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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder what would happen if i quit my job?

33 replies

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 10:03

I'll keep this brief so as not to bore people to tears/out myself with detail.

I work in a relatively small convenience store in a rural village. There are no job opportunities near me at all. I have been there since i was a teen and am now in my twenties. I despise the place- i loathe the horrible bullies that i work with, the fact that my boss discriminates against me but HR and union reps are no help at all, i was signed off with stress last year- yip, how bloody stressful can scanning stuff through a till really be?

I promised myself that i would find something else by the time DS was school age but nothing has changed, moving isn't an option but i don't want to be unemployed either. Thought about working from home but don't really have the resources or funds to start myself off.

if i quite my job tomorrow, what could i expect? I am a single parent with no financial input from "father". Is it a huge difference between minimum wage and whatever benefits in would end up on? I'm pretty skint as it is so can't afford a huge drop in my income.

i've been in employment since my early teens (13 years) and i'm finding the thought of not havig a job quite scary, i don't know how much more i can take where i am, but i worry it's harder to get back into a job if you're not already employed.

any sort of shove in any direction would be appreciated, i'm very much on the fence and erring to the side of suck it up and stay put.

OP posts:

ThatBloodyWoman · 18/04/2014 10:05

Could you look into entering some form of re-training?

LynetteScavo · 18/04/2014 10:18

I there a college course you would be interested in doing to help you find a different job? You can't go on like this for the next forty years.

gamerchick · 18/04/2014 10:23

11 years ago I quit my job and had 2 young kids at the time.

It took 6 weeks before I got any money at all. I have no idea what it would be like now.

vettles · 18/04/2014 10:26

You could go to the CAB for a benefits check, but you could also use online benefits calculators like entitledto or Turn2us.

The thing I'd look out for though is if you give up your job, the Jobcentre might not let you get Jobseekers Allowance.

WooWooOwl · 18/04/2014 10:26

If you retrained, would you be likely to find a job in your area without moving?

LaurieFairyCake · 18/04/2014 10:28

Moving needs to be an option.

Or training. Or learning to drive so you can get a job in town.

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 10:28

I stopped college a few months before i finished a course which i did enjoy and was interested in, however
bot sure if going back is sensible, it was an industry i wanted to get into before having ds, and practically because of location etc i don't think i see a future there now.

I wouldn't be adverse to going back to college but not sure what to do! I'm creative and arty and i'm sure i could use that to my advantage somehow but there are very few jobs round here that really call for it. There are a few towns within reasonable commuting distance but still, no jobs.

OP posts:

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 10:29

Moving is definitely not an option but i can drive Laurie.

OP posts:

londonrach · 18/04/2014 10:30

Write a plan...this could include learning to drive, re training etc.... Don't quit yet until you have something sorted out, as easier to move between jobs, good luck.

bluehazegreenfields · 18/04/2014 10:31

OP, I've no real advice but I am just posting to say I understand. I was horrendously bullied in two menial jobs (I hope I don't offend you by saying this) - one in mcdonalds, of all places.

You sound a worker to me and I am so sorry that things have been so rubbish.

WooWooOwl · 18/04/2014 10:32

Have you looked for other jobs within commuting distance?

Tbh, I agree that moving needs to become an option if you are sure you can't continue in this job and that there aren't others to be found where you live.

AmeliaToppingLovesShopping · 18/04/2014 10:45

You can claim income support until your youngest child turns 5 and then you need to look for work. If you go onto entitledto.com you will be able to find out exactly how much you will be able to get including housing benefit and council tax relief.

PiratePanda · 18/04/2014 10:50

How about hairdressing? Obviously you'd need to go back to college, but in my experience nearly every village has a hairdresser (our big village of 6000 people has four salins on the high street!), and it's also something you can do at home or in other people's homes as a mobile salon. You could eventually work for yourself.

What you can't do is resign and expect to sign on straight away - if you voluntarily give up your job for nothing there's a long wait for benefits to kick in.

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 10:53

Thankyou Amelia, i will have a look at that link, if anything it will at least give me a realistic look at where i stand purely from the financial side of things.

There are no jobs in my village and very few jobs within commuting distance. I'm in rural Scotland.

Moving really is not an option- basically where i live is surrounded by places i could commute to, and would happily, but to move outwith that area would mean moving at least 2 or 3 hours away from my very small support network, my son's excellent school and a complete change of lifestyle- if i was on my own i would do it but i have DS to consider and really, we both need to be here, or relatively close to here. There's nowhere i would move to that i can't practically commute to anyway.

realistically i don't see myself quitting unless something dramatic happens at work (fairly likely though, considering how i get treated) but i am struggling to see what to do for my future and i really need to think about it.

