To be thinking about starting adult webcam work?

[StaringAtMyWalls]

I'm in a really bad financial situation.

Due to physical and mental health I cannot work full time, I struggle to even work a part time schedule (good and bad days), but part time isn't nearly enough to pay my basic bills.

I've honestly tried all avenues already - applied for LCWRA and PIP numerous times and keep getting declined even though my issues are genuine, I already live in a cheap area rent wise, cut down all bills.

I'm considering doing webcam work as I could completely choose my own hours around medical appointments, insomnia, and bad days I could take time off. It would reduce my social anxiety as it's behind a screen and if I freaked out I could just shut down the screen.

I am a shy person though and I have a LOT of stretch marks. I'm not sure I have the balls for it tbh.

I don't care if anyone finds out or records me etc, so long as it doesn't massively impact my chances of a 'regular' job - I'm happy to accept that if found out I won't be able to be a politician (!!) or work with children or say as a lawyer (!!), but would it stop me doing care home, retail or cleaning work?

Does anyone have any experience of webcam work?

@MistakenAgain I think you are trying to get my situation but not quite getting it. I don't mean that rudely at all by the way.

I have contacted step change but as my debts are all coming off my universal credit at source - so 30% of my UC is taken off by the UC people to give to my creditors who've applied to UC to deduct it. I owe so much that every time something gets paid off, there's a waiting room of creditors waiting to jump in so it's always 30% deducted. I'll try to speak to UC as someone on here said it can be reduced. To be honest I wasn't that impressed with something step change did that put me off too. I've really and I mean really old overdrafts that are well statute barred so I don't legally even owe them anymore. CAB told me they'd be well written off by now, but step change were insistent I include them! I then read they get some of their funding from the banks. Not saying they aren't good though.

I would like to do online surveys but again I'd need to declare the income to UC and 63% of the survey income would be deducted from my UC so would be almost pointless? If I didn't declare it it would be committing fraud.

Ultimately, you need something where you can sit down and preferably from home, so that you can pace yourself and work that evening if you had a bad morning.
In your circumstances I'd try to get a free course from UC/DWP in dressmaking/alterations and do it for dry cleaners and advertise locally.
Or get trained in something niche, like making wreaths for funerals. I know that florists tend to get a few orders for the same funeral and they have to be done the evening before. It's tedious and their least favourite job.
Perhaps you can think of an interest or old skill you have that just needs more training.

@Graphista

Yes the first time I applied I did it all myself, then the reconsideration thing, then the appeal. All denied. The forms made me anxious and I made a mess of them.

The second time I got help from CAB yes and a letter from my counselling. I got LCW which means I don't have to work search but re do my CV and stuff, but I don't get any payment over my normal UC. I was declined for the LCWRA payments and PIP too.

It doesn't make sense to me why LCWRA keeps getting declined because I'd never want to scam anything I'm not entitled to, but I read the descriptors and I definitely meet them for mental health. Some days I can barely get out of bed and just constant panic attacks and flashbacks I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Some days I'm down and anxious but can force myself to do the basics and could do some work related tasks. Maybe 2 days a week I'm ok and can do more. The physical health issues are a barrier to lifting and affect my sleep and I need time off for appointments, but less of a barrier than the MH.

I'll contact my local council welfare thank you for that.

The UC say my debts are the ones they are allowed to take 30% for. Massive non filing penalties from when I was self employed (again, MH), massive council tax debts, and massive utility fuel debts.

@MrsDThomas

Dont do it. Have some morals.

ODFO

I'd recommend something more private like escorting, you don't even need to engage in intercourse with them you can spend your time however you want and however you feel comfortable

Surely no one is naive enough to think escorts aren’t expected to have sex

@DianaT1969 Yes. If I can get my mental health improved and to stay improved I could work from home even on a schedule I think. Maybe I could even do not too demanding stable office work outside of the home.

If I don't manage full time work soon or get awarded the payments I'm in serious trouble financially and will have no choice but sex work. That's why it kind of seems appealing when it's that or lose my home.

