To push ds into claiming

Like others have said, he needs to get a job, anything at all. He needs money to live clearly, and it will fill out his CV.

Also has he literally never had any kind of job? At all? No judgement exactly but he should start. I personally think whatever career someone goes into, everyone should work in a customer facing role at least once in their lives- hospitality, retail whatever. It’s done my 16 year old the world of good.

I don’t think, correct me if I’m wrong, he can claim UC until the September after he finishes Uni.

@AmpleFatball did you claim benefits?

It’s laughable when you put it like that. Imagine putting that on your CV… between end of exams to X month, waiting for degree results 😅

I graduated into the global financial crisis so it wasn’t exactly a great job market.

Pragmatically, it sounds like you can't afford to support your son financially (so you should have advised him to find work) and your son currently can't survive without your financial support (so he should have looked for work in his own interest). The taxpayer has no role in this at this point (yet).

Your ex's financial matters are his own - and he should have a conversation with his son about that and what it means for the support he can provide. He should also tell him it is time to work. But that is for him.

There is no time left for "finding feet" or "time out". This is when it is a necessity to work and start earning, no if's and no but's. Your son has had 3 or 4 years of university life, still has stable family home(s) and all the opportunities you have worked (very hard, I expect) to give to him. It is time he started to pay that back by being productive, reducing the financial burden on you all and make a start.

I don't understand why it is in his long-term interest to not work, have no CV at his age ready to go and think he can live off you or your dp (or worse benefits) for three more months and then come home without a plan. The graduate ship sailed for his academic year probably already. He will know his degree classification unless of course there is a major problem. Is there?

It is tough out there but you have to do something and show it to "proper job" employers at this stage. Did he not intern or work experience at all at university?

A good part time job for 6th form & university students is as a lifeguard. Some of the leisure companies will pay for you to do your lifeguard qualification if you commit to working for them for a certain amount of time. You can then work in your uni town during term time and in your parents’ town during holidays.

There absolutely are temp jobs out there, but some require you to not be fussy and turn your nose up at jobs that you consider to be “beneath” you. Agencies who supply manual workers are desperate for unskilled labourers like bin men.

The benefit system is completely fucked if it will pay out to someone who wants to sit on their arse doing nothing because they are waiting for their degree results. Are you not embarrassed by his attitude? I would be and mad as hell!

The benefit system is completely fucked if it will pay out to someone who wants to sit on their arse doing nothing because they are waiting for their degree results. Are you not embarrassed by his attitude? I would be and mad as hell!

Yes, a handful of seasonal part time jobs between the ages of 16 and 24. I don’t think that’s wildly different from the OP’s son who worked a couple of part time jobs before starting uni.

Has it occurred to you that the job market is significantly different now to how it was when you graduated?

HAhahahahahaHAhahahahah

Yeah. Expect away. Because that's not what he's come to expect from you and his dad...

But you had work experience though?

"Part-time seasonal jobs" is work experience.

@AmpleFatball I think you're the exception and not the rule.

Before leaving education (aged 24), I had little work experience - a few part-time, seasonal jobs but that was it. I was on benefits for a few months post-education, while job hunting.

I’ve been employed ever since and my salary crossed the 6 figure threshold years ago, and I’ve continued to get significant raises.

Do you think I should be kicking myself for not spending a little more of my youth working in a bar of whatever?

I’m not saying that getting some solid work experience as a teenager isn’t a good thing but it’s really not as important as you’re making out.

How many students up and down the country have just finished? How many of them had been extremely busy ?
How many of them are now working in any old job because it pays the bills?
I did packing / factory work / shop work/ bar work. Some of these jobs were two jobs at a time. Straight from one to the other.

I had been busy too.

Well some need a little time to find thier feet everybody's different and follow different routes.

Absolutely you've a right to think this way, you pay for it, not me!

Universal credit is for working people

He can absolutely take his time to find a job but it’s difficult to understand why everyone else should pay for this. If you want to give him the time then you should fund it.

There are plenty of jobs out there -they may not be what he wants to do long term but they will certainly see he over to the end of August if he wants to stay in his accommodation. It seems to me he’s being enjoying student life and doesn’t want to give it up/ pay for it himself.

What degree has he been taking? Most have minimal hours in colleague leaving students lots of time to find a job (most will have worked all through their degrees ). Even revising for finals/ writing a dissertation would leave time . If he can’t do this I wonder how he’s going to cope working a 40 hour week.

He is going to be at a disadvantage having not worked during Uni. Getting a grad scheme will be tough as they get lots of applicants and many of those will have been working part time during Uni, or will have a parent's mate who offered them an internship in a related field to the grad scheme.

Almost everyone at uni worked when I was there and most students still do. Amongst my friends at uni we worked at corner shops, supermarkets, take aways, high street shops, bars, coffee shops, one did breakfast service at a hotel in the city. We finished exams and the next day signed up to recruitment firms, applied for jobs in windows and trailed online.Only those bankrolled by mum and dad didn't work, but their parents were £££ and well connected so they did stuff like build schools in Africa or travelling or internship in dad's mates business for 6 weeks.

In the job market at the moment, if you don't have experience or been out of work it is tough out there. The job centre will encourage applying for every job.

Sorting out a career is a lifestyle choice, he should be working while he does that, not claiming benefits.

That's not what this is about it's about ds having some money whilst he sorts his career not a lifestyle choice
He's had months to get a job lined up, I cannot believe he's convinced you he was unable to get summer jobs for the last few years!!
Seasonal jobs are filled by students every year, your son certainly has you well trained 🤣

@Lacky301 well then tell him to get a job quickly! He can get any job to begin, whilst looking for his "perfect" job.

An employer would like to see a good work ethic...

Huh, surprised at that as it sounds like he's there for longer than six months at a time, hence responsible for the tax himself. We had a right headache with DD around it as someone dropped out part-way through, losing the whole flat discount. Anyway, posted my thoughts on your initial question above. Good luck to both u and son

Sorry but what a load of crap, where do you live?

At his age he should be out knocking on doors to get some temporary work, there's all sorts he could be doing.