BBC One want your views
October 12th, 2009 | Author: Confessions
BBC ONE is making a ground breaking documentary series about unemployment and wants to hear from lone parents who are currently out of work
Are you a lone parent frustrated with being jobless?
Does having children make it harder to find employment?
Fed up with being skint – and judged?
Feel like you have no choices?
Or, are you are happy living the way you are?
Do you want to challenge people’s perceptions of unemployed parents?
We are doing some research about unemployment in the current climate and would love to hear from you. Please get in touch for a chat.
Email:eva.arnold @ loveproductions.co.uk
Direct line: 0207 067 4889
I am a single mum. My daughter is 3, and i have been single for over a year, althought it does feel like i’ve always been single…
ive been looking for an employement for over a year now. being a single parent on benefits makes it IMPOSSIBLE to find a job.
its easy to “find” a job, send in an application, what gets difficult is being able to get to the interview, having no nursery ( because not afordeble) and all your friends working. And if getting to the interview is possible, there is 95% chances that you’ll etheir a confidence nock out, because what you are wearing says ” single mum peniless, desperate and unprofessionel”.
And if you somehow manage to get the job. you have how long to find a nursery place? nursery place that you didnt apply for, because you could not afford it. now you are faced with the fact that you are about to start working and your child has no one to look after him. Which you probably did not mention at the interview, because, well, u guessed the end of that story.
but if you do get lucky, and every thing goes well for you, which is near to impossible, then you get your job center appointment, and thats when u realise that the part time job ( which is all you can afford to do, unless you have a phd, and years of experience, which garenties you a good place and a good salary) well, is not enougth to pay for your rent, the nursey, the bills, the food, the clothes …..
and so, after the nice advise the your employment coach has given you, which is ” your better of saying on benefits”, you’re back to scare one again. its a nasty vicious circle, that is hard to break from, which is why, going back to college or university is the only realistic option, because you get to inprove you’re skills, which is the only way to get a descent job, to then get out of benefits.
but even that can be a trouble, for me i’ve had to quit college because the nursery was gatting to much, and im now in debt of 700 pounds. so education is out of the question as it would take me forever to pay that back on my 130 pounds a week.
so i have starting seing an employment coach, which is advising me to start doing some volunteering or work experience, to work my up in the field im interesting in, which the best way i can go from here.
only problem is, if i volunteer? how am i gonna pay for nursery?