No job to go back to after maternity up in 2 weeks

[FuzzzyDuckosaurus]

I'm due to finish my maternity leave in 2 weeks time but I have no job to go back to. I got MA as I hadn't worked enough before finishing so parted way with work when I finished up to have baby. I've been looking for jobs in my relevant area but there is nothing. I've applied for a few but not heard back. I'm a single parent so really having to juggle childcare with work and it's not looking good.
What happens next? I've just had my final MA payment and really stressing as to the fact I now have no money coming in! I receive tax credits and child benifit but that's all. If I go to job centre will they tell me to take first job that comes up regardless?!
Any advice is welcome!!

Also posted in employment

If your child is under school age there's no obligation to take work. And even if they were older, you're not obliged to take something that is completely unsuitable. Do talk to the Job Centre and also run your circumstances through the Turn2Us online benefit calculator. You may qualify for other types of help. Good luck finding another job.

Thank you
Job centre will be my port of call tomorrow

If you can get 16 hours worth of work you'd get your childcare paid for (up to 7o%) so it's worth looking.

Thank you! Really want to go back to work full time as I hope to move in a few years, but yes, anything over 16 hours would be fantastic

Job centre were really good with me when I was signing on recently. You have to be available for 16 hours of work, but they are quite reasonable about that. So for example I said I could do any two days but they had to be full days not a few hours each day because of childcare and they said that was fine. Childcare counts as a 'barrier to finding work' so they make allowance for that.

There were times when there weren't any suitable jobs to apply for - or only one a week. I had to prove that I had looked, and say why they weren't suitable. So quote a job and that they wanted full time only or two hours a day or whatever.

I found something after about 3 months - not that long but felt like ages at the time! If you do the magic 16 hours you are seen as working full time so can get some of your childcare costs back through WTC. (I'm only working 15 - grrr!)

The only person i had a problem with at the JC was actually when I was signing off! Everyone else was lovely. I think it helped that I was taking a baby with me every time. I applied online and they text you an appointment. They give you an appointment on a day of the week based on your national insurance number and that can't be changed, so irrelevant whether you have childcare for that day or not. They can change the time of your appointments in house though. I managed to get mine changed so I didn't have to travel at rush hour as the JC was a long way from my house. You can apply online the day after your MA finishes so you can start getting more income straightaway.

Thanks for that vj32. I'll give them a call tomorrow and take things from there

fuzzy you have two choices regarding benefits (assuming you're in good health so not suitable for ESA):

• you can claim Income Support if you're a lone parent and you your child is under 5 AND you satisfy the means testing (no savings above £16,000, no income above your applicable amount, etc). Basically if you're single and have no other income and no savings you should qualify for IS. This benefit also passports you to full Council Tax Benefit (CTB) and Housing Benefit (HB) if you're renting. If you're a home owner you can get help with your mortgage through IS.
• JSA if you're ready to go back to work.As others have said you can limit the days/times you can wok because of your parental responsibilities. Income-based JSA also passports you to full HB and CTB. JSA that is based on your NI contributions does not passport you but you may still be eligible for HB and CTB. I won't go into all

The technicalities of the benefit system but I bought I would just make you aware that you can get help with Council Tax and benefit. The difference between ISA and JSA is basically that for JSA you need to sign on whether with IS you can look for work if you want to but you don't have to account for it. The basic amounts paid by JSA and IS ate the same. With both benefits you can carry one receding Child Tax Credits and Child Benefit of course. If you find work, you stop receiving JSA or IS if you work more than 16 hours or if you earn more than your applicable amount. If you work more than 16 hours and you're a single parent you can get working tax credits and 70% of your childcare costs paid through WTC. If you work 30 hours per week you get an extra element of WTC. RE your employment. If you were employed prior to going on maternity leave you're entitled to your job back when you decide to go back (maximum within 1 year). The act that you hadn't worked there long enough to qualify for statutory maternity pay (SMP) is irrelevant.

Sorry for all the typos . Typing quickly on phone. Hope you get the gist of what I was saying.

Thank you for all that!
Yes I got the gist of what you were saying. So who would decide if I was to be put on income support or JSA? I do want to get back into work but don't want the pressure or grief to take anything that comes along (but I understand that I won't be now). I am a homeowner but even being able to save on the council tax will be a huge help. Thanks again, will phone to make appointment to speak with them

Technically it's you who decides to go for one or the other. In reality most JC + advisers usually point claimants with very young children towards IS because a claim for JSA would be difficult for too many restrictions i.e. you woudnt have a realistic possibility of finding work. If JC + are any good they'll support you in looking for work while on IS if this is what you want but you don't have to and there's no signing on or other conditions to fulfil to get your money every week.
Re council tax benefit: you can make a claim through JC + at same time of claiming IS.
Re help with mortgage: there's a waiting period of 13 weeks during which you're not entitled to help. What they pay is the interest only at the rate of 3.63% so you'd have a shortfall if your mortgage is a repayment mortgage. Depending on the size of the shortfall and whether you think you can manage, you may want to try to switch to interest-only until you go back to work before you get into arrears. Please seek face to face advice before you go down this route!
HTH