Help me get off benefits

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Please help. I’m not the smartest person, (anymore) but I am trying. I don’t want to be reliant on the state any longer.I need help on how to do this successfully. I don’t know where to start. I have tried to by studying but I don’t think I’m getting anywhere fast.

A bit of background - I have children and am on UC. I work in admin and term time only so low income. (I fully intend to increase my working hours as the children become more independent and have increased hours year on year since I’ve re entered the world of paid work) I have tried to study whilst working and family commitments but almost killed myself returning to study (only a level 2 course in finance) was so hard - my brain is not what it used to be! so i have parked study after only a year. I was going through very difficult time whilst throwing myself in the deep end by studying so this can’t have helped, but has put me off for the time being.

I want to work up the career ladder but I don’t know how to/ what work path to take to earn my end goal ((£50k a year by time I am 50) without a degree, at the starting age of 40. My background is admin.

I’m the only one of my siblings on benefits and I hate it. My house is cashed but is in a cheap area so around £200k value. I’ve cashed it by being very frugal and so the house is in need of tlc and we don’t “live”. No fun days out , no eating out, no holidays etc

life is passing me by and I’ve been stuck in a rut for a long time and I try to change things to better our lives , but fail each time.

I want to change our lives and become completely independent.
I can’t think HOW to accomplish this.

With my limited knowledge I thought I could use the equity in my home to buy another house to rent out and then THIS income could replace my benefits? Is that even doable/ practical? Is there a better way? have I missed something?

how could I reach my earning goal of £50,000 within 10 years without a degree and starting at my age with my limited experience? I have the drive and willing but, as last year showed me - I need to pick the right path. I was studying last year and I just can’t retain information anymore like I used to. I did pass, but what I remember is another thing!

AIBU to want these things? How can I achieve or come near to achieving what I want and in what time frame? I need a clear path to follow (what career etc) and I think I get so lost in detail I can’t see the wood for the trees anymore. My brain has been stuck in freeze mode. I can’t think.

i know what I want but I don’t know how to achieve it or if it’s even possible. Or AIBU.

positive posts or constructive criticism only please .Sorry for long post and thanks for listening 💐

@Indigotree I am sure @Babyroobs is aware
Of that...

I am aware that teenagers are expensive ( I have had four myself) but don't necessarily agree that benefits are low when you are getting four lots of child element or child tax credits for all four.

Op you're a single parent with 4 kids working part time, give yourself a break from this idea that you're failing because you're brother thinks you should earn more!

Could you talk to someone at the school about your options internally?

Re study, have you looked at something like OU? Not a degree necessarily but they do short courses at all levels,some free. It might just be enough to kick your brain into study mode without the pressure. Local colleges also offers some free courses at access level, if their Dad is around and has them on the week?

Re money, are you claiming all you're entitled to or just the minimal because it's such a badge of shame? Are you getting money from their Dad? Claim what you're entitled to now to help you move forward long term

Your children are all at school and not babies anymore so you could go back to work full time. In the holidays you could pay your older kids to look after the 2 younger ones and also find a holiday scheme they could attend some of the time. Working in a school is very short hours you need to find something that is 9-5 not 9-3. You are basically loosing 2 hours every day so up to 10 hours a week. Also if you could find a civil service job you'd find the lower grades of admin get paid a lot better than the private sector and you'd get a decent pension being paid for you. They have some finance type rolls too. The NHS are often looking for admin staff again you'd get a decent pension and sickness pay. With the public sector there are always a lot of vacancies so promotions you can go for. If you only work from 9-3 part time it will take you years to earn a decent level of pay. With a positive mindset you can do it OP.

benefits aren’t that awful especially with 4 dc. Op would be entitled to £1550 a month Uc plus £286 child benefit. Guessing a term time admin job is about £15k ish. Taking into account work allowance/ taper rate I’d guess op takes home )1250 salary, 1230 Uc, £286 child benefit which isn’t far off 3k a month. With no housing costs I’m pretty sure op can afford an outing or two.

The older two are likely enterprise mg or completing their GCSE years
Isn't the mantra on MN when people talk about age gap kids that the older ones should never be expected to care for the little ones?

I am sure lots of people would like a salary of 30 to 50k

I have been scanning the jobs due to my up coming change of circumstances

HGV driver, train driver
Nurse, doctor, vet
Teacher
Trade plumber, electrician, engineer
Manager
Scientist
New technologies
Celebrity
Finance
Sales
Civil service, Government
Telecommunications
Inventor
Self employed

That just about covers everything 😁

I did exactly that while doing GCSEs and a levels so my mum could complete her nursing training. It's hardly much work at the ages suggested. I don't remember it feeling like much effort and I managed to get straight As throughout so it didn't affect my studies.

@Babyroobs sorry I wasn't being sarcastic I meant more that you know your stuff where benefits are concerned!

This is the most important post on the thread. You need to skill up, specialise, and keep applying for higher paying jobs. That’s the only route to a higher income for the vast majority of people.

Rather than picking an arbitrary figure and working backwards; start from where you are now and work forwards. Seperate out “must earn £50K” from “stop relying on benefits as a safety net” as a goal.

