To ask why you go to work

[IamthepermedowlofVeronica]

Try to be brief but thorough....
Due back from 1 years maternity at the beginning of June. Hate job, don't want to go back. Have had offer of temporary ad hoc work between June and start of summer hols.
Wondered how much job seekers is whilst I apply and interview over summer hols. Did the online calculator tangy: If I work current hours and pay childcare I would earn £6 less than if I signed on job seekers.
So why should I go to work (no career, just a money earning job) and how does signing on work? Has anyone found it detrimental to confidence etc?
Hopefully I'll get another cash earning job in September or,something when ds will be 15 months

because they pay me - and pretty well for the nominal amount of hours I do plus they are very flexible re kids etc and I have a good pension. The 2 hour a day commute is sh*t though.

Read the criteria.
You cannot claim UC if pregnant or if you have given birth within the past 15 weeks. You have to scroll down past the pink box.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/before-you-apply/universal-credit-eligibility/

A year ago UC was one in three job centres. Since then a lot more have opened. From June, again depending on the OP's area, all new claimants will be on UC unless they live in one of the restricted areas in the above pink box list.

Sorry you can claim, not cannot.

Anyway where has the op disappeared to?

bloodyteenagers
Maybe she's in bed?!

Hang on though - loads of families get paid tax credits to have a sahp, what's the difference between that and job seekers, at least op would be having to be doing something to claim that, although I guess she may be getting tax creidts as well. Do all these people slating her for claiming JSA, feel the same way about those staying home on tax credits?

I hate my job and would give up work in a heartbeat. But I earn a good salary in a field I studied hard to qualify in, I like having money to buy nice things, and we need two salaries to keep things rolling. If I won the lottery I would never work again though.

Babyroobs
I suspect they think it's fine to be SAHP if you have a well-paid partner to support the family.
But not fine to be a SAHP or work part-time and also claim tax credits and/or income support.
Because only well-off people get choices, and everyone on benefits must be a "scrounger".

You wouldn't be entitled to jsa, OP as you would have made yourself jobless. Also to claim jsa you have to be actively seeking work and provide proof of application for at least 10 jobs per week. If you get offered one and refuse it then you get your benefits stopped for 6 weeks. If you refuse another, it's 12 weeks. Refuse a 3rd and you get jsa withdrawn and cannot reapply for 12 months. You also have to go on work placements on jobseekers so you would still have to work but just not get paid for it and you would have to be job hunting at the same time. Claiming jsa is soul destroying and humiliating and you don't want to go there, trust me. Even the most shit, badly paid job is better than that. I was on it for less than 3 months after college before I found myself a job and I'd never go back unless I was desperate.

I work because I like the choices money gives me. But I didn't feel like that whilst on maternity leave, I too hated my job and didn't want to go back to work, I had enough to do as a mother. I went back after 1 year maternity leave, then soon got pregnant again. Went back for a year after that then left, and became self-employed. It wasn't an easy process but looking back I am so glad, because that work pattern (part-time self employment) gave me time to be with and around my DDs as much as I wanted to. Time goes very quickly. Yes I claimed tax credits and some HB (split with ex DH after 2nd DC) my attitude is so what - I paid taxes whilst I worked. & I'd worked solidly since leaving Uni many years ago now.

Now that DDs are grown and at Uni, I do agency work twice weekly, on top of my self-employment. I have no intention of doing anything more than that, life is short I want to live it and see it, and I don't want to be a cog in anyone else's wheel. Albeit I don't mind what others do, each to their own, but I do find unless you're chasing a high-flying career people can think a bit less of you - don't come across it so much in RL, but from comments I see on here. But life is short and a career is not forever. There's more to life than what people think.

Id say do what you want to, what you feel is best. If a career and full-time work is everything to you then thats fine, but if it isn't for now then thats also fine. Who says you have to be about one thing in life? I didn't have any notion whatsoever that Id become self-employed, run my own business. At all. But that happened after I became a mother for the 2nd time. I had a senior position before having DCs but Id rather cut my throat than go back to that.

Have some self-belief and go for what suits. I think mentioning "benefits" will rub some people up the wrong way, thats life now isn't it. You are better off going to or 'phoning an advice centre, see where you stand re not going back to work, and then have a think to yourself re. your next and best course of action.

Why cant homeowners claim universal credit? This was stated in the link posted above.

I think homeowners can claim UC but other savings/ assets are taken into account.

