nope get no help of him, haven't heard from him since the day he left .

I hope you realise, OP, that most people on unemployment benefit are not on it as a "lifestyle choice". The majority will have been in a job before, and will be in one again, and would rather like to be in one right now if they could. Most of the rest are trapped in that uncomfortable position where they cannot get a job because they don't have experience, but they can't get experience because... well, you know the rest. Yes, there are a few lazy arses around, I'm sure. I haven't actually met one myself. I have, however, on a couple of occasions, been unemployed and it really isn't as much fun as certain media might have you believe.

I begin to realise where your sister may be coming from, actually. I thought she was calling you a scrounger because she thought you were one, which would be completely unfair; but if her angle is that you don't have a right to look down on other benefit claimants because you, too, are not able to be independent of state support right now, her point would be that they are no more scroungers than you are. Or no less. Or something.

... but if her angle is that all benefit claimants are scroungers, "douche" is quite polite really.

I never said I had a problem with unemployed people at all .. as above we were talking about the ones who chose that lifestyle. Not everyone on benefits.

Don't get me wrong lol i think we all have jealous moments . I got jealous at a friend once because she claimed top ups whilst her oh worked so she didn't have to .. and of course in was a bit envious but didn't judge her because it's.not her fault