To think working is impossible as a single parent

[Okwhatn0w]

Currently a stay at home single mother have been for the past 6 years, dc is 8 years old.
I worked 40 hours a week before becoming a lone parent and earned nearly half the amount I currently get on UC, I know if I return to work that i will be much worse off but not having anything else bar my dc to keep me entertained is quite literally driving me insane.

Any advice? I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Volunteering ?

Of course it’s not impossible there’s probably hundreds of thousands of single parents working full time in the UK

This'll go well...

Is this post for real? If you're on UC and not searching for work then they will sanction you. You'll also be better off if you work. If you're actually claiming UC then you would know this? Why are you not looking for work? What have UC said about it?

What are your qualifications? What skills do you have? What was your previous job?

Plenty of lone parents work, so it’s just a question of working out how to make work work for you.

Study, get qualification, get better paying job so its worth working?

£1673 is the net monthly salary based national living wage (not London) and working full time. Is UC more than that?!

Of course it's not impossible and lots on here have been there.

Your DC is not a tiny tot and is presumably at school. So you'll need to get either a part time job or look at wraparound care.

I hope you didn't start this thread with the intention of watching people's quite understandable prickly responses. 🤔

Hang on, you're saying you worked 40 hours a week and earned less than half what you currently get on UC?

I thought anyone with a child of a certain age had to find work?

Youngest child aged between 3 and 12 years of age
you will be expected to work a maximum of 30 hours a week (or spend 30 hours a week looking for work)
the type of work you look for and the amount of time spent looking for work can fit around your child's normal school hours, including the time it takes to take your child to and from school

I’m a single parent with two DC aged 7 and 15 and I work 40 hours a week in a four day condensed / flexible working pattern.

it’s absolutely possible depending on what industry you want to work in / experience / qualifications.

You also need to be able to be direct and negotiate a working pattern that works for you.

I feel you. I get 36k a year combined in benefits (all of them added together) I'm a single mom to a 4 year old son and with his needs I have no intention of working until he's in secondary school and is more independent

That's well over the benefit cap so it seems unlikely?

Surely you're expected to be looking for work if your child is in school?

Surely if your working income was so much lower than the UC you currently receive, then you'd still be eligible for some UC to top it up?

I think it depends on what your job was before. A relative of mine with 3 SEN kids (all aged under 6 at the time of the marriage breakdown) was working a minimum wage 6am-2pm job which was fine when married as the other parent didn't work but it was completely unsustainable when they were left full time with the kids as the other parent was only allowed supervised contact. I suspect they will find it difficult to work ever again.

I also think people underestimate how difficult it is to get out of the benefits trap. Although with 1 school age NT child it should be a little easier as lower childcare costs.

It would be completely different if you had been a high earner in an established career at the point of becoming a single parent.

@therattlebag23

1762 per month UC

81.90 per week carer allowance
184 per week high rate care and high rate mobility DLA (obviously this is spent on my sons needs)
25.60 per week child benefit

Benefit cap is lifted when child is disabled

@therattlebag23 Ah ok, that makes sense. Good luck to you and your son.

@therattlebag23 thank you 🥰 will be studying and getting my qualifications over the next few years so hopefully it'll be easier to go back into work when he's a bit older. Just impossible atm unfortunately!

I worked in a SEN school before becoming a single parent which was fulfilling but again minimum wage. I am currently a carer for a relative which also impacts what I can do within the school hours.

I also have no additional support when it comes to child care.
I second the benefit trap statement.

No, not impossible if you find the right job. I could do my job as a single parent. As it is I work full-time and do all school runs etc because DH can't but my employer is flexible and they let me organise my own work to suit.

What is your job please? And where do I apply?

Its not impossible at all. It's hard work and difficult. Childcare swallows up a lot of your wages but that won't be forever. It probably helps to have a job that is sufficent in supporting you before having the child, but isn't there to top up the shortfall?

With your child being 8, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be working in some capacity. The linger you're out of work, the harder it will be to get back into something.

It isn't impossible.

You either want to provide for your child or you don't.

The benefits system has allowed poor parents to get away with shirking their responsibilities to their child. Disability benefits are a joke and very lucrative.

Ha, I work in IT but it's not that unusual. There are plenty of companies hiring for remote/hybrid/flexible roles but I guess it depends on your skillset and seniority. I am incredibly grateful, it makes my life so much less stress. If kids are ill, I can just have them at home.

What a judgmental statement. I won’t do the “oh poor me” but quite frankly you have no idea the circumstances of other parents.