To go off work sick

[Tiredsinglemamma]

I am a single parent to 12 year old twins. I work in a stressful call centre job. I just cannot do it anymore. I have gone off sick today as I’m suffering with chronic sinus post covid (but also work stress - my brain just freezes when I get there lately but I haven’t mentioned that to anyone).
what can I do? If I quit will my UC top up stop? If I’m signed off I only get SSP how would that work with UC? I’ve been job hunting for 6 months now and only had one interview. I have a degree in maths, a bit of accounts experience, but working in a call centre the last year after being made redundant from part time accounts told. I work 9-3, struggle with child sickness, school holidays the twins basically stay home alone on devices with a pile of snacks for 7 hours. I feel sad for them in the holidays. My manager is incompetent. I’m unwell, stressed, I need a way out. Any advice welcome.

For UC you need to earn 30xNMW a week.

if I left my job to set up as self employed would UC sanction me? I have three months salary saved in the bank (not much £4,500)

im so stressed and confused.

If you resign voluntarily from your job you can face a sanction of up to 91 days on UC. If you resign you might solve short term issue in hating your job but be more stressed if you don’t have a job to go into and have limited savings. As a poster said use your work sickness leave. Can’t you try tutoring alongside your paid employment to test waters before making such a drastic move in giving up secure work completely.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-self-employment-quick-guide/universal-credit-and-self-employment-quick-guide

I taught English for 12 years, when my two were school age, mostly so I wouldn't have to use child care. (I was brought up by various carers because my mother worked full time, and I didn't want to do it to my children.) Teaching was indeed hard work, but it worked while I needed it to. (I left when they had finished school.) It's a graduate job, in most schools you work as a team, and on the whole it offers a friendly environment with fairly good pay and pension. But it pays to get a good idea of the available schools first, so you know which ones to avoid...ask around?

You can’t just book holiday when you feel like it.

You can’t do tutoring whilst on sick leave though

Grit your teeth for a bit longer and give yourself a cut off with the plan to leave your job at Easter. Use the time before then to look at private maths tutoring. Start small and build it up. Find out what exam boards local schools use and download load resources and old papers. Then when you leave work you can focus on tutoring the local GCSE cohort who have their exams next summer. I wouldn’t look into teaching, it honestly takes stress to a different level, ex English teacher here.