Its exciting and daunting, but its about time.
Currently I work casually (under a zero hour contract) and I have busy and quiet periods. My average income taken from a year comes to £400 a month. I am currently looking for extra jobs in my current organisation as well as possibly finding menial full time work and working my casual job on weekends.
My question is what kind of benefits would I qualify for and how would I go about it? Since I'm currently living at home but my parents are saying I have to be out in a matter of weeks.
I'm doing research on accommodation. If possible I imagine a council flat would be ideal due to the decreased rent (but I don't know much about that), I guess I'll have to find private accommodation for now while I apply to a waiting list? What if I want to move to a different borough?
If I apply for housing benefit while I search for better employment, will I have to find a place to live and cover the first amount of rent before applying?
I took the benefits advisor test and it says I might be entitled to income support too.
The other factor is my mental health. I have Bipolar II disorder making life really difficult month to month and sometimes day to day. I have a psychiatrist and therapist who could testify to my partial disability. I don't think it would necessarily prevent me from working full time but it could be very stressful and theres no way to know if I'd be able to keep it up, I guess I'd have to ask an advisor about that? I've had a couple of work incidents related to it already, one of which almost got me fired, but I let them know the explanation as I never declared my illness (didn't want to cast doubt in my abilities or be assigned less work).
Thanks for any help!
Alex
Currently I work casually (under a zero hour contract) and I have busy and quiet periods. My average income taken from a year comes to £400 a month. I am currently looking for extra jobs in my current organisation as well as possibly finding menial full time work and working my casual job on weekends.
My question is what kind of benefits would I qualify for and how would I go about it? Since I'm currently living at home but my parents are saying I have to be out in a matter of weeks.
I'm doing research on accommodation. If possible I imagine a council flat would be ideal due to the decreased rent (but I don't know much about that), I guess I'll have to find private accommodation for now while I apply to a waiting list? What if I want to move to a different borough?
If I apply for housing benefit while I search for better employment, will I have to find a place to live and cover the first amount of rent before applying?
I took the benefits advisor test and it says I might be entitled to income support too.
The other factor is my mental health. I have Bipolar II disorder making life really difficult month to month and sometimes day to day. I have a psychiatrist and therapist who could testify to my partial disability. I don't think it would necessarily prevent me from working full time but it could be very stressful and theres no way to know if I'd be able to keep it up, I guess I'd have to ask an advisor about that? I've had a couple of work incidents related to it already, one of which almost got me fired, but I let them know the explanation as I never declared my illness (didn't want to cast doubt in my abilities or be assigned less work).
Thanks for any help!
Alex