To leave work and go on benefits?

[AllOfTheCoffee]

[prepares for flaming]

I work in a coffee shop that turns into a wine bar on a weekend.

I've been there since it opened 7 years ago. I am only the member of staff who's been there since the start and as such whenever anyone leaves I am just expected to cover their shifts until a replacement is found.

I started there on a 15 hours a week, when I left my Ex-H a couple of years ago I asked for more hours, my boss gave me weekends and evenings to top up my hours because my leaving Ex-H co-incided with him getting his wine bar license.

I feel like I never see my kids, we can never go anywhere together and it's really starting to get to me. Loads of parents were bringing their kids in ion fancy dress last night (before we switched to wine bar mode) on their way to or from parties, I was working, just like I was last Halloween and just like I am on the 5th.

I haven't had a Christmas eve with my kids since we turned into a wine bar and not likely to get one this year, I am the only one with enough experience to manage the bar on a busy shift, apparently. I've worked every Friday and Saturday night for the last 3 years, every Christmas Eve, every New Years eve and every Hallloween/Guy Fawkes/Easter/Bank Holiday.

I've asked for my shifts to be changed loads of times and in fairness my boss does then start looking for new staff, however because he can get away with paying under 25's less we end up with daft kids who last a few months and then the whole thing starts again and of course they cannot work busy shifts from the start because they don't have have enough experience, in general I get one or two weekends by the time they're trained before they walk out.

I'm applying for better jobs but almost everything that fits in with the childcare I have available is evenings and weekends.

AIBU to just leave? Is it even possible? I'd keep looking for work of course, I couldn't just not work and I'd be entitled to free courses at the college so would look into getting more qualifications.

I told my boss my hours were no longer manageable due to upcoming childcare issues and that I have started looking for a job with more suitable hours and the opportunity for progression. His reply was "We'll see" followed by telling me how well the new girl is doing (another staff member later described her as an accident waiting to happen, I haven't worked with her since trying to train her)

I've been to the job center for careers advise, they told me that my GCSE's taken in 1998 had expired, as has my NVQ (1999) GNVQ and A levels (2001) and my other AS levels (2005) and any office or supervisory experience I have is now irrelevant My other courses are still valid but not useful to me.

She tried to push me into various courses including access to HE with a view to training as a nurse or social worker, Math and IT courses (which I signed up for) and volunteer admin work (which I also agreed to)

If I didn't know any better I'd think the local FE college has her on commission.

I've also applied to the OU, but still not heard back from any job applications yet.

Any more tips on how to get more non irreverent experience or valid qualifications would be greatly appreciated.

Since when did qualifications start expiring ???!!!??

Good luck, keep asking and asking and asking and looking.

Seems ridiculous that he doesn't realise he could split all the hours up differently and effectively have you on a job share!!

Well I didn't think they did, but according to the lady in the job center they only last 10 years, actual work experience is only relevant for 5 years, so the 2 years I spent as a data input clerk in a busy office after leaving school is also "irrelevant" as she put it.

Job centre talking utter shite! Ignore! Qualifications don't 'expire' complain about whichever idiot you saw (who I'm pretty sure is less qualified and experienced than you!) I went back to uni aged 30 based on quals received 12+ years earlier! Total nonsense!

As for idiot boss hopefully HE'LL see when you leave him in lurch around oo 20 Dec? With 'accident waiting to happen'!

I didn't think they expired, it seemed ridiculous when she was telling me and more so the longer I thought about it but I don't think extra courses will hurt.

The math course is a GCSE, it's free, I got a C way back in 1998, so if I get higher than that great, if not I will just ignore it and continue using my C on application forms/CVs

The IT course would be helpful, it's a City and Guilds one, I've never looked at it before because everything it covers was covered in my NVQ or I've learned myself at home, but it's a different qualification so I don't suppose it will hurt. It's only £56 discounted for low income, so it's worth doing.

The volunteering I thought was a good idea, I'm not sure how I will fit it in around work, but I can try.

Academic quals don't expire but vocational ones do lose their relevance a bit and she has a point re the older experience.

You have done completely the right thing to do the IT and the volunteering. If you can stick the maths and get a better result then brilliant!

My O levels are from 1984, and no way are they 'out of date', daft woman. (Her, not you!)

I hope you've not taken too much on OP?

It's good that they've given you access to these courses, I didn't think they do that for employed folk?
Might look into them myself as I'm a SAHD and could do with doing some prep for when I need to find employment when DD goes to School :)

I cannot believe they would even consider nursing as a suitable career for a single parent. My mother was a nurse and the shifts were terrible. Totally incompatible with raising children as a single parent if you don't have extensive support from those around you.

There are great careers in the NHS that are better suited to working single parents. Did they talk to you about occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy? I think those types of careers are much better suited to a working single parent. I have a friend who retrained as a clinical psychologist and is able to plan her schedule so it's more family friendly. She works late twice a week when her parents and her PIL each take a night with the kids.

There were loads of courses I couldn't do because I am not unemployed, but apparently I am under employed, so can access discounted courses at the FE college. Everything she showed me was available to anyone willing to pay for them via the adult education department at the local FE.

RE the maths GCSE she said anyone whose maths, english and science GCSE are graded C or below or anyone above 25 can retake them for free, but I'm not sure if that's just a local thing?

She didn't seem all that bothered about finding me an actual job but I suppose they like to keep the jobs for unemployed people. I just called in and waited in a queue to see someone.

