to wonder what would happen if i quit my job?

[RunnerBeen]

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.

Wow LadyMary, you make it sound very straightforward, and very do-able. I think i need to just be a bit braver and a bit more imaginitave when it comes to what i want to do. I admit i have a bad habit of expecting things just to happen (ie. Job opportunity) rather than grabbing the bull by the horns and doing it on my own.

think i'd be quite confident on admin side of things- father is self enployed and Mum does all gis paperwork so i'd have her input to help.

I am going to sit down tonight once DS is in bed and have a good brainstorm. I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of independent gifty type shops nearby- maybe they'd display a few bits for me if i offered commisssion.

Can test the water to see how busy i would be and hopefully can quit my job if i have success.

Bloody love mumsnet, thankyou all for the wee boost!

It's not hard, honestly. Make some sample items for the shops and see how it goes. It may help to look online at some of the major retailers web sites to see what's in trend now. If you can get in touch with some local mills you can make your products all 'local' (as in Scottish), which is a real selling point, tartan cushions etc.

There's places which will set up a web site for you too. The world's your oyster so go for it!

I'd buy some tartan cushions by the way, so sort it out, yeah!

Haha, if i make some tartan cushions i shall send one your way LadyMary .

Where i live "local produce" is extremely popular... no idea why i haven't considered it before.

Haha, if i make some tartan cushions i shall send one your way LadyMary .

Where i live "local produce" is extremely popular... no idea why i haven't considered it before.

No, you sell them chuck. You need that money making instinct, so don't do anything for free

Go and have a look around. Is there a place where you can get the fabric from which is local? Somewhere to get cushion stuffing? A lot of people would be willing to pay more for something that isn't mass produced, great quality and made in the UK. Scotland is famous for it's wool and tartan so there's no harm in making the most of it. I bet there's designs all around you, heather, deer etc. Before you know it you'll be over run with orders and you'll be employing people to help you out (got to have a goal). You'll be the Laura Ashley of the highlands!

In England if you are a single parent with a child under 5 you can claim income support straight away even if you quit your job. It can take a little while for the claim to be processed but it will be backdated from the date the claim was made.

Coming late to this to say- you are young and clever and you have a support network and a DC who loves you. That is the makings of a great life. Be brave, try some of the things ladymary suggests. Where my family come from (rural south west) nobody has one job, you have a summer job overcharging the tourists and a winter job and you probably do a few car boots and a bit of craft on the side. Portfolio career, they call it .

Every time the arses in the shop have a go, smile, take their money and save it for your better future.

I know someone who makes a decent living making curtains. Most of their work comes through a curtain shop, but if they have the time, they make for individual customers who already have the fabric.

As Beastofburden says you are young and clever and you have a support network and a DC who loves you. That is the makings of a great life.