Is it worth taking a job for less than 16 hours, just to get back on into work ???

[NuttyMuffins]

I have been searching for a job now for ages and am having no luck at all.

Today I have found 1 job for 15 hours, as a clerical/admin assistant and a lunch time supervisor job (a job i said i would never do) for 6.5 hours a week.

With the first one for 15 hours, I would need an hours before school childcare for 3 kids, which would cost roughly £36 a week, but as i'd only be working 15 hours, I would not be entitled to any WTC so would actually only be £10 a week better off if I factored in travel aswell but i'd be in the door, back in the workplace wouldn't I.

The lunch time supervisor one is slightly different in that I wouldn't need childcare and would still get a certain amount of Income support, but would again only be about £10 a week better off.

I would really really (x 100) like the admin one as obviously that could lead to more hours (1 more hour would be fab) , but I doubt i stand much chance as i have no admin experiance at all, although would be more than willing to do any required training. It doesn't actually say that they want someone experianced, just says that the duties are collecting cash, and paperwork.

So whats the thoughts, should I apply ??

If you would really really like it then apply, even if you don't get an interview then you will have had the experience of doing the application, which you can then build on for further jobs. If you get an interview great - and go from there.

Definitely apply, and if you get it, ask for an extra hour's work. If it made sense financially (ie childcare costs etc) you could even offer to have the extra hour in your contract but take the same salary.

Sorry, meant to say that the admin noe is in a school so term time only.

Doesn't hurt to apply and then worry about it all once you land the job.

If its more about the job than the money, I say go for it. £10 a week isn't much, but it could get you all a nice treat once a month. You would be back in the workplace and learning new skills which could in turn lead to bigger and better things once the kids are older.

Good Luck!

I would say definitely apply. Then if you get offered it say you just need one extra hour's work a week to make it worthwhile. Does it include an hour for lunch/ They might let you have half an hour lunch break and pay you the other half an hour.

Yes as it good for your cv, and it will make you better off as you will get working tax credits or childcare costs, if you need to top up and you get low income you can also apply for income support.
Good luck at the end of the day its a personal choice

sorry posted without reading your op properly if you go for the admin tell them for you too accept you would need it to be 16hs they should understand

apply for the admin one, if you get that it would be a foot in the door and school jobs are like gold dust, would be a good idea to ask for an extra hour so you could get wtc, but then you would possibly lose your CTB and half of your HB. If you work under 16 hours you can still claim IS, but anything you earn (apart from £20) will be taken off, so if you took the 15 hour job you would be working 15 hours for £20 extra.

have a play on the entitledto website and use different scenarios.

www.entitledto.co.uk

Thanks guys.

If i got the admin one i'd lose all of my IS but still get rent and Concil tax paid, but like you say, I could ask to do an extra hour for nothing and then get WTC aswell. The childcare costs are for the schols before school club, so wouldn't get any cheaper than that round here.

Shall I apply for the dinner lady one too ????

nutty - i worked for years in engineering - loads of experience and money. took time out to raise me kids - for far too long. have worked part time doing menial stuff but am finding it really hard getting anyone to take me seriously now as havent had a proper job for a long time. would advise to take low hours if need be as the continued experience counts - you can always change jobs, up your hours later.

They are at different schools.

NM if they are at different schools then yes apply for them both, no harm in that, good luck.

Def apply of the admin one.
we weer recruiting for a play assistant on 15 hrs a week and one lady applied and was fab but wouldn't take the job unless it was 16 hrs. We wnted her so upped it to 16 and wew ere all happy!!

Ok, have just rung and asked for application forms for both

If you don't get the admin one it might be worth asking what they would like to see in the way of experience and trying to get it. www.learndirect.co.uk has courses on it that you can do at home or locally for very little or no money which will give you some training, and maybe you could volunteer a couple of hours at a charity or even a charity shop to give you some recent money handling and paperwork experience?

Good idea Aloha and tbh if I don't get it I would definatly then take the dinner lady one if offered it as it is only an hour a day so I could fit in some admin courses around that, and perhaps then apply for anything that came up in the office at that school.

Nutty, you can also sign up as an Avon or Kleeneze lady and then say you're doing 1 hour a week. That way, you'll be doing your sixteen hours.

But I recently discovered that as long as your childcare costs, transport costs and housing costs aren't too high, it is still possible to survive on a job less than 16 hours.

This site entitledto is so useful. Run through every eventuality and it will tell you (pretty accurately) how much money you will have.

I would definitely go for an admin course nutty

can you type? learn if not, it is invaluable

Entitled to site is top of my faves Squirel and I always run every job through that first LOL.

As i said, the admin job would be my first choice even if i had to do an extra hour for free, but at the moment I just need something, anything, to get me back to work again, for my own confidence really.

Nope can't type, and yep I should learn. I couldn't apply for a 16 hour admin job the other week as they wanted an RSA qualifiation which I don't have. I was so gutted as hours, and location were ideal.

you could wait until ou got offered the admn jb and then ask if there is ny posibility they couldgive you anextra hour. maybe you ould offer to work for .50 less per hour - explain benefits reasons.

i wouldnt ask before hand though - but i don't think its unreasonable as long as they re n going oer their budget

NM you can half type by using a computer, might be worth taking a part time or evening class for typing or admin, I dont think you would have any problems doing it and it will look good on your cv even if you didnt have the experience to go with it yet.