Life post-divorce is full of changes you might not have seen coming. A divorce is a chance to start anew, but it would also be like picking up the pieces and putting them back together again. One question that could boggle the minds of many who are undergoing a divorce is related to getting a job after the divorce. Is it necessary for you to get a job after the divorce? Is there any way you’d be forced to do so when you’re not willing to? You might even be anxious thinking about what your future holds after your divorce is finalized.
When divorces happen, a lot of people are more focused on the beginning part of the divorce and the actual divorce proceeding. It’s only when the finality of the divorce hits them that they think about the life they could have post-divorce. This is of course understandable. For most people, deciding to file for a divorce is half the battle, literally. They spend months agonizing about whether or not to ask for a divorce and once they do, everything happens all at the same time that they don’t really get the chance to think about what happens after the divorce.
Life After Your Divorce
It makes sense that you’d like to think about your life post-divorce as early as possible. This means you will be ready for the next steps you are to take after you receive your Final Divorce Decree. You will also be able to put the unpleasant things behind you quickly and move on to the next phase of your life. If you have been dependent on your spouse throughout your marriage in terms of income, you would definitely be worried that your spouse might suddenly stop supporting you and the kids. How are you going to pay the bills and provide for the kids’ basic needs if your spouse were to stop the financial support you have been used to throughout your marriage?
If you are dependent on your soon-to-be-ex-spouse in terms of income, you will really have to think about what you should do after the divorce. There are also many expenses that you might have to pay while the divorce is still in process. You might have to hire an attorney. You’d have to continue paying for your living expense just like how you used to prior to filing for a divorce. Does this mean you need to get a job while the divorce is being processed? Can you be forced to get a job?
Temporary Spousal Support
While it is obviously necessary for you to get a job sometime after the divorce, in the meantime, there is a possibility that you would be able to negotiate a temporary spousal support. In order to do this, you must first evaluate your relationship with your spouse. If your relationship is cordial enough, your attorney and your spouse’s attorney will possibly be able to reach an agreement regarding spousal support for a certain period. This support could last during the duration of the divorce and in some cases, depending on your agreement, it could also extend a few months after the divorce is finalized.
Spousal support will be a big help for you during the course of your divorce. You can worry less about the bills and your children’s life won’t be thrown into a worse chaos either. After all, the divorce is already hard enough for them. Losing the house and not having enough to eat, as well as financial issues disrupting their school life, will cause them additional stress. It’s understandable that you and your spouse can feel resentful towards each other, but it is never justifiable to let the children suffer because of it – as if they’re not suffering enough.
Spousal support will also give you the time and some kind of leverage to find a job before you get completely broke. It will also keep you from getting buried in debt even before your divorce is finalized. The divorce process does not usually last that long. This means that you won’t have time to go back to school or get a certificate to improve your chances of getting a job before the divorce is over.
Finding a Job
Getting a job or not after your divorce usually depends on personal circumstances. No one can really force you to get a job but you will have to think about whether you can survive without a job in the next months and years. Will your family survive if you keep on not having an income?
You cannot really count on spousal support. Judges in Texas court have the power to order your spouse to pay spousal support but they don’t always do so. Judges definitely won’t go out of their way to make sure that your spouse will provide you with support. If your situation really calls for it, then you can probably be awarded spousal support. However, in other cases, spousal support is not to be expected. Even if the judge will decide that you need spousal support, it’s not likely that your ex-spouse will be ordered to support you until you die.
The judge will also determine your capacity to find a job by looking at your work history. The judge will look at your skills, level of education, training, and need for additional training. All of these factors will be considered before the judge will decide if you will be awarded spousal support or not. If your spouse will present a strong evidence in court that shows you do not need spousal support, it is likely that you won’t be awarded any.
It is best to contact a reliable family attorney to address your questions about spousal support and divorce so that you would be guided accordingly.
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