If you've got a dependent child then the first £292 per month of income is yours to keep. After that it's reduced by 63%.

How far did you get with your PIP appeals (and presumably LCWRA appeal too)? Did you get to tribunal? If not, why not?

@Graphista
Citizens advice? They are shit! I'll get flamed but they are!

Some are not as good as others. It's a network of individual offices. Ours is fantastic and wins about 80% of PIP appeals.
Council departments round here are ..... variable.

OP .... if you think Citizens Advice haven't done a good enough job then contact them and discuss with them. Or you can make a complaint. Or there are local welfare rights organisations too. You can ask to be referred to one for a second opinion.

It also sounds like you are under occupying your home which is why the housing element is not covering the rent. I presume this is because of your older child who you want want a room for.
Have you applied for a Discretionary Housing Payment (from the council). They don't always help in this situation .... they often tell you to move somewhere smaller .... but with covid they have more grants available than usual so they may be able to help you.

@martez thank you. If it leads to a recognised qualification in admin that's great option for me. It's hard to describe sometimes what effects long term PTSD has some people don't get it. I've worked hard with counselling and meds but still not great from my last full breakdown, better than I was but I just want to not feel these feelings.

Yes I am a motivated individual that's one good thing. I fled DV years ago and I volunteered for a while to get a reference and the manager said I was motivated and I ended up getting a job with them.

There are also covid winter grants ... for fuel and food. Different arrangements in place up and down the country but have a look on your council website.

And do have a look at debt advice again. You're right that the historic debt (older than six years) shouldn't have been acknowledged so that seems like a massive slip up.

@StaringAtMyWalls I was a sex worker for a long time and the reality is you just can't make much money as a new cammer anymore, you have to work long and consistent hours earning not a lot for a long time or possibly ever. Also the reality is that any kind of sex work can affect your job prospects, because as you've no doubt seen from this thread a lot of people make a lot of assumptions about sex workers because they've seen stuff on the internet or TV, so whether they think they're being malicious or not they may not hire you if they know and you have no protection against that.

I'm sorry you're in this situation. You say you've cut your bills down to a minimum but have you considered using a food bank or a basics bank for some things so you don't have to buy them? That might take the pressure off a little bit.

You don't 'get the sack' if you shut down the screen .You can't - that's not how it works. I suppose you could get bad 'reviews' but there's no way to get the sack - it's self employed.

I meant 'the sack' as in dropped like a hot cake by the agency/website owners.

@MiddlesexGirl

Yes, I am in private rent and need a room for my daughter who's 18 but I don't get anything for her. I have a son but since a teen he went to live with his manipulative dad who gives him everything he could ask for and can afford to and has no boundaries. My son still comes to me often though and I still have expenses for that but get no child payments.

I can't move anywhere smaller unless I get social housing and my rent is already within the cheapest in a wide area. I've really tried to move but no landlords will touch me cause I'm on benefits and my debts show up. I've viewed and applied for so many smaller places but never pass the checks.

@MrsDThomas

Dont do it. Have some morals.

What about the fucking horrendous men who consume all this. They should have some morals too.

If this is genuine.....dont do it.Its absolutely vile. Cleaning, waking nights care work...any mileage in that?

@MiddlesexGirl It was actually CAB who helped and told me the extremely old debts would be wiped and not to bother with them. Step change were adamant they had to be included even though I told them they were statue barred.

If you are any good at typing, you seem great on the forum, try this for remote flexible working from home. Good luck xxx

@randomer Yes I'm genuine thanks very much. I wish it wasn't.

@Comeondelicious

OP you've obviously done lots of thinking- why don't you try it, you won't know unless you do, and its fun to feel good about yourself again, earning and getting dressed (un?) for work

For the love of god, it's not about getting dressed up and having a fun filled evening. It has never and can never make a woman feel good about herself. It literally has the exact opposite effect.

Is your son working? Can he contribute a little towards his keep while staying at yours?
Also, for your daughter, suggest that she signs up to a freelancer site, such as People per Hour and do work on there. As she's at university, there are bound to be skills she can sell. Social media posts for a company, blog writing etc. It's something she can do from home that won't be affected by anxiety.

