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On benefits versus working for a living

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I originally came to the U.K. to do a master's degree and stayed when I was offered a job.  I worked in the IT field at the time and there was a demand. However, I now work in social housing. Not once have I ever been on benefits or even received employment assistance from the Jobcentre when I was briefly unemployed.  In fact, the Jobcentre told me I was overqualified for any jobs they had even though I protested and said I would wait on tables, do cleaning work, etc.

She claims she is a single parent...

Fast forward, to eight years later.  I am now pregnant and live in an area where there is a lot of council housing.  One of my neighbours is 18 years younger than I am and is one month further along in her pregnancy.  I am 39 and she is 21.  She already has a 2 year old son and is in a 2 bedroom council flat.  She claims she is a single parent although both children have the same father.  The father works, but maintains another address and stays with her 3 days out of the week.

She gets full housing and council tax benefit as well as income support and child benefit, plus, when her baby is born she will be given a 500 voucher to invest for her child because she is "poor".  She is so poor that just in the last month alone she bought a 40" TV, new computer and had Sky and broadband installed.  Her children have all the latest toys and an expensive travel system.  And she can apply for a Sure Start maternity grant since she is on benefits.  Both her and the father that supposedly does not exist have been buying expensive toys and clothes for their children.

In contrast, my fiance and I own a 1 bedroom flat.  We cannot afford to move for another two years and definitely will not get council housing since we are home owners.  We are both in full time employment.  Almost all of our baby's clothing has come from charity shops or been given to us since we cannot afford a lot.  Even the baby walker, cot bed and moses basket have been bought second hand.  We cannot afford the travel system our neighbour has and our son will be in our bedroom for a few years until we can move.  We do not own a 40" TV and scrimped and saved for our computer.  We will only be given a 250 voucher from the government to invest for our child because we are not on benefits.

A babies cot I also checked out working tax credits and will receive around 30 per month although our childcare will cost over 600 when I return to work.  We are not eligible for council tax benefit or the Sure Start maternity grant and although my salary will drop by half now that I am on maternity leave and my fiance's will when he is on paternity leave, we will get no form of help paying the mortgage.

I think it is sick and disgusting that working people get nothing. I am an immigrant, but I have worked hard and have paid taxes all these years.  I never received any form of help from the government and my university education was paid for by me!  When I was briefly unemployed, I was willing to scrub toilets if I had to and last year when I needed some extra money, I took a second job doing barmaid work.  I am 18 years older than my neighbour and worked until I went on leave last month, yet this scum has never lifted a finger and is being handed everything on a plate.

I know people go on about immigrants, but there are immigrants like myself who do not scrounge and assimilate.  Also, I lived in another country before coming here where I had to learn another language.  As soon as I got there I signed up for language classes.  I was also working while learning the language and was tested as nearly fluent within 9 months.  I get fed up when I hear people have lived here for 20 years and never learned a word of English.  It is sheer laziness.

I informed the housing officer that my neighbour is scamming the system.  She needs a kick up the backside along with all the others out there who are doing the same thing.  If I can get to work whilst heavily pregnant and return after my baby is born, she and others like her can do it as well!

By: Soon2bmother


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Bulldog 2

Bulldog 2

Con artist, report them!
03/10 Bulldog 2
0
Mr H

Mr H

Good call she is clearly scamming the system espeically since she is not a single parent.
I feel for you first of all I admire the effort and ditermnation you have put in :) It is annoying when you working your backside off for very little and others do naff all and get everything. the country of UK is going to pot as people who don't work seem better off
20/10/14 Mr H
0
Bulldog

Bulldog

People who refused to work for free could get £130million benefits payout after court says retrospective laws breach human rights
High Court rules emergency laws breach the right to a fiar trial
Government passed legislation to shore up back-to-work scheme
Jobless were told to take an unpaid placement or lose benefits
Cait Reilly, 24, took the government to court over job in poundland

GO BACK TO SCOTLAND IAN YOUR A FOOL WHO JUST GOT SERVED !
05/07/14 Bulldog
0
Snigger

Snigger

I read today that council tax arrears have overtaken credit card debt.
For some of you brain deads that this applies to, its time to sell the Beemers, Audi's, Merc;s and 4x4 to clear your debts. If you have already done this I hope it hurts to see someone else driving your precious ex status symbol. LoL.
27/05/14 Snigger
0
Phil

Phil

Maybe this woman, and others like her, could go out and get a job if they weren't all being taken by immigrants such as yourself.
02/05/14 Phil
-6
Nick

Nick

Well yeah the politicians all have '2nd homes' in Kensington & Chelsea or Mayfair or Belgravia. They receive monthly rent in the thousands while talking rubbish in parliament. Such is life! The rich will be forever rich, the poor will be forever poor. You wanna change your life? Buy the lottery.
31/03/14 Nick
0
Mr Rupert

Mr Rupert

A lot of work doesn't earn a living. Once, a couple could go to work and just about earn enough to get a mortgage. Try that now with wages and house prices the way they are. Work makes no sense for some people because they'd commute around 20 miles to earn about £15k per annum. That salary won't cover living expenses, fares or running a car. More than 10 years ago I had a modest job on 16k + bonuses. I see similar jobs now offering the same pay when the cost of living has rocketed.