As far as I know homeowners can claim, but its based on their mortgage amount. Who knows.. but its another reason in OP's shoes Id be going to an advice centre exploring all my options rather than court numerous opinions and possibly misleading advice on here - it just makes the head full at a time it really doesn't need to be; end of maternity leave and wondering if to go back to work can be a very trying period

Most of the replies on here are absolutely disgusting! She has a baby ffs! It's not about not wanting to work it's about not wanting to leave her baby in childcare! What the hell is wrong with that?

Op I didn't return to work after maternity leave. I claim income support, child tax credits and housing benefit. My dd is 15 months now and I won't be leaving her anywhere until she's in full time school. I'm currently pregnant again and plan to do childminding in a year or 2.

Working while a child is still under 5 is a choice. You don't have too. Benefits are there to support those who need them, it's not scrounging or low or anything else. I don't judge those who chose to work and leave their children in a nursery even though that idea is hideous to me! Stop benefit bashing

I miss work as it goes, wouldn't even consider not working if I didn't have a baby at home! But..I do and I wouldn't miss a thing. They're only little for a short time.

I've been unemployed for 10mths, no benefits where we are. And it's fucking depressing. I also feel anxious all the time and am unable to sort my shit out with regards to getting into a routine and doing stuff around the house. DH can cover most of the bills and thankfully we have some savings to pay the rest monthly. I hate having to tell the DC no, we can't do this or that, or wait until I'm back in work then we can. It's not dire yet, but it could be in a couple of months.

I chose to keep working to future proof, I don't like being financially dependant, it's a very vulnerable position to be in. I'm starting a degree next month to try and make myself more attractive to employers, as in these down times they are insistent on qualifications for my job even though I have bucket loads of experience and am very competent at my job.

To keep a roof over our heads, pay for stuff, set my kids a good example, maintain my self respect that I can fend for myself.

I work because when i dont work i sink into depression again and life is just pretty horrible. It keeps me in a routine, it keeps me sociable, it keeps my brain turning, it gives me a break from the house and the DC. I earn less than i got on income support when you take off my childcare so its not the money that gets me up every day.

I sah for 16 years till my youngest of 5 was at school. Am now retraining part time but use some childcare. If I had a choice whilst little I would always stay home. But when they get older it is nice to have something to fall back on although with a big gap it can be hard with loss of confidence etc.

Jw35 some good points. I think Lone parents should be able to sah personally if they choose to. Especially with under school age.

Oh, i went back to my job when my DS2 was 9 months old and did the 3 months i had to, to avoid paying back maternity pay. It wasnt the plan but when i went back i had changed office and it was awful, i wasnt coping and so i stuck it as long as i had to then left. The plan was to find something less stressful but then EXp left and i freaked out about life and got very depressed. I had 2 years on income support and when my youngest started nursery i started working again.

Some of these responses are pure bullcrap.

When did motherhood become so devalued, i hope you are all happy with your careers, careers come to an end, you know. Babies are only babies for a little time, if a mother wants to stay at home and look after her own child and not pay someone else then great and tough titty to all you whingers that shes a scrounger.

Bringing up your child is never scrounging, more recognition needs to be given to mothers who actually mother. In 20 years time when our kids are even more unhappy in this society (according to united nations survey) then maybe some of you will wake up and realise that mothers who choose to stay at home were just as much value as the mothers who choose to work.

As for the taxes, well the op clearly said she would look for a job again in the future, im sure she has paid tax before and will again, maybe she will never use the nhs or the school system in a large way, maybe all you workers will cost more in the long run with health issues, who knows.

Also as for maternity pay, we do not know if her employer paid her, she may have been working too few hours to qualify and so only received statutory maternity pay, which is a pittance.

Lots have said that their work/job brings self respect, showing your kids hard work, having an ethic, well working hard at home as a mother also brings self respect, shows your children hard work and that you have an ethic.

For those liking nice things, personally and i know a lot of mothers like me, we would rather spend more time with our children than have nice things, sure some get to do both but if a parent chooses to spend time looking after their children instead of having more money and other material things then this is a valid choice too.

For those who will say not on my dime (im paying my taxes whinge whinge whinge) then you would still be paying the op if she went to work as she would receive 70% of her childcare costs in tax credits and wftc, so you would be happy to leave her £6 worse off and her child in childcare but not to allow her to stay at home and contribute to society by raising her own child ???

Go along to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau/local advice shop and ask for a benefit calculation. They are impartial and will let you know what you will be entitled to. As you have a young child it may be that you can claim income support rather than JSA, and this would give you the time to be with your child without the pressure of having to go along to the Job Centre every week/two weeks.

Haha... Need the money.

Single mum.

No-one else to "bring home the bacon" -- {hate bacon anyway..)

I love being a SAHM, could happily do it until the children are in secondary school...but its not financially viable for us. Only reason I work.