So this seems like a good place to vent. Been made redundant, luckily I was already handing over my flat and moving into my van and might have a job lined up for short term. Any advice?
Don’t leave it to late to sign up for housing benefit, council tax benefit and job seekers allowance.. I was made redundant at the start of this year, was unemployed for about 3 months and stupidly didn’t do it until two weeks after.. Had a hell of a time trying to back claim.. Really messed me up financially as I had no savings to fall back on.
Welcome to the club. Yeah get on the benefits, it’s an unpleasant thing to do but helps a little. I lived off savings for a few months before commencing job hunting in anger but have had to go on benefits as there aren’t many jobs around.
It’s a slow time for jobs just now with xmas looming, I may also end up moving into a van at this rate! If I were you I’d take the opportunity to drive that van to the south of Spain for a few months!
Its a rubbish feeling but it helps to remember that its the job that has been made redundant, not you. Just because your previous employer can’t keep you doesn’t mean that there are not other positions out there. I have been made redundant 4 times and each time have found work within a couple of months, often with better working conditions/hours – sometimes with better pay!. Claiming all the benefits you are entitled to is important but don’t allow yourself to become demoralised by visiting the Job Centre – I never found it to be that conducive towards getting a job, it was just a hoop to jump through for me and the JC staff. Along with the usual job searches (online and in print) try and put the message out that you are looking for work. (as an example my current job came from my wife meeting my boss’s wife at a nursery event). Good luck and stay positive!
Ouch!
Chin up hon, in a years time this will just be a distant memory.
Riding mid-week is always nice and quiet.
Plenty of time to get all those little van jobs finished.
APF
Being made redundant doesn’t have to be horrible. Depends on your circumstances but it can be nourishing and liberating, an excuse to find something you would rather do with your time.
We (like most folks) have a hard few years in our company with lots of people getting the boot but an estimated 99%* of those people have gone on to bigger and better things. Bit of a wobbly time no doubt but it’ll be reet, (virtually) guaranteed.
If you you were buggering off anyway it seems quite serendipitous assuming you get a few bob, redundancy wise, just go with the flow.
Sorry to hear that Sazter, it’s not a nice time of year to lose a job…
I’d take the short term work, and then just go away in the van for a bit, try to decide what you fancy doing next, then return in the New Year to start the job search.
I took voluntary redundancy from a previous job and got the push on hogmanay. Happy new year! Used the redundancy payment to take a break then did a random career swerve, really glad I did. Eh, yeah. Sign up for all benefits possible, try and find the jobseeker’s process amusing rather than soul destroying, make it work for you whatever that actually means for you.
Thanks all, feeling ok about it now. Got a few cards on the table, going to spend tomorrow working on my van and get the anger out via power tools! My redundancy is only 3 weeks pay, so not very ker-Ching, better than nothing or a hoof in the slats eh?! Only been a few hours and it’s already looking better though so I’ll have a decent week and try and ride my bike too, it’s been weeks! 🙂 oh and I’m a graphic designer in Glasgow! 🙂
If it’s any help, I actually bought my bike in anticipation of redundancy..I figured I’d have time to burn and I’m not the most sensible of people but it was probably the best decision I have made in a long time, i owe my sanity to my bike!
It was a hard few months but being able tt get out in the country and think was a god send to me.
If it’s any help, I actually bought my bike in anticipation of redundancy..I figured I’d have time to burn and I’m not the most sensible of people but it was probably the best decision I have made in a long time, i owe my sanity to my bike!
It was a hard few months but being able tt get out in the country and think was a god send to me.
Wish I could get made redundant, sadly it always happens to those who need their jobs.
For me redundancy pay plus income protection insurance = at least a year off on the same money.
Like others have said though, if you can afford it, go on a road trip in your van. Can you still claim dole money abroad?
The insurance is good but the company I was with put loads of conditions on before paying…. Evidence of signing on, attending interviews, application letters every month or they wouldn’t pay…
All that was manageable, the killers were attending extra sessions delivered by the job centre staff to help writing a cv, application letter, interview prep etc….
The plan is still to take the van towards Europe from the end of February/ March next year, I might have a job doing removals lined up as I’m used to driving a big van. I’m quite happy to take a step back and do a job I don’t need to think about too much, make some cash and maybe have more time for biking. If I can earn 2 months wages over the next 4 months I’ll still be good for my plans and have enough money to enjoy the euro trip, it could be a lot worse.
I’d already put my yt wicked up for sale so I’ll stick with that and ride my hornet as it’s the bike that makes me smile most. Planning on getting out tomorrow and riding in daylight, pretty excited about that.
Just a little update, I managed to get myself a job through a fellow biker, so will be doing some design work for his company plus learning how to install biomass boilers and solar pv systems (bit bigger than the one on my van) and working full time until I go away in March and probably coming back to work here when I come back from travels, so all in all a pretty sweet deal. Maybe redundancy was the best thing to happen, I get to do a job that involves hard, back breaking work and a lot of job satisfaction as well as keeping my hand in design here too. I could not be happier with how this all worked out.
