Job in interim period between starting a new job

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

I've got a friend who's a single mother with a 13 year old and 9 year old (she's not on Mumsnet and doesn't want to be!). She's been doing like me, contracts for the past couple of years for about 9-12 months each, had a permanent job for 2 years and has resigned this job and got a new better paid and more prospects permanent job starting at the start of July.

She'd like to earn some extra cash as she has been put on gardening leave for 3 months whilst she's in her notice period (3 months) - which is fully paid of course, but she doesn't like to sit around all day doing nothing. She's currently got 2 weeks off at Easter and then has the week bank holiday in May so she said this works well as she can either have the children at home or send them to holiday clubs.

The gardening leave period started at the start of April.

She doesn't really want to do bar or cafe or shop work - as she thinks offering 3 months won't be enough for them but said she could offer to do cleaning, dog walking and other small jobs, would it be enough to just offer this for under 3 months?

Any ideas of what she could do? I just said she should put her details on her local Facebook page or even street Whatsapp group saying what she can do. Even offering to do school drop off/pick off and mind children would be good.

She may not be able to do anything at all OP. If she is on gardening leave then she is still technically an employee of that business and so wouldn’t be allowed to start another role.

She needs to check her contract before starting anything whilst on gardening leave.

This is why she wants to do something which is cash in hand.

She's just getting really bored sitting around doing nothing and is on holiday this and next week in Devon.

I did tell her she couldn't do a job where she's on the books.

As in not paying tax on her additional earnings cash in hand? Why doesn't she do some voluntary work if she can't find enough to occupy her whilst she's being paid not to work?

So she wants to get paid gardening leave and then paid again and not pay tax. She'll be in breach of contract of her gardening leave if you report her.

Single mum and age of kids has fuck all to do with it.

I don't have much sympathy with someone who is "bored" as an adult and wants to 1. take a job someone else who needs one could do when she's being paid by one job and has another lined up, and 2. cheat the system and not pay tax. A surprisingly large number of people seem to think this kind of thing is not a problem.

I’d just sign on with an agency and do temp office work, related to whatever field / skill set she has

How is it possible for someone to be 'bored' given that most working mums here, even with school-aged kids are run off their feet?
But if she finds domestic chores stifling she can always sign up for an online course or, as someone else said, volunteer.

I don't see what being a single parent has to do with it. If anything, it counts against her as she has so much free time to be 'bored'. The ones I know would jump at the opportunity to declutter, deep clean etc.

Ah so you’re asking how you can find illegal work for her then, lovely

She just told me she's really bored when the kids are back at school.

@Mrsttcno1 I'm not necessarily saying if she can find illegal work for her. She's looked into voluntary work, no go for that short a period. She could do short courses.

She's just getting bored and rather than sit around thought she could help out and get extra money as CoL costs have increased for her.

I did say she should think carefully about not doing anything. It'd be my dream just to laze about.

She's done all the deep cleaning and decluttering ages ago - her home is like a show home.

The 13 year old doesn't really need her much now so she says (she's quite independent) and 9 year old does but not to the same extent, plus their dad has them 50/50 living with him.

It's all about her days when she's not at work and they're at school she says, she says they drag by.

This is exactly what she's thinking, it's not a huge problem as it's cash in hand. I did say if you did do this then at least declare the tax off it.

She told me she knows a few people who have a side hustle and her reasoning is because it's only 3 months or just under it's not harming anyone. She intends to give up the side hustle once she restarts work again.

She's tried finding voluntary work, all the local charity shops have people already or require them for longer than 3 months.

I'm going to tell her to sign up for an online course and to look a bit further afield than our charity shops here.

Cash in hand work doesn’t exist like it used to. There are far more card transactions than cash transactions, so places can’t really fiddle the books.

If she’s bored, there’s a tonne of volunteer work around.

Of course you are saying exactly that, you are encouraging your friend or helping your friend to break the law and find a job cash in hand, thus avoiding paying tax on that income (illegal), as well as being in breach of conditions of gardening leave.

Working cash in hand IS illegal.

I've just spoken to her, and told her not to do this and to try looking harder for volunteering work and online courses (free if possible). She did say she's already spoken to another school mum who's been asked to go more into the office, currently 2 days and is being asked to go 3 days and my friend said she could help with drop off and pick up and minding the children until the friend got home (this friend's DH is in the office 5 days a week) but only for the next few months.

I also suggested she should look at other ways to make money and she's thinking of a car boot sale, Ebay and Vinted and she actually reminded me she has a load of things she decluttered out of her house in her garage which needs to be sold/Ebayed/charity shopped, I thought she'd got rid of that.

I did say if she really wants an extra job then to do it properly, research what she can do and pay tax on it but she is adamant that when she starts her new job she doesn't want extra work as it'll be 'hard enough working again with the kids to look after'.

Surely if you declare your earnings and pay tax as being self employed it is not illegal?

Look, I don't know what she can do or can't do. I haven't had e.g. a cleaner or anything for a few years so I have no idea if they accept cash or do bank transfers/card payments.

She's saying she's bored and it'd help her out in a short period, I'm saying to her not to do it now now the MN work topic massive have shut this down. I only asked here and didn't expect to get shot down in flames. One of the reasons she's on holiday in Devon is because her DM lives there and she says it saves her holiday club costs. The kids have cousins down there too.

Most people would be absolutely delighted to have some paid time off between jobs.

Maybe your friend should try to figure out why she's so desperate to be working at all times and can't just relax.

There are plenty of things she could do. Take up a new hobby, learn a language, sports, crafts, reading, writing, whatever she wants really.

That's what I keep telling her - to relax and enjoy it.

I actually think she has some form of ADHD (undiagnosed) because she can never sit still, always has to be doing something.

You know exactly what she is and isn’t allowed to do, but are now trying to backtrack after realising you’ve been caught out encouraging & helping her to avoid paying tax illegally😂

I and others pointed out that she couldn’t take on other work while on gardening leave, you immediately then pointed out that yes you knew that, and so she was going to be looking for cash in hand work to get around it. The cash in hand work was never going to be declared for tax purposes because if it was then (as you know), she’d still be in trouble for taking on other work while on gardening leave- which you knew as you pointed this out initially!

Of course people were going to, quite rightly, “shoot you down in flames” when you’re trying to find ways your mate can avoid paying tax on her income🤣

Would either of the schools her children attend like any volunteers? What about her local food bank?