You’ve got some solid admin experience. If I were you I’d look at admin roles in something like civil service, local authority, or NHS. There’s unlikely to be a massive jump at the start but you’ll be on a very decent pension scheme with a clear pay rise track.

Look at how realistically you could start moving from part time to full time. Maybe not immediately but at the latest once the youngest is in secondary you should aim to be full time; that’s 3ish years away.

Once you’ve done that then I agree you need to look at similar roles within your organisation - transitioning to executive assistant, or a team leader role perhaps.

You’re in a great position with not having to pay a mortgage, that’s an amazing achievement and is a brilliant way to secure your family’s future. Don’t let the achievements of others distract from how far you’ve come.

A lot of people think benefits are very high, but remember the shock people got in lockdown when they were offered a much higher rate than normal benefits to tide them over (£90 ish a week instead of £70 ish) and they thought it was far too little to live on even for a very short time?

Your circumnstances are not always going to remain the same, as your children become independent you wlhave more disposable income or will be able to down size.

If you don't want or aren't in the position to go full time just yet then perhaps you could do some office temping a couple of days in the holidays instead to get to see other types of admin.

If you struggled with a level 2 course you probably aren't in the right frame of mind to be doing the type of job that pays £50k, they will be much more stressful and probably with line management responsibilities than a GCSE level course. So perhaps address that, build up your confidence doing some free Moocs or free OU open learn courses.

Then look at what type of admin you'd like to do if you want to stay where you are there are limited option in education. Do you have a head for numbers so accountancy? Or civil service or the arms length bodies pay £25k for admin with lots of internal movement.

If I was you I'd spend the rest of the time your DC are at Primary increasing my self esteem, doing free courses and looking at where I want to move on to. Then once they move to Secondary start a paid course or move to a new job in a new industry. Then gain knowledge in that industry moving sideways and upwards aiming for £35k-40k by the time I was 50. £40k for someone with no mortgage is more than enough even if you do need to carry out work on the property.

What job do you do in secondary? Can you move to a different role with more money? It's astounding that your brother thinks you should be doing better when you've kid off your mortgage with four young children at home. That's an amazing achievement!
You do still seem to have a lot of money to live on. Surely you can afford a few treats!?

Almost 30, no kids but have a degree. Similar to you needed to increase income. Was in low paid insurance work. I targeted companies locally who I knew were good employers and had great pay. I’ve taken a more entry level job but will give me knowledge of the industry and help me level up. Taking this job took me from £25k to £32k so a good increase, I think you need to take a similar approach. Draw on skills you have already and work your way up via team leader/management jobs. Very doable in 10 years but you need to commit to either a full time role or shift work, you have older children. Where possible use them for childcare and start there

Babyroobs I said that I cleared the mortgage BY Not having fun days out living frugally etc. I didn’t say I don’t have spare money now? I’m currently using my spare money to pay back other debts and after that I want to repair my home that I’ve neglected - because I don’t have a housing association or landlord to do that for me.

https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships/degree-apprenticeships

If I were you I'd do a degree apprenticeship in a vocational career such as finance etc. You earn money while training in a career and working towards a qualification. In your position this is a win win situation.

There are very few jobs where you can earn £50k without a qualification or some description.

I have recognised in school holidays I can trust the older children to watch the younger children for a certain amount of time. One of my friends suggested being a carer by way of supplementing my income as this can be flexible - so I’m looking at this for the short term. For the long term, I’m the sort of person that likes to work towards something as I become focussed and more likely to achieve it. I just need to know what that is though.
i have an auto immune disease which makes me feel worn out a lot quicker and I don’t want to burn out. I don’t have practical help from family or friends I’ve always done everything myself . I’m trying to think of a more structured plan moving forward something I can do and sustain.

Crazy level of benefits that has allowed you to pay off a mortgage by the age of 40.

Ohyousillydilly I agree £50k would be a push but anything near as possible would do. I don’t think I could earn that doing just admin, but what else? I just don’t know.

You should be eligible for your councils holiday and food summer camps (HAF scheme). This is what you should do to get your kids out of the house and occupied during the summer.

I'm a senior administrator earning £45k at a university so earning £50k is very achievable at the higher end. However, you need impeccable It & project management skills & people management skills. Plus preferably some kind of business admin and or degree.

Babyroobs like I have said I made my focus to clear the mortgage and I did by going without a lot. I brought my house in early noughties . I didn’t pay £200k for it. I didn’t claim UC then. I’ve been on UC since 2020 and tax credits before then, and when I bought the house I didn’t claim any benefits

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/search/?nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=administrative&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=estates-and-facilities-management&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=finance-and-procurement&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=fundraising-and-alumni&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=health-and-wellbeing&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=hospitality-retail-conferences-and-events&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=human-resources&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=international-activities&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=it-services&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=laboratory-clinical-and-technician&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=legal-compliance-and-policy&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=library-services-data-and-information-management&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=pr-marketing-sales-and-communication&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=project-management-and-consulting&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=senior-management&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=sports-and-leisure&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=student-services&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=sustainability&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=web-design-and-development&nonAcademicDisciplineFacet[]=other

You're looking at this the wrong way round, you're focusing too much on the salary rather than the skills required to achieve that salary. Look at the different jobs I've listed above that you like & look at the skills listed for it. Then start working to achieve that skill set, it might take a few years.