On ESA and would like to find part time job if possible

marie2486

i have been on ESA from 2012 after a serious car accident left me with a brain injury. I did recover well and was lucky at side of most people. Thing is now I’ve been out of work 6 years I have been looking into possibilities of getting a job and obviously more money. I’ve heard that on ESA (work related one) you can work up to 16 hours and either still get ESA or get some other money extra meaning it would be worth while doing. Is that right?

2nd thing is I have no idea what job I would want or be able to do. I did do childcare before but even then with only having NVQ level 2 I struggled finding a job as most wanted you to have NVQ level 3 and to make it harder you had to have a job to be able to get level 3. So I know I’m not going to get a job in childcare now. I love animals dogs especially but next to no jobs with animals apart from vet which I’m not qualified for and not sure I’d like that. Next retail probably one of few jobs that may work tho no experience or a driving job deliveries. 

With not having worked for so for so long I would have no idea how I’d get on and I do take a while before I’m comfortable talking to people about what needs to be done etc. Also I can get easily distracted which seems worse if I don’t like what I’m doing (not deliberate) for example cleaning I hate it so my clean isn’t everyone’s idea of clean. On the other hand if I like something and really want to do it I do well with it.

at the moment there is one place I would love to get a job and it actually seems like a possibility sometime. I attend a brain injury group each week that was set up by a man who had a brain injury same year as me. They have social time each week do an allotment each week in summer and have days out sometimes also through me asking they are organising hill walks to build up to walking 3 Yorkshire peaks. I’ve been going every week from last May. It is the first time I have met new people and felt comfortable with them and to make conversation. Lately due to them being short staff it’s been clear there is more to the staffs work than it first appeared. The allotment they plan each week is the one area that does get cancelled sometimes due to one of staff being off as there needs to be 2 staff there and only 2 out of 3 staff work that day. Also another thing that has actually caused some laughs is the stupid far fetched health and safety measures they have to follow. People need to wear gloves when touching wood to avoid getting splinters. So because I think just about everyone including the staff agree that is stupid, but they have to follow it to avoid anyone stupidly suing them. So I have made a point of telling the man who set group up about gloves when he doesn’t have them on (something I normally wouldn’t feel comfortable doing somewhere else) it has led to everyone having a laugh and joke. He has encouraged me to tell everyone about gloves and make sure everyone is safe. Even going as far to get me a waistcoat with my name on saying health and safety officer lol.

this has got me thinking maybe I could get a job at the group. I have even mentioned it to the man and he seems open to the idea. Obviously he wants to be sure I would be able to do any job and reliable which he knows I am. He has said I need to look round more and decide when things need doing rather than waiting to be told. This week I found being health and safety officer actually helped me have something to do as there was nothing but man who set group up started putting wood together so I mentioned he needed gloves on. Later he said I’d done well and mentioned it was good I’d reminded him about gloves. I’ve mentioned I need a contract writing so I know my duties and someone mentioned a first aid certificate would be good idea so I’m going to mention that next week tho more to show I’m taking it seriously and see if I could end up getting job there. Either way I will still enjoy going and just see what happens. Oh and I’ve had idea which could mean them needing more staff. I’ve notice they like to encourage anyone to try new stuff and see how much they can manage so I’ve come up with idea to encourage people to set themselves targets like walk set distance or something and work towards achieving them and everyone else can join in and encourage them.

poppy123456

When claiming ESA regardless of which group you're in the you can do permitted work yes. You must work less than 16 hours per week and earn no more than £125.50 after deductions. Your ESA and any other benefits won't be affected. You need permission from DWP before doing any permitted work and you'll also needed to fill out a PW1 form.

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Permitted-Work-Rules

Ripples

@marie2486  It sounds as if this would be highly beneficial to you in your aim to gaining work. As you are in WRA you should have an adviser who may be able to help you further. Chatting to someone also has the added advantage of not just discussing red tape or regs but other ways you can be helped. Good luck!

Pippa_Alumni

Welcome to the community @marie2486, and thanks for sharing this with us- sounds like a brilliant idea!

You've had some good advice from Poppy about permitted work, and EntitledTo have some further information about this on their page. Do let us know if you have any further questions, and let us know how you get on too!

Donisha_Scope

Hi @Marie2486,

It sounds like you are bringing an abundance of skills to the brain injury group.

Would you consider registering with Scope’s Support to Work service?

We offer 12-weeks of digital employment advice tailored to meet the needs of each individual. This means assisting you with applying for a role within the group you attend or another organisation.  

Our advisers offer general employment advice as well as guidance with identifying your transferable skills; support with CV and cover letter writing, interview practice and job application support.

In addition, we have a benefit adviser who can give you more information how many hours you are able to work without having your benefits cut.

Alternatively, you can visit Scope’s work page for more information here.

If you would like more information on the service, or to register, you can complete an online referral form.

Kind regards,

Donisha