Dear Penny: Where Can My Relatives With Criminal Records Get Jobs?
My relatives have charges from DUI, drugs and various other charges. They are not able to work due to companies pulling up background reports. They want to work and make money, but it’ll cost $3,000 to get their records cleared. Where can they get jobs?
— Seeking Justice
Dear Seeking,
I’ve heard a saying from other folks in this situation: “They don’t do a background check for an LLC, but they do a background check for a J-O-B*.”* That is: Self-employment could be an easier path to work if employers are discriminating against a criminal record.
Self-employment doesn’t have to be as complex as starting your own business (or actually registering an LLC). You can offer a skill or a trade as a freelancer or contractor and work for a company. Working this way can offer some of the ease of working for someone else, but the barrier to entry is much lower and usually doesn’t include a background check — you just have to show you can do the work.
(Note that gig work through apps like Uber or DoorDash is contract work, but these companies usually require workers to pass a background check.)
You can also search for employers in your area that are committed to second-chance hiring through a network like Honest Jobs, or find organizations that offer reentry support and job placement through Second Chance Business Coalition partners. Search for “second chance hiring in [your city or state]” to find more local resources.
Escape the Odds Media offers tons of resources for justice-involved individuals, including information on expungement and courses to prepare you to be a box truck owner-operator without requiring a CDL.
50 Effortless Methods to Boost Your Income This Week
If you needed extra money, like, yesterday, you’ve come to the right spot.
Our team has compiled a list of creative ways you can fatten your bank account this week.
This is a long list, so don’t get overwhelmed. Go ahead and start now, but be sure to bookmark this post so you can easily return later. We’ll keep it updated as offers changes or expire.
If you’re interested in more involved entrepreneurship, look into REDF, which offers resources and investment to support businesses started by people who face barriers to employment.
Dana Miranda is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance® and author of YOU DON’T NEED A BUDGET. She writes Healthy Rich, a newsletter about how capitalism impacts the ways we think, teach and talk about money.
The 5 Dumbest Things We Keep Spending Too Much Money On
You’ve done what you can to cut back your spending.You brew coffee at home, you don’t walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast. (Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
But no matter how cognizant you are of your spending habits, you’re still stuck with those inescapable monthly bills.
You know which ones we’re talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
Ready to stop paying them? Follow these moves…
