Hi
My partner is just coming to the end of his PhD, though the funding for it has already finished.
He is now looking for a job, and not just a job connected to his degree/PhD or even in that area but ANY job because after all, we have bills and rent etc to pay for.
He went to the Job Centre and they have told him he can't get any support. Not job seekers because he's been in education for the last 2 years so hasn't contributed to NI. And he can't get non-contributed JSA because I work 28 hours a week (can't get any more) whereas if I worked 24 hours a week he could get some help...
I lost my job last year and the JSA I got was not enough to keep the house/bills and while my partner got a money for his PhD, it is the same as a low wage so I ended up having to use what savings I had (which had taken years to save and took mere months to exhaust) until I thankfully found another job.
Now my partner is looking and because of his education he is often "over qualified" and for jobs connected to his degree etc, well, they are pretty thin on the ground and of course anyone out of uni is now looking for the same.
It's very frustrating knowing we can't get any help even just something while he looks for work. He is on all the job sites, checking out the job centre, he's with agencies... even just sending CVs to companies in case!
I hate that there appears to be no support just to make things that little bit easier. It's certainly not like my job can cover all the bills. We have already budgeted and cut down on anything we can.
Even tax credits, I would have to work 30 hours or over and the company I'm at just hasn't got the need for those extra hours.
Any suggestions would be appreciated on this situation because I am at my wits end.
And no, can't borrow off family... sister is recently bankrupt and my mother just lost her job this month.
My partner is just coming to the end of his PhD, though the funding for it has already finished.
He is now looking for a job, and not just a job connected to his degree/PhD or even in that area but ANY job because after all, we have bills and rent etc to pay for.
He went to the Job Centre and they have told him he can't get any support. Not job seekers because he's been in education for the last 2 years so hasn't contributed to NI. And he can't get non-contributed JSA because I work 28 hours a week (can't get any more) whereas if I worked 24 hours a week he could get some help...
I lost my job last year and the JSA I got was not enough to keep the house/bills and while my partner got a money for his PhD, it is the same as a low wage so I ended up having to use what savings I had (which had taken years to save and took mere months to exhaust) until I thankfully found another job.
Now my partner is looking and because of his education he is often "over qualified" and for jobs connected to his degree etc, well, they are pretty thin on the ground and of course anyone out of uni is now looking for the same.
It's very frustrating knowing we can't get any help even just something while he looks for work. He is on all the job sites, checking out the job centre, he's with agencies... even just sending CVs to companies in case!
I hate that there appears to be no support just to make things that little bit easier. It's certainly not like my job can cover all the bills. We have already budgeted and cut down on anything we can.
Even tax credits, I would have to work 30 hours or over and the company I'm at just hasn't got the need for those extra hours.
Any suggestions would be appreciated on this situation because I am at my wits end.
And no, can't borrow off family... sister is recently bankrupt and my mother just lost her job this month.