Been offered a part time job after years of unemployment.
Got to look into the ins and outs of it first. Even the person who offered me the job has told me to check out the facts first and make sure that I would better off taking it.
Its with the foodbank who I have being voluntarily working for as a van driver for the past 5 months or so.
I asked on a previous thread about working part time while still claiming benefits to top up my pay to a liveable/sustainable level and looking around the internet it DOES seem to be a minefield. Id be more than happy to accept the position...even if I would be a little bit worse off..(I want to work and earn my own keep) but don't want to accept if I wouldn't be able to support myself at all. Will have to make an appointment with CAB.
Has anyone any experience with working part time and claiming some kind of benefit at the same time?
(IE Housing benefit, etc,)?
Im not a sponger, I wish to pay my own way, I also wish to survive and to be able to eat and keep a roof over my head. Having been homeless and penniless in the past Im sure that you can understand that, but I don't want to be reliant on benefits for the rest of my life. Just don't want to make myself worse off than I am now.
Nails, I have a cousin, in Stoke who works as a delivery driver for Asda. He lives in a housing association house and claims benefits. He does only sixteen hours a week, otherwise he loses some of his benefits. I will text him over the weekend and ask for more details. In the meantime, you need to make an appointment at the benefits office and ask them for advice and clarification.
In my experience it's always better in the long run to be in work even if it's part time- it's far easier to get permanent work/full time work/other work. Rightly or wrongly employers are relucatant to offer posts to teh unemployed , particularly with a background like yours, but once you are working it's much easier to get other work
I would suggest taking it even if you are a bit worse off. Continuing to live on benefits will ensure you never achieve anything for yourself, getting a job and doing it well could be a springboard it much better things in the future. I wish you luck.