Being unemployed is a very easy word to say but hard situation to be in. It’s a state of living that no one wants to be in but a lot of people are.
I’ve been unemployed for about a year and a half. I have been looking for jobs everywhere but there are none to be seen. Well, I am a student so it doesn’t really matter. On the plus side I do get the odd £30 a week from Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which this government is trying to get rid of.
But if you look at the surrounding parts of my life, not having a job is just the beginning of my desperate need of help. My mum is currently raising six children in a three-and-a-half bedroom house, and when I say three-and-a-half I mean the fourth bedroom is not even big enough to fit a single bed. On top of that she also attends college three days a week from 9am till 2pm, so a job is out of the question.
My step dad is 60 and retired, but wants to work again so in the near future he can start his own business; however the irony is that when my mum’s gone to college he has to baby-sit.
My aunty works Monday till Friday as a dinner lady but she doesn’t make nearly enough to help her with bills and to look after her 7 year old son.
I’ve got a set budget that I spend every week. As follows:
EMA payday- remember, EMA does not always come at a set date and it is not 100% that I will get it every week.
· Bus pass - £6.50
· Contribute to electric meter - £7
· Credit on my phone - £5
· Money that I save - £5
· Toiletries (deodorant and soap) - £3
· Cigarettes - £3
PROFIT-50p, LOSS-£29.50
So do you still think being unemployed is easy to say when you only live on 50p? Somehow I am still living. Sometimes I think of dealing on the other hand of the law but I don’t think I would be good role model to the younger generation in my family.
Being me is a way of life. Being me is being broke and angry. Being me is having to walk from Walthamstow to Clapton when you don’t have enough money on your Oyster (transport for London bus passes). BEING ME IS BEING UNEMPLOYED.
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About In My Shoes
In My Shoes reflects on being unemployed, being homeless and being made to feel like a second-class citizen.
Contributors
In My Shoes is the name for both this blog and its founding author. Homeless, unemployed and in his 40s, he wants to bring these experiences to a wider audience.
Ready Ready is well educated with years of experience in the workplace. After four years of unemployment he's ready to move on, but how?
Pen to Paper, 22, is young, bright, and yet still struggling with long-term unemployment. He aims to explain what that's like.
Way of Life, is nearly 18 and studying Business Studies three days a week at college. He would love to be working and contributing to the family income.
Ready Ready is well educated with years of experience in the workplace. After four years of unemployment he's ready to move on, but how?
Pen to Paper, 22, is young, bright, and yet still struggling with long-term unemployment. He aims to explain what that's like.
Way of Life, is nearly 18 and studying Business Studies three days a week at college. He would love to be working and contributing to the family income.
Not the Doctor, has an interest in health issues, particularly mental health. Having been out of work for nine months she is looking for work in communications and currently volunteers for a local mental health newsletter.
Contribute
We welcome comments on our posts - please tell us what you think. If you're unemployed in the UK and would like to write for this blog, please email us.
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