Problems Gaining Employment Due To No ID

[ibrahimo]

Firstly I would like to apologise if this is the wrong forum. My main concern is employment problems so thought I would put it here but my case is kinda unique I guess.

 

I have lived in Scotland all my life but went through a bad time a while ago and got mildly addicted to cocaine (not anymore though) and allowed to build up a big debt which I have struggled to pay back for the last year.

 

Recently things got so bad with threats and a couple of beatings that I have decided just to up roots and get out of town and start a new life somewhere else as I was getting really really miserable and depressed.

 

I didn't have time to grab anything but a small holdall of clothes and am staying at a friends for a couple of days while I sort out accomodation before making the move down south.

 

I am really anxious because when I get down there I won't be able to claim JSA while I look for a job and even if I managed to get employment in the first couple of days a lot of places need to see id now before they take you on.

 

I won't be able to open a bank account either for a wage to be put in as I won't have any id to open one with.

 

I really can't go back home incase I am seen as they will know by now I have skipped town.

 

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[honeybee13]

Hello there. What kind of ID do you think you need?

 

If you were born in Scotland, then you should be able to get a copy of your birth certificate. I don't know if the DWP can find your NI number with your date of birth.

 

You might also ask about proving your ID to the DWP on the CAG benefits forum. Don't copy and paste your post, either provide a link to this or summarise the DWP part of your question.

 

HB

[SarEl]

I must assume that the sort of people that you have got into debt with are the kinds of people that most of us wouldn't want to do business with? So for a start off you need separate out your debts into the kind that might break your legs, and the kind who won't, but will chase you! Because I can't see entirely why you need a new bank account - you must already have one? Running away from danger is one thing - running away from debts is silly, because they will catch up with you.

 

You will need various forms of ID to obtain any legal employment - a passport is the best and easiest form of ID, but obviously costs are perhaps prohibitive. But your NI number won't do it - you will need a full birth certificate and various other proofs to show that you have the right to live and work in the UK - and many reputable employers will not employ people who don't have bank accounts for their pay.

 

If you don't mind me saying so, whilst I totally get why you might run, this is the typical response of an addict. That's what addiction is - running away. You do not appear to have grasped that what you have (not had!) is not a "mild addiction". There is no such thing as a mild addiction, and the fact that you are quite seriously running for your safety / life, with nowhere to go, no support, no money, no job, and no direction, is a pretty good indicator that your life has been totally and seriously screwed up by your addiction - nothing mild about the impacts its had, is there? I also happen to know enough addicts of various sorts to know that there is no such thing as an ex-addict. You are an addict in control of their addiction; or an addict whose addiction is in control of them. There aren't any other ways of looking at it. You might never not be an addict - but you might get control, but not until you have dealt with your life and the impacts this has had. You don't get there by running away.

 

So when you get wherever you are going, then I would urge you to contact a addiction support group. They are not just there for users - they are there for addicts, of which you are one. They will be able to direct you to the support and help you need to get some of the practical aspects sorted out, whilst also helping you to stay "clean". If you try to do this on your own, you are setting up exactly the pre-conditions that will let you slide back to where you were - or worse.

 

It takes a great deal of courage to stop using, so you obviously have the reserves to turn your life around. But it will take a bit more than running away to do this. I do wish you good luck - I admire that you are trying to get your life turned around, But you will need more than luck - you will need help, and there are a lot of organisations out there that will help you.

[jack1966]

firstly i want to say well done for getting out of the situation, as at times the only way is to get out of it. secondly you can apply for your birth cert online, i think its about £7.50. as far as im aware you will be able to open a basic post office bank account. go and see some helpful organisations in your new area, i m sure they will be able to inform you of the information you need to know.

 

good luck and well done

[honeybee13]

Hello Jack. I mentioned the birth cert thing earlier. I think the charge has gone up recently.

 

What helpful organisations did you have in mind please?

 

HB