To think I'm going to really struggle to look for work now?

[2021sucksballs]

I am currently receiving UC since losing my job last year.

For reasons completely outside of my control I will be losing my transport as of next month.

Obviously at the moment the obligation to look for work has been suspended but when lockdown ends this will be lifted and I will be expected to look for work again.

I don't have an issue with this, in fact I want to work! My issue is that without transport I am virtually housebound and it will be almost impossible to find a job. Many employers around this area require you to have your own transport as part of the job description due to lack of public transport.

My nearest bus stop is 3 miles away down an unlit main A road with no pavements. Services are limited anyway and currently restricted even more due to Covid. Every town I could potentially get a job in is at least a 20 minute drive away.

I really don't know what I can do. I don't have many friends and no family here so no one who could give me lifts. Will UC still expect me to look for work or will I get sanctioned? So scared right now.

It's a silly question (and you shouldn't feel like you have to), but have you considered moving to one of the towns nearby, or closer to your network of family/friends?

It would be better to look for a job now, while interviewing is all via Zoom.

Does the job centre still refund travel to interview costs like they used to? You could take a cab to interviews. Then look for a car share once you have a job.

Can you get a second hand bike to either cycle to work or at least to the bus stop?Also there might be car shares available; lots of people I know do (did) that to save money on petrol and to be environmentally friendly.

Sounds tough OP, hope you find a solution.

I really really can't. I have £0 to my name! I don't have many friends anyway and all my family live a completely different (much more expensive) part of the country.

It is very isolated here but very cheap. It wouldn't have been my first choice but I had no choice at the time as I needed somewhere to go quickly and since then I've lost my income. My UC only just covers my rent here, anywhere would be too expensive.

Free cycle?

Look for online and home based work - not sure what your skills and experience is - but call centre work for example?

Sorry, that was to @snoin 😊

As far as I know the job centre doesn't offer you anything to get to interview or reimburse you. Even if they did, a taxi to the nearest town is £25, which is more than I spend on food in a week. I just can't afford to do that 😞

My work history is very much hands on and customer facing stuff. Retail, catering, etc It's all I've ever done so I have no experience in anything home based. It wouldn't be impossible but with the amount of jobseekers I'm unlikely to get a look in. I'd still try though if I can!

I have been looking but some of call centre type jobs but they tend to require a landline broadband connection and certain specs of computer equipment which I don't have.

I get that :)

Have you looked at remote jobs that are more 'gig economy' in format (like Appen or Lionbridge)? That's absolutely not a long-term fix, but could be helpful in terms of earning some income you could then save to figure out transport to enable you to transition to something more long-term?

@snoin really appreciate the suggestions but I have no idea what those things are! Remote working is something that would have never occurred to me to do before all this. I will need to try and learn 😂

Unfortunately the lack of transport isn't a money issue it's a 'Covid restrictions at a government level' issue. Won't be resolved until restrictions end (whenever that will be) no matter what I do. I just need to make it through however long it takes until that happens.

As far as I know the job centre doesn't offer you anything to get to interview or reimburse you

Yes, they do. If you provide proof of an interview (I.e. an email from an employer), the job centre will fund your travel to an interview. That’s what the Flexible Support Fund is for.

Even if they did, a taxi to the nearest town is £25, which is more than I spend on food in a week. I just can't afford to do that

The Flexible Support Fund can also be used to fund your travel to and from work for your first month in a job, until you receive your first salary.

Although they probably wouldn’t pay out £50 a day for taxis...

I would imagine the job centre would definitely still expect you to get a job and will sanction you if you don’t apply for jobs or go for interviews they set up. I know it’s not what you probably want to hear, but I just don’t think they’ll just let you sit back and stay on UC. They really don’t care about your situation, they will just expect you to change things to accommodate getting a job.

I've no idea either - but a brief look at 'Lionbridge' shows a lot of jobs for people with high level language skills eg 'a Catalan Linguistic tester', ughh ? and 'Finnish to Dutch translator'. Hardly a useful suggestion.

Many companies will allow working from home or a mixture of working from home and office based roles, for 'office jobs'. Would that be an option for you?
I have a colleague who left her local council job here in the lockdown to go stay with her parents in the Carribbean - and has continued working! Downside is she needs to start at 5am because of the time difference but there's plenty of upsides!

If you could travel to work once or twice a month, even for a half day, you may find companies are willing to have you working at home the rest of the time.

Sorry cross posted with some others, but have a look at local authority/council jobs. Telephone roles and business support jobs can be home based and they provide the equipment, though it would be a requirement that you have broadband..

Unfortunately they will expect you to find work or sanction you. After the lockdown is there a way you can move to live with a family member and find a job? I have lived in a place like you mentioned with no buses and nearest town miles away except we didnt have taxis either and it was hell. No one stayed there long term. If not you should look on your local facebook free sites and ask if anyone will give you a bike. Ive seen many bikes given away for people to get to work where i live now.

Can you family not fund transport for you, long shot I know

Well at least I have tried to actually provide suggestions/help @tanguero

More than you managed.

@Shaniac see my Pp. Can't move at the moment, no one I could potentially stay with.

@Cheesyblasters I don't have broadband and unfortunately I can't get it here, I've been told I am too far away from the exchange. I have a decent mobile internet but that's it.

I've never done any kind of 'office job' before. I'm willing to apply still and to try my best but can they sanction me if I don't get anywhere with it?

@Livelovebehappy I fully understand that they can't take everyone's personal circumstances into account but what am I to do if I can't travel anywhere and cannot get a job working from home? There is only so much I can do.

90 minutes each way used to be the travel time that the job centre asked you to look for work for, (not sure if it still is) dependant on whatever transport you have access to. How far could you get in 90 minutes? I’m not saying that I think that is reasonable, or that you would be sanctioned if you refused a job though.

Housing costs are hard especially if you are under 35. However if you had to move to more expensive accommodation to secure a job then you can ask for a discretionary housing payment to top up your rent as moving into, and maintaining employment is one of the reasons for granting an award.

@Nsky it's not a financial issue. I can borrow the money without a problem it's just that I can't redo my license until the government allow testing to be done again. So until they do no amount of money will help - unless they can lend me enough money to pay for £50 a day for taxis indefinitely (which they can't).

Sorry you lost your job. What have you been doing since last year? You could be doing one of many free online courses to upskill, or learn something slightly different but complientary to your current remit. Does your local council run any upskill type courses or remote learning?

When you say losing your transport, do you mean a car?

Have you looked on olio (not just free food), freecycle or asked on nextdoor.com for any 2nd hand bicycles or a scooter to get to the bus stop?

Your choices are straightforward: move, sort transport, remain unemployed forever and be constantly sanctioned. And that's it.

Have you applied for home working? If you got a job that requires home landline many companies would provide set up cost or you said you could borrow money so once you have a confirmed job offer, contact a phone company and set it up.

Alternatively, look for a free cycle bike or get high viz jacket plus head torch to walk to bus stop. Not ideal but only a temporary measure.

I ride a motorbike so I need to re do my cbt to be able to ride it legally. I can't do this because the government has stopped tests (including CBT's) being done. Until they start again I am stuck. I don't have a car license. I'll look for free bicycles and hopefully something will come up.

I am on Olio but there is generally not much available any closer than 8 miles away (the nearest town). I'd love to use it more as I think it's a great idea.

I live too far from the exchange to get broadband and a landline, hence why I only have mobile versions. Not a financial issue again, I have tried, believe me! I can't get it here at all.