It's an employers market and the truth is that a lot of work is nothing but slavery, keeping you in a rut that it's impossible to get out of in normal circumstances. Those who criticise people for "shirking" jobs ought to wake up and realise that meagre wages and questionable conditions do not make for happy employees. Added to that the UK has the longest working hours. You rarely see jobs advertising 9 to 5 now - employers have been stealing our time in recent decades. You're lucky if it's 9 to 5.30, as I often see 8.30 to 5.30 or 6.00. What kind of life is that? I'll tell you - drudgery.

If someone would pay a FAIR wage - one you could live on, and I don't mean by buying luxuries, then a few more people would be out there instead of at home all day and passing the time in recreation.

It's the politicians that are fond of finger-pointing that need to look at themselves and their Westminster buddies who have it so good, and many have never actually done any work in their life so are hardly in a position to lord it over.

I have been unemployed in the past and going to the jobcentre was horrendous with their bullying and sanctioning. Even so, some people manage this shite weekly if only to avoid being a down-trodden slave.

Benefits isn't a great way of life for most (in my opinion) but in many cases it sure beats working 40+ hours per week and staying broke or in debt. Not being a slave means you are able to try and find ways out of the hell hole the system keeps us in. Whatever happened to a fair day's pair for a fair day's work? It's disappeared under corporate exploitation. Unless you are well-qualified, privileged or born with a silver spoon it's increasingly hard for low earners to make anything of their lives. I suppose that's why the television is full of bile and rubbish to keep the masses distracted from life's real problems.
28/03/14 Mr Rupert
3
NO ONE IS AN IMMIGRANT!

NO ONE IS AN IMMIGRANT!

Why do British people hate the homeless, the sick, and the jobless? Why do you people lay all the blame at the foot of Romanian Gypsies, and not David Cameron who put an end to immigration? Are you all that insecure? Or is British imperialism rising its ugly head again?
25/03/14 NO ONE IS AN IMMIGRANT!
0
Mike

Mike

you know wot, I can work but I don't want to. I have the necessary skills and qualification to find an average paid job. But I'm so sick of banker's ridiculous salary and bonus packages - makes my job look crap and makes me look bad. Therefore I'd rather NOT work and sponge off the state. Let the bankers pay for my food and accommodation. Makes me feel a lot better!
31/07/13 Mike
-9
miserablemoaninggit

miserablemoaninggit

Dear me! So the EU is going to take Britain to court because it claims there is discrimination going on in the way it hands out social security benefits. Basically, we should hand out the same to those who arrive in the country from day one if they make a claim.

Well, it's not all bad news. Surely, this will encourage ever more of us to demand a referendum NOW and vote to get out of the EU.
30/05/13 miserablemoaninggit
3
Madge

Madge

You are griping about your neighbour, not about the system. On the face of it, I would imagine you would be just as benefit greedy as your neighbour given the opportunity....it certainly reads that way. Big case of envy going on here, I think.
27/05/13 Madge
-2
Edison

Edison

There are some shameless/xenophobic dole scroungers such as 'milly' who thinks the world owes them a living. No, nobody owes you fook all! A working immigrant is more worthy than you are you lazy fokkin basta*d deserve having ya head kicked in for ya.
09/05/13 Edison
-6
Jack

Jack

We live in a world of state benefits. We all believe we are entitled to something for nothing. We are not. Benefits are paid out of taxes from individuals and company profits. Another term for benefits is state handouts. We all believe that some people are getting more in benefits than they are capable of earning. And that belief is of course quite correct. One woman with four children who featured on TV news last week was getting £28000 a year in benefits. She was living in a house she couldn't afford if she was working. And make no mistake, the only people who can afford these extortionate rents being charged by private landlords, are people on benefits. The only people silly enough to pay these extortionate rents are governments. Cap those benefits and the rents will drop like a stone.
07/03/12 Jack
10
milly

milly

For whatever reason you originally came here, you were offered a full time job and for that reason offered a chance to live here by the sounds of it! Be greatfull and respectfull to our country or go back!
Whether youve paid taxes or not, regardless of what you could be claiming here- you obviously wouldnt have had the same job and wage in your own country so infact we have done you a favour by giving you employment ie a chance in life.
To show grattitude, you moan about not being able to claim benefits and bubble your neighbour who has young children to support. What a spitefull nasty ungreatfull woman! No wonder there is such prejudice in the world against imigrants! Ike the way our country runs or leave it!
22/06/11 milly
-3
confused?

confused?

If you are getting working tax credits, and once your baby is born you should also be entitled to child tax credits,,,as well as getting 75 to 80% off your childcare charges. Since you are getting working tax credit that also entitles you to free NHS medicine prescriptions should you need any. If you are your fiance are both in full time employment with no dependents then surely you earn enough between you to pay rent on a one bedroom flat and food and utilties? I would think with two wages coming in and no dependents that you wouldnt be eligible for working tax credit as it is normally paid on behalf of the partner who is not working. You sound like youve done very well for yourself, and are very proud of your acheivements. But in the process you have also become bitter than you are not entitled to our countrys benefits system. That makes you no better than your neighbour!!
18/05/11 confused?
1

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