Life on the dole
Being unemployed can be a real drag. It’s no fun not having your own money, as it costs money to do most things. We might feel a life on the dole is a life of leisure, not having to get up, be anywhere, or be answerable to the dreaded boss.
But not doing anything or having to do anything can take its toll after a while. We might start to feel undervalued or even useless.
Reasons for unemployment
There may be several reasons why we are unemployed.
- It could be because we lack the skills we need for work, or the work we want to do.
- It could be fear of responsibility
- Very rarely it could be laziness.
More often people who really are lazy are few and far between. We might feel we are lazy but this is just because we can’t think of something we really feel passionate about doing, so lack enthusiasm.
List your interests
Everyone has some interest in something; something that gets us excited and energised. If we don’t feel that, it’s sometimes useful to make a list of all the things we really enjoy doing. No matter how silly you might think something might sound, make the list anyways. Some people might want to pilot the space shuttle or become the next country and western superstar! Whatever, we all have dreams and aspirations.
Sometimes, just making this list clears our head and helps us focus on what we might want to do, and then we can look at ways in moving closer towards making it happen. What skills would I need? What do I need to do to get the experience? These are questions you might ask yourself after making a list.
Volunteering
Even if we’re on the dole, and can’t find the job we want, volunteering is a good way to gain new skills, get new experiences and even make new friends or useful future career contacts.
Benefits Office
Sometimes there’s a real stigma to being on the dole. Don’t let this put you off either. The people in the Benefit Office are there to help you, they can advise on careers and education, training and opportunities.
Signing on
Some people feel very strongly about NOT being on the dole, and may not want to sign on even if they are unemployed for a week between two jobs. This is quite silly really because if you’re not in education or employment, signing on helps account for what you have been doing with your time (it also helps keep up your credits towards your national insurance, which if you fall behind on, you may have to pay up at some point in the future). If you’re unemployed, think of the dole as being your employer, they pay for your national insurance credits, just as an employer would. And it helps account for your time. So in the future if you have any gaps, in your career, you can account for what you have been doing. It’s actually the responsible thing to sign on when your not employed or in school, contrary to popular opinion!
It can be difficult if you’ve been on the dole for a while, research shows that our self-worth starts to diminish quickly after about 6 months. Consider retraining, going back to school or even voluntary work. Nothing is a wasted opportunity, and the routine can be very good for our self-esteem. Even the “laziest” people, can’t sustain not doing anything for too long without it affecting their self-esteem.
