*This is a collaborative post*
Unemployment is one of the worst possible situations to be in as an adult, but when you’re also a parent at the same time, the financial burdens can feel absolutely overwhelming. However, it is not impossible to hold out long enough to get yourself a job, as long as you know how to.
Let’s now discuss a few important aspects that are usually key factors in making it as an unemployed parent, in spite of the towering odds against it.
Get to Know the Government Benefits
Government benefits are available in the United Kingdom to aid single and/or unemployed/low wage parents. From Childcare Benefits to Guardian Allowances, getting to know the Family Benefits intimately should be your first step. Visit the official page to know all about them and the qualifying criteria for each benefit on offer.
Ask for Help
When you have a child to take care of, do not be shy to ask for help from people closest to you. It might feel shameful and belittling, but as long as you are not just planning to stay unemployed forever, accept the help they can offer, and use the support to get yourself back on your feet. Once you are there, you can always return what you owe, but you must accept the help in between to make it through.
Don’t Spend Any More than You Must
This should be the default mindset when you hardly have enough to begin with. However, you could be spending more money on necessary items than you should have to, without even knowing about it. For example, did you know that car insurance for unemployed Brits can be significantly cheaper to afford than insurance agents often make it out to be?
Quotezone has a section on their insurance comparison platform, where anyone can compare car insurance for unemployed citizens specifically. It’s particularly helpful when you are trying to find the cheapest car insurance quotes from the top insurers in UK, as the competition between them helps you get a cheaper car insurance deal than you could possibly get otherwise.
Don’t Give Up on the Job Hunt
There is a timeframe, beyond which being jobless as a parent just won’t work out, so you cannot ever leave the job hunt, even if it is for entry level work. Another alternative would be using the time at home for completing a short, professional course to increase your employability. Even amidst the worldwide lockdowns, work from home jobs are available, while online education is open to everyone.
It doesn’t matter whether your financial burdens were brought on as a result of the lockdown induced job cuts, or a divorce settlement which went against you. What matters is that it happened and you need to concentrate on facing what’s ahead. In spite of how it may seem initially, with the help of the government, friends, relatives, family members and your own dedication, you can get through it, and even
