Help with one off costs - single parent

[Barmymum2112]

Hi all,

I haven't posted in a while as the past 18 months has been a whirlwind, my Dad got sick and we lost him last year which means i'm basically an orphan at the age of 25... Argh

Anyway my reason for this post is that i have just started a new job and i now desperately need to pass my driving test and get a car as the company i am now working for is moving premises to a further location - in the next 3 months.... fantastic of course!

However i have less than perfect credit history and although a car is affordable (just) I need to pass my test in record time which of course costs £££, I don't have family that can help and I highly doubt I will get accepted for a decent loan (That isn't a pay day loan with crazy interest) or credit card with a large enough allowance for me to put anything like this on it.

I am a member of a credit union but haven't been with them long enough to get their help.

My salary also doesn't help as I am now on £20k a year which means that i already 'earn too much' to get help with housing costs and get very few tax credits other than childcare help which will switch over to universal credit soon which if my friends experience is anything to go by, will be a nightmare.

So the question is, has anyone managed to get help with things like this before or does anyone know of any organisations that could possibly help me??

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Not aware of any place that will pay for driving lessons. Go back to your credit union and ask for a loan.

I'm so sorry you lost your dad. You're very young to be left without parents.

Can your employer help at all? It would be really worth going to HR to talk to them as you are only in this position of having to learn to drive because they are moving.

Agree talk to HR. They might be able to offer something and take it out of your wage every month. Some HR are really good and have links with organisations already under sacrifice schemes.

Do you have any skills/work you could swap for driving lessons? Gardening, DIY, tutoring, childcare, etc?

Or could you have a few lessons and then practise driving with a friend? Not ideal, but perhaps better than nothing.

Also, arrange driving lessons to take you to/from work to cut down on travel costs.

Thanks for the relpies, I will be doing the odd lesson with my sister and brother in law however they are a distance away so would only be when i was visiting them or vice versa plus there is the insurance cost for that.

Re speaking with HR, i already negotiated an extra 2k a year on the salary they offered to take into account travel costs/costs of running a car so having literally just started and still under my probation period i don't really want to rock the boat.

I'm not expecting lessons for free, I fully expect to pay for them but i was wondering if there was maybe a scheme i hadn't heard of or any driving schools that people know of for less money than usual etc.

In these kinds of situations my siblings had my Dad so it was ok for them, it sounds horrific when i say it outloud but I feel like I'm the one out of all of us that was stuck with the worse end of everything, one being a single parent when he was sick, i couldn't visit as much as everyone else and 2 not having his support and not having anyone to fall back on, we're a complicated familyand they all have partners to help both financially and emotionally. I must say that I have only once ever asked my Dad for financial help and that was paid back in full in less time than he needed me too.

Sorry for the essay just frustrated and upset that whenever i move to a better role to better our life, there is always something that is a kick in the face, not to complain, many have it worse, just frustrating.

Try turn2us.org.uk they're a national charity that may be able to signpost to one off grants for this type of situation. Not certain they'd be able to help but worth a try!

Could you write to your siblings and ask them to help you out? You are right; they have benefited in a way that you haven't - they should be able to see that.

I sorry for your loss- that must be hard to have lost parents so young. I can’t help with the money side but I have got experience of needing to pass a test quickly. I can really recommend intensive driving courses over a week or two. I spent years faffing around with an hour a week which did nothing for me and I never passed. I then got a job where I needed to drive within 3 months like you. I made so much more progress with intense blocks where I had 3-4 hours a day. I wish I had done it initially as although the week was expensive, I learnt far better that way than the weekly lessons and would have saved myself a fortune. I failed the test during my first week of intensives but then had a refresher day and another test before passing.

Sorry for your loss. How far is your company moving and are they offering each employee relocation money or travel expenses for a certain time period ? Can you travel by public transport. Can you pay someone to give you a lift/car share. Can you buy a moped instead of a car. If you want to stay in the local area, look for a more local job