Job Seeker's Allowance - Not Very Useful
So I've just had confirmation of how much money I'm going to be getting from the government to assist me in finding a job. Never had to do this before in 17 years of my working, tax paying life so it's a new experience for me.
They are kindly giving me about £65 per week.
Now, this is certainly better than nothing but let's throw a few rough figures out there and see how useful that little handout is.
Electricity: £30 per week
Water supply: £7.50 per week
Sewerage: £7.50 per week
Council tax: £37.00 per week
Internet: £6.00 per week
Land line: £5.00 per week
Mobile: £5.00 per week
TV license £2.50 per week
Travel (job interviews): £42.00 per week
I haven't included my rent because I *might* be getting housing benefit.
That basically means I'm £77.50 short every week and that's without eating. Sure, I could lose my TV license. I don't watch TV anyway.
I could lose my phones and internet but I kinda need them to help me look for jobs.
Taking away the travel aspect would help too as that's a huge cost but it's also essential if I want to get a decent job.
OK. Let's look at something else. How much tax was I paying per week over the last two years years? It works out at about £125 per week and I have no intention of being out of work for two years so it's all a little disproportionate, really.
It answers several questions about the unemployment problem in this country.
I may have got this wrong but Jobseeker's Allowance is supposed to support you whilst seeking work, isn't it? It looks to me like it just about allows you to scrape by and it's perfectly fine for everything apart from looking for work.
Looking at it from a purely mathematical point of view, I'm fucked unless I get a job within the next week or two.
If I don't, I won't be able to afford to get to interviews, use the internet or phone to look for jobs. I'm trying to organise as best possible that my job interviews are on the same days, to save travel cost but it's a little out of my control really.
I'm still fairly hopeful that I should be able to find work soon as interviews and job offers are are coming in thick and fast at the moment but these things take time... Time I don't really have...
Like I said...
Fucked.