For yourself, the trouble with office work is that it's very general. I've done a lot of it - and there can be time pressures which are tricky if you suffer with anxiety (think about preparing a presentation for a meeting and people keep calling you asking where it is). There's also office politics and personalities at play. Plus, you learn a particular way of working for one company, but if that job ends you start almost from scratch elsewhere.

Whereas, if you learn a craft or skill, it's something you can do forever and that not many others can do.
Picture framing, bookkeeping, upholstery, attaching hair weaves, a barber, registered childminder, document control in a construction company.

They all have more longevity than trying for general admin positions working from home.

There is sril a lot of Reception temp work. PA/Secretarial is dire tho. Could full time reception at £10 an hour (London rate)pay the bills? It's not mentally or physically taxing,you're sat down all day & I could just about cope with it when I had very bad depression. I did Chatline work when in debt & you have to be able to switch your persona on no matter what. It's really mentally draining pretending you're into stuff when it's not your thing or some boring fetish (balloons for example ,God, half an hour of that that was boring beyond belief).

Hi OP, you should get yourself over to the Money Matters section of Mumsnet and check out the ‘£10 per day’ thread which has been running for 18 months now. The challenge is to try and make £10 per day.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/4153470-feb-2021-10-day-february-let-s-round-off-winter?pg=1

The thread suggests a whole manner of legitimate online work that can be done from home (and none of it which involves taking off your clothes). I stumbled upon it last year and thought it could be a great way to make extra money during lockdown. Now, I make an extra £700 per month doing jobs online.

Some of the top recommended sites are:

Crisp Thinking, which is moderating social media comments.

crispthinking.typeform.com/to/fSclfS

Essentially, you’re a ‘risk analyst’ and you read through online comments and tag those which breach the stipulated guidelines. It’s simple work and you can dip in whenever you like. The only downside is that it can take 9 months to get work with Crisp, once you’ve passed their induction exam. But it’s absolutely worth it. I’m on track to make £500 with Crisp this month. That’s by doing 1.5 hours per night once the kids are in bed.

There’s also Intellizoom and UserTesting – you can sign up to these right away and start working. You’re paid to review websites for clients. You basically spend 15 minutes surfing a website and talk your thoughts out loud, whist your browser is recorded. For UserTesting you get $10 per video. Intellizoom is $8 per video. These figures are in USD. You just need a PayPal account to be paid.

www.intellizoom.com/
www.usertesting.com/get-paid-to-test

Also check out UTest, Lionsbridge and Teemwork. They do tasks like voice recording for Alexa and other devices, making test phone calls to big businesses, etc. There are various projects available. I would highly recommend UTest. There’s a lot of reading at first, but it does pay well.

www.utest.com/
www.lionbridge.com
teemwork.ai/

There’s also Prolific. You can make some extra money daily by taking surveys for University research. Most pay £1 upwards, but it all mounts up. I’ve made £300 since I started 6 months ago.

www.prolific.co/

Neevo does quick Microtasks, as does UserCrowd.
www.neevo.ai/
app.usercrowd.com/dashboard

Also check out Transcription/typing work. It can be a bit of a slog, but if you're fast typer and have a foot pedal and good earphones, it''s a good side-earner. There's plenty of Transcription companies out there. I would recommend UK Transcription and Way With Words:

www.uktranscription.com/3/jobs.html
waywithwords.net/landing/transcription-services-uk/

For all of this work, you’re paid directly into a PayPal account. For more info, head over to the £10 a day thread. I think it could really help you. The work is flexible and fun… and the best thing is, you can dip in when you want. So if you have a bad day – you just don’t work! 😊

@StaringAtMyWalls, so sorry, there are so many made up things here. I try to be supportive and then I feel like a fool. Apologies.

Your 18 year old...what is her situation?
Cleaning, always ademand.
Care work, hard graft but then you could be a private carer..£20.per hour.

How any woman could " feel good about herself" doing this is one of the stupidist things I've ever read.