need some advice....
I claim dla (172.80 a month) , esa, (494.80 a month) housing benefit (500 a month for a one bed flat), and am in the support group..(diagnosed with a mental health condition - have had a series of lengthy spells in and out of hospital over the last 5 years ..approx 6 times of 3 months in and out)
I currently feel ok have been out of hospital for a year now, i also work less than under 16 hours permitted work rules (4 hours in a shop (1456 a year) and normally play about one paid gig once a week £2600 a year)
when you add all of this up.... it comes to 18,724 with no tax paid and not much work to do...
I have not been notified that i have to go for an assessment ( i have also read that as I’m in the support group i can go on claiming and working like this indefinitely...
However im starting to feel bad for claiming so much
BUT heres my dilemma...
I have a degree but its only a 2:2 in the general built environment hence im not qualified in particularly anything and would definitely struggle at the moment to get any job about 15,000 a year or above and it woudl be in an area i wouldnt enjoy.. so im getting (without working much..nearly 6,000 more than if i worked fullltime in a lousy min wage job assuming tid get 12-13000 fora bar job or call centre or something)
..i know i can get fees discount to get a postgrad degree and be qualified surveyor...but even a grad entry level job would pay from 18,000 to 21,000...but after tax this would be 15,000 to 17,000 this is still lower than when you add up what i earn at the moment...which is 18,724...and again i would be highly stressed and blown out from the job so im asking is it really worth doing anything?? it wouldnt be until i have worked for five or so years in the profession and a lot of hard work that i would start making anything like i get now for free!... as once your chartered surveyor you can make £25,000 + a year but with tax and student loan taken off would be about the same as what i get now! (18,700)
one of my passions is music and so i can quite easily write songs record and try and make a name for myself in my spare time at home in my flat...id much rather do that then work full tiome , be stressed and earn less than what i do now..!
but then its the social status of having a good job and what else that could bring such as benefits of travelling abroad with a world recognised qualification and what else i don’t know???
While im grateful for free money, doesn’t this show how ridiculous the system is?