Need to claim benefits but am very confused can someone talk me through it please????

[HaventAClueWhatToDo]

I was made redundant a few months ago. It has now got to the stage where I think I am going to need to claim benefits but I have never in my life done this so have no idea where to start or what to do.

My lo is 18 mths, will they make me take a job that doesn't work for us as a family?

I used some of my redundancy to pay off credit card debts / pay builders will they not give me anything cause I've spent it?

Just to be clear I think that I will go back to work and am just starting to try and figure out what to look for, I ahve no qualifactions and would not like to return to the role I was made redundant from, I ahve a lot of transferable skills though. I think that I would 'prefer' to go back part time, but that would depnd on the role.

Please be gentle this is not about how to get the most money out of the system, I am in my mid 30s and have had a job since I was 15.

It all depends, you need to make an appointment with the local job centre. but what you claim and how much you will get will depend on if you are single or how much your partner earns etc.

You should work to get as much money as you are entitled to. You have worked for roughly 20 years and deserve to have this support while you look for a new job. It will not matter that you have used your redundancy money to pay off bills.

Get together paperwork for all family income and savings, and make an appointment with the jobs and benefits office - they will send you out a form to fill in to take with you to meeting. They are very helpful, in my experience but the claim takes a few weeks to be processed so do it now, before you are stuck financially.

At the appointment they will process the form and then take info frm you about your previous jobs - what skills you have etc and see what jobs are available.

I was on income support because I am a single parent, but you may be on jobseekers allowance if you are married/cohabiting. I dont know exactly how it works, but I doubt that they will make you take unsuitable jobs.

You may have to resort to a job that is not something you will make a career from, but its a step in right direction As far as I know, they also help with childcare costs and travel exopenses for job interviews and training (not for specific job, but general training through the job center)

Go to the website www.entitledto.com and fill in all your details, it gives you a rough idea of what you should apply for and how much you can expect to recieve. It is not an official government tool though so only an estimate, but very useful - it alerted me to some things we could claim which I hadn't realised and they have really helped as our finaces were struggling.

Thanks for all your replies.

Mousey, thank you, I certainly don't have a problem taking a job thats not my dream (not that i think i have a dream job), dh has attemptedto put his foot down saying that I mustn't get a job in a shop cause I can do so much better. Funny cause we meet in the supermarket we both worked at , just thought maybe thats why

Bertie, I've looked at that before but cause i was working last year, and half of this it comes out with not a lot, hope that isn't it