I get the she had a point re experience, the company I worked for as a data input clerk went into liquidation a year or two after I left, so anyone could say they worked there and there's no way anyone could prove otherwise unless they knew former employees. The same with my bar job, the bar still exists but has changed ownership at least once that I know of and most staff have moved onto pastures a new now.

I'm feeling a bit deflated after talking to her but determined to keep trying for something better.

Also some careers are open to those with A'Levels. I know accounting is open to those with A'Levels and yours would count and qualify you for ACCA. Take a look and see accounting is something you might interested in.

This weirdness about qualifications expiring (according to the JC) has cropped up before on MN. I'm with Bacony, it's rubbish.

If you have a c in maths why on earth are you taking it again?
If you do get to hand in your notice make sure you pop in on Christmas eve for a glass of wine

I'm thinking if the JC believe that GCSE's expire after a certain time, then maybe employers do too? And if they don't I haven't really lost anything other than time, as it's free.

I probably am taking too much on but I worked through most of my education and managed okay and I think even though it's more time I want, in the long term it will pay off (not necessarily the GCSE but more study in general)

The ITC course doesn't start until January and the OU one in Feb, tbh I expect to be able to cruise through the IT one without too much effort, it seemed quite simple and mainly things I'm already confident with and I figure at worst I'll gain a couple of more recent references in the form of course tutors.

I surprised everyone when I got a C, including myself, I was predicted a D/E, maths is not my strong point, so if I better that it will be a confidence boost, if I don't then I already knew maths wasn't my forte, so I won't be any worse off.

All I know is I've applied for everything for the last 2 months and not even managed to get an interview, so I need to try something else along with continuing to apply for jobs.

GCSE and A levels expire???????

I would put that right up there with the fact that many years ago Seetec telling me that employers dont lie

Dont know whether to laugh or put my head in my hands.

I bet it's some idea about 'only CV events from the past x years' are relevant that has swept the public sector to the point that it's out of hand and the word 'expire' crept in.

someone said they have disabled husband and child then how do you work? Logistics I mean who cares for them whilst you work?

I have mil with dementia, dad housebound phobia and depression possible onset of dementia too. They refuse to have carers, want their ethnic food, don't want strangers caring for them. I wouldn't be able to go.

Plus I have 1 more child left at home shes 3, I suspect childcare for that, but I would rather be skint on my husbands wages and carers than put her in childcare its not long before shes full time. yes I know I'm fortunate to have a husband who will support me, but hes fortunate to have me caring for his mother.

I have sympathy for OP but if you were my friend I would tell you to search for a job not leave this one, like you said your kids are older so council wouldn't help you with financial assistance. I hope thing improve for you.

Qualifications don't expire but I think that they won't count for some courses unless they are fairly recent.

Most employers do not believe exam expire. Qualifications never expire.
I would also look for jobs separately from the job centre. Some of our local shops at the moment have notes in the window that they are looking for staff. Try writing every day to one or two local businesses where you would like to work, put notes through doors, knock on shop doors. You sound very experienced and reliable and good. So keep looking.

i have heard this nonsense about gcse,s expiring before on here i,m sure they dont but i get the point that the c grade i got in french in 1990 i,m sure i wouldnt be able to get now unless i studied again for it i can barely remember anything.

I remember loads from my O levels actually from 1977, absolutely masses. My education even from primary school level is with me every day. I hope GCSEs are no less memorable. Also they illustrate a level of intelligence so whether you passed them in the 1970s or in 2015 they show you can apply yourself, pass an exam etc etc. I can still understand French, translate from the TV when we are abroad for the children, read French from an O level in 1977.

Currently age discrimination rules mean you do not have to declare your age when applying for jobs, therefore by definition you do not have to declare the date of your qualifications. Obviously, for us older people if we mention O levels it's obvious we're a bit ancient but my CV only mentions A levels and degree. So really all this "expiry" talk is utter and total bollocks.

I am looking in town. I found one job in a shop window I applied to but it was for an asistant manager, so I wasn't expecting to get it.

Although that's pretty much what I do now, it's not my job title or what I am paid for, although I did ignore most of duties on my application form and made sure that I wrote about cashing up at the end of the night, banking takings in the am, scheduling staff breaks for front of house staff etc. I still can't really say I am an experienced assistant manager can I?

I check websites daily (Tesco, Pets At Home, Asda, Aldi, Home Bargains and a few others) They all seem to be temp Christmas jobs, except Tesco who only ever advertise for staff for 8 hour contracts, Tesco must employ thousands of staff who all work 1 shift a week, probably to avoid paying tax on them. We don't hire anyone for more than 16 hours (except me) because then you have to pay tax and insurance for them at the moment they are looking for three staff to work 6 different 4 hours shifts each, why not just combine those and look for one staff who can work 24 hours?

Most of the jobs in this area seem to be in care (care workers, nurses, other NHS jobs, which doesn't appeal to me in the slightest, nor I am qualified, although I still apply to the ones that say no experience needed) teaching or engineering and industry or management within industry/engineering firms.

This is why I applied to OU, I don't honestly believe that it will take me 6 years to find another job but I can start adding modules to my CV as soon as each is complete, which might give me an edge when a rare clerical/admin assistant in an engineering company pops up. I've applied for two clerical roles in 2 different engineering firms up to now but not heard anything back.

The qualification thing is a load of bollocks!
If exams expired, we'd all be resting our GCSEs every year in order to get new jobs!

Which area do you live in Coffee?
It's worth dropping into stores with your cv and a covering letter as they don't always advertise posts on the website. I know my DP just sticks a notice in the window when he needs to recruit for staff.