If I quit a permanent job for a temporary job that goes with my schooling and degree, will I qualify for unemployment after the temporary position is over?

by Mary
(Fairfield, CA)

I was laid off in January 2010, but was able to take on little temp jobs here and there until I was hired on as a permanent full time employee at a lab. I'm not very happy there-the work is very unsatisfying and it's just not what I spent 4 years in college to do. I found a listing for a job I feel I would love to do and be great at at the local community college, but it's only for the Fall semester.
If I quit my permanent position to take the temporary position, will I qualify for unemployment? If I go for the temporary job and was offered the position, I'd have to take it because it might open more doors to jobs I went to school for, but I want to get all my information before I do anything.

Thank you!




Hi Mary,

I can direct you to the parts of the California benefit determination to which you can apply your intimate understanding of your own situation and qualifications for what may be suitable work for you and if you will have good cause to quit your present job.

See Voluntary Quit and Suitable Work

I suggest them both because quitting for another job MAY provide good cause if the new job is in your field of expertise or even if it pays more and a number of other factors that determine "suitable work".

The problem always seems to arise when someone quits a job that wasn't suitable in the first place, but accepted out of desperation .. or simply hung onto the job way too long thereby, creating apparent acceptance that it was suitable.

Unemployment is not making any adjustments to the realities of this horrible job market. They just keep enforcing the same old rules that worked okay .. when there were jobs.

And what is "suitable work" is now of great importance because even public radio in California was talking about what I consider to be "suitability of offered work" .. although the conversation didn't really provide any answers it was interesting.