Yah, well as a civil engineer you might consider getting some experience before you attempt to become self employed. It'll raise the chances of actually being self employed later. Doing that means youll have to go to work probably for someone else. Otherwise its going to be pretty hard to be a self employed civil engineer with no experience.

Thats incorrect, not working for any period creates a gap. Unless you were studying or travelling at the time people are going to ask what you were doing. I was.

Erm actually if you tell them you are a temp you can change jobs pretty easily. The system is set up to allow you to do that. You can get your agency to stop the contract or persuade the employer not to employ you rather than quit if you dont like the temp job and want out.

Your girlfriend should be extending her efforts to get Disability allowance for Chronic Fatigue (Yes you can get it) it takes jumping through hoops but there you go.

Or hell you could just do what other folk do and and claim you're a tenant rather than a partner. When they visit insist you are gay.

Usually does the trick.

 .

You cant win. It simply isn't beneficial for me to be employed at the moment.

Edited to add: I would add that I dont plan on becoming a civil engineer when I graduate. I plan on becoming a consultant on sustainable building. My Course is 'civil engineering and environmental management. Also, when I say a 'consultant on sustainable building' what I actually mean is i want to live in a field in a house i've built myself and help other hippy types do the same.

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PD - Machupa Kivull - Sandy coloured great-coated Gnoll

Shards/Ascendancy - Crew

FOIP is short for 'torture me for more info'

While in the beginning of therapy my psychiatric nurse suggested I file for Disablity Living Allowance. Now then, I was more or less housebound unless I was closely guarded by another person, could just about wash, clothe and feed myself without much hassle, and so the benefits office decided to give me a massive wad of cash.

Now then, after a few years of therapy and heavy medication I am much better now, in my last year of DLA benefit, but here's the kicker; when I have to provide documentation of DLA it makes me look like a fraud because of how well-adjusted I now am. I'm almost ashamed to be drawing this money even though it is a MASSIVE life line since I am still considered unemployable / unnaproachable by most people. Anyway, I think the benefits office should have a yearly re-evaluation rather than a three yearly. Yes, I'd lose that money, but I'm having it for the wrong reasons now and almost feel guilty about it.

I was even told I could re-apply when the term expires and I'd be able to glean the same amount again.

This is surely broken since by this summer I want to be fully back in society, getting an education and then setting up a business, but I'm being encouraged to do absolutely nothing and take money that I don't any longer need.

I just find it odd they're happy to send me this money still, and I have taken this point up before. The money could be going to someone who really needs it. As it stands, even someone making 100 grand a year can claim this money which is ridiculous. What is even more ridiculous is that I'm always going to be ok'ed for this sort of stuff, will likely be registered mentally ill as long as I have to take pills daily, and it feels like I could just do nothing and be rewarded.

What pisses me off about benefits is that many people who are really hurting (such as I was) will never get any aid because they don't know they're ill and so it goes to people like "Devvo" who can fake a limp and drink white lightning.

Thankfully some people who deserve the help get it, and a lot of people are too proud for help.

Huh, I don't think my post went anywhere did it =/ ?

1. Become Paris Hilton.

2. Get used to it, it's a shitty system which relies on the people in the middle working their arses off, in the hope that we'll have enough pension built up to retire while still alive enough to enjoy it. In order to keep those of us in the middle plugging away we need a thing to be afraid of, in this case unemployment and the loss of everything we've worked for.

Once in this situation much depends on age and honesty, if you are young and/or honest you will get shafted and be expected to live on survival level money, any attempt to improve your lot will be mercilessly crushed.

However if you're dishonest, (and agressive) you will get away with pretty much anything, because most gov't workers don't get paid enough to take your shit and will therefore ignore you're misdemenours unless ordered to do otherwise, inevitably involving the law- which will take as long as it possibly can to do something about you.

I totally sympathise with all you Guys who're stuck in our shitty benefit system, but look on the bright side- you could be working 50 or so hours a week for £2500 a month only to get £900 taken away in tax, NI, pension and the payment for a car which you wouldn't need if you didn't have the job, then having to shell out £1,000 of whats left on Mortgage, Council tax, Utilities etc, leaving you with about £100 a week to clothe, fed and entertain yourself and your family.

Like I said the system sucks-unless you're one of the rich or pond life.

As the old robot saying goes "does not compute"