OP posts:

Lottiedoubtie · 18/04/2014 10:59

As a short term solution are there any other local shops? In nearby villages? A nicer one (different chain) might give you the breathing space you need to make long term choices without the bullying.

WanderingAway · 18/04/2014 11:06

If you leave a job you wont get any jobseekers allowance for a minimum of 13 weeks.

Just dont rush into anything.

WillieWEggledEgger · 18/04/2014 11:10

IME you feel hugely better in a job you hate once you start working on a plan to get out and where you want to go. Every time things feel shit you can remind yourself that you're doing what you can to change your situation and it feels like two fingers up at them

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 11:41

Lottie, there have been a couple of temp jobs nearby in local shops and i'd be happy to move into something like that but sadly nothing has ever come of it as yet.

i'm intelligent and can turn my hand to.most things so i am happy to take on any job- even if it's not what i would want as a carreer, as long as it gets me out of where i am and offers security until i am in a position to work on my carreer.

Willie, i felt positive to begin with when i started thinking about it a couple of years ago... but now it's become less of a plan and more a "take whatever comes my way" which is nothing at the minute.

my ideal situation would be to get a job in one of the clothes shops in the neighbouring town- foot in the door of the industry i wanted to be in and scope to work my way up when i'm ready.

But as i said, i'll do anything that gets me out of where i am just now, but at the minute all the jobs are in specific fields- eg nursing, dentistry and teaching are what i've found this morning.

i suppose it sounds like i'm looking for a miracle, i'm not, i just want out! Quitting and going onto nothing is basically a last ditch option and not a route i want to go down... but i'm just trying to weigh up all my options.

Wandering, thanks for that, i definitely don't want to rush into anything and don't have anything behind me to do without for 13 weeks.

OP posts:

Lottiedoubtie · 18/04/2014 11:44

Send a speculative CV to all the clothes shops you'd like to work in? It may come to nothing, but it'd be a positive start and may just work!

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 12:40

That's a good idea Lottie, i think i will. I can't imagine there are many people round here with actual qualifications in that industry- i had to travel quite far to do my course, so it might give me an edge if they are looking in the future.

OP posts:

LadyMaryLikesCake · 18/04/2014 12:45

Can you do clothing repairs/ironing/dog walking/something that doesn't need huge start up costs from home and set yourself up as being self employed? As long as you're putting the hours in you can still claim working tax credits. The only down side is having to do your own tax return but it's not hard to do. In your spare time you could retrain.

I'd leave. There's few things worse than being stuck in a job that you hate.

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 12:52

Thanks LadyMary- i do some clothing repairs and have made curtains and cushions in the past, it's well known round here that i do it but never been that sure it's enough to start a business from. I had a few ideas for making party and dressing up clothes for little ones but someone else has just had the same idea and is set up.

i think i need to be a bit more open minded too! I hadn't thought of ironing, dog walking etc. When i thought about setting up my own business- i was sort of focusing on what i am already qualified in but i'm a bit of a jack of all trades so i could try something else!

Thankyou!

OP posts:

Original poster

RunnerBeen · 18/04/2014 12:52

Thankyou!

OP posts:

LadyMaryLikesCake · 18/04/2014 13:04

There's no reason why you shouldn't make dressing up clothes/party things too, a little competition can be a good thing. Making curtains is a good one too if you know how to do that, runners for tables, place mats, napkins etc. The list is endless. You can sell in craft fairs etc.

There's a minimum number of hours to qualify for tax credits, 16 I think but they may have changed this. As you're working from home you can work around your child though, so as long as you do the hours per week it's OK. You're allowed to use some of this time for admin, so accounts and advertising. To advertise you can make fliers/posters etc, also use social media like twitter and facebook to advertise your wares. You can mix and match, so a couple of hours dog walking, a couple of hours ironing, it doesn't matter as long as it's above the minimum. They are changing the rules for being self employed when the new universal credit starts up and they are expecting people to earn the equivalent of national minimum wage. It's the equivalent of repairing 2 zips per hour so that's roughly what you need to aim for.

Try and save a little cash if you can to set yourself up, you don't need a lot, just zips/buttons/thread/needles etc. You then contact the tax office and tell them you're self employed. They will give you a tax number. Call the tax credit office, tell them that you're now self employed and give them the tax code. They will then adjust your working tax credits. The tax office will send you a self assessment form yearly, which you can also file online. It's not hard to do, just keep details of your income and expenses. There's certain things you can claim as expenses, like 20% of your gas and electricity, the needles/buttons etc, advertising.

Good luck!

LadyMaryLikesCake · 18/04/2014 13:08

I was reading this last night, it's very useful www.mumsnet.com/Talk/freelancers/2054963-The-1k-per-month-crew-anyone-still-around

You may get some ideas from the section too www.mumsnet.com/Talk/freelancers

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