I was unable to attend an interview for a job will UC sanction me?

It was a job created by the council, which happens to be located at the school.

If she'd posted "I had a job interview but my child's school called me, so I picked her up instead and didn't even bother to let my potential future employers know", she would have got exactly the same responses. UC has nothing to do with it.

But as far as I can tell the OP is genuinely looking for work. She set up the interview herself after all and if the school hadn't called she would have attended.

I just don't understand all the hate. Even if OP isn't trying hard enough to get a job does she really deserve 8 pages of nasty comments, including people telling her the school had a lucky escape as she would have been shit at the job anyway? This level of opprobrium seems totally unecceesary.

I've never claimed benefits and really don't have a particular issue with people who do and "don't take their job search seriously". Life on UC doesn't sound great to me so I don't envy their situation and can't get worked up about it tbh.

Most of us can manage to "be there" for our DC AND work, to say otherwise is offensive to working parents and suggests its an either/or situation.
No decent parent on getting a call from school would say "fuck it I am too busy" but its Ok to say "do I need to come right now do you think?" or "I will be there as quickly as I can"

Are you only going for interviews because the job centre tell you to, or do you actually want to get a job?

Schools call all the bloody time. You dont actually have to go get your child if its not possible.
I know you didnt want to call the school, but did you call the interviewers to see if it could be rearranged even?

If you had said to the school office, im not going to be able to collect her for a while as im heading to a job interview. Can you keep her in the medical room till school pick up time, sorry, Then thats what they would have done.

I agree. You should have gone to the interview. But I doubt you'll be sanctione d

"Here lies Ankhmo of Milton Keynes. To say a few words is her daughter...."

"My mum .. was never there for me, was always working. Sure we had holidays and cars and crap, but I didn't ever have a mum. When I hurt, she wasn't there to comfort me. When I cried, she was more interested in getting reports filed with her boss. When I was ill, she left me to my sickness. These are the memories I hold of her."

You're all dead soon. Not a penny you earn or a promotion you get will stop the reaper knocking your door. The only thing of value you leave behind, is a memory in the people you know.

"My mum... was always there for me. Sure we didn't have many holidays, no cars and frivolous crap, but I did always have mum. When I hurt, she was there to comfort me. When I cried, she was the first to my side and the last to leave it. When I was ill, she held me through my sickness. These are the memories I hold of her."

Not letting someone know you aren't turning up for an interview is disgusting behaviour. And i say that as someone who got half way to an interview once and had such a bad panic attack I could hardly breathe. I phoned them in tears and explained.

I have no issue with people claiming UC, I've been claiming it myself long enough! Albeit for health reasons (see previous paragraph)

As I said above, I was in court (family court - divorce from abusive ex) when school tried to call me.
Phone was off. They call the next person on my emergency contact list and ds was collected and cared for.
I don't think running out of court to collect my son would have looked good, in fact it would be more likely to indicate I had not put things in place while I was otherwise engaged.

I have a special level of distain for people who claim benefits intended for those genuinely looking for work, while taking their job search as seriously as the Chuckle Brothers doing some roofing.

Surely this can't be real?

So you not only didn't show up for a job interview, but you didn't even have the common courtesy to let them know? And your excuse is that you had no way to contact them?

Firstly...nonsense. Unless you were given the time and location of the interview via telepathy, you have a contact for someone.

Secondly, you know the name of the school. Google, and call them. If you can't figure that out for yourself, I'd say you've done the school a massive favour.

You can't need a job that badly if this is how you're acting.

OP won't be back. She is getting an unbelievably hard time and I think her mistake was mentioning UC. There seems to be a special level of disdain on MN reserved for people who claim benefits as evidenced by the ridiculous level of vitriol on this thread. A PP claimed her behaviour was 'disgusting' and other posters are behaving as if the OP has killed someone. She will be 'blacklisted forever' with the council. Oh the drama!

I'm sure the school had multiple candidates and will survive the OP not turning up. She's ONE candidate. It's really not that big of a deal. I've scheduled interviews for candidates in the past who didn't turn up. It's annoying but it's not the end of the world!

What so you'd give up a job opportunity cos your child has told school they have tummy ache?!

Sort out your priorities. There's plenty of times school call and the child is barely unwell, school wait til they have the attendance mark before ringing to say they 'look a bit peaky'.

A child's outlook and situation is going to be considerably improved by their parent being in work earning a good salary - that will far outweigh the impact of them having to wait 45-60min with their tummy ache in the school reception, 1 single time

This is ridiculous. You thought that you couldn't call the school before you even missed the interview?
I thought you had to prove these things to UC.
How many interviews have you had?

There are staff in reception who field messages, deal with parents, sick children to be picked up, etc.
Phone the school and explain.
Contact UC and explain.

It's much better to make sure you've updated everyone rather than to not, particularly where UC is involved.

I can’t believe you didn’t even call to cancel.

That’s incredibly unprofessional and rude.

Yeah, teach children that the moment they feel unwell, you'll be there to take them home. Much better watching television than being in lessons. Sets them up for a lifetime of the same.

Yes, and if you're paid to do a job, you have to do it. Balance is a good word used up thread.

How was the job interview at the council and at a school?

But they did get hold of her. If the child is unwell, the child should be collected.

But I think you have to get the balance. If there is the potential for me finding employment and having better finances and in the long term much better prospects for me and my daughter and she had 'a bit of a tummy ache' or similar that she gets every other day then yes I'd probably ask her to wait. If school said she was beside herself with discomfort or that they were worried she needs to see a doctor urgently and it really wasn't like her to become this ill at school then of course I'd prioritise her. I'd be expecting the school to help me a bit with this decision as she is in their care at that point and they should have an idea of how poorly (or not) she is.

Kids have to learn the importance of resilience and duty at some point. It's not as black and white as we come running to them whenever they make a fuss without thinking it through pragmatically. I'd be interested OP did you even tell the school about your predicament and ask what they think? They might well have said no problem they'll look after her until the interview is finished

It isn't all or nothing, you know. It is possible to value both career and children and as the former funds the latter, it is actually more sensible to a more balanced approach. Else you'll find your self unemployable once your 'babies' have left school.....

unless it was an emergency situation with your daughter, you should have gone to the interview

🙄🙄🙄🙄

If my kids school calls and says my kid is ill, everything else can fuck off.

My kid is my top priority.
There is no way on this earth that I am telling her or a admin member of her school that she is lower in my priority list than other things

Nope.

She comes first.

Then everything is a distant follow up.