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

Sometimes the school rang my work place and were very put out when our secretary explained that I was uncontactable for several hours unless it was a true emergency.
They were also irritated when I had travelled several hours away for work and would therefore not be able to get back to school before it was due to finish.
I was always surprised that they seemed to expect that mothers would always be 20 minutes up the road and available within seconds.

Yes I expect you will be sanctioned, as you have to update that job's info - as indeed you already did by 1. saying you had applied and 2. you have an interview.

what was the job at a school that means you don't know schools have receptionists and admin staff that are able to pick up a phone...

Your job coach will be asking you how you got on at the interview, and as someone else said they do check ! if interviews have been attended and how the interview went !!! i.e. your time keeping / if you were dressed appropriately / how you acted during the interview.

For a lot of parents, the commute to school from work would take longer than the time it would have took op to go to her interview ( for which she was already on the way ) , then pick her child up. Also very poor form not to have phoned the school immediately to say she couldn’t attend the interview. Op has none of the attributes employers are looking for.

Come on OP, you said your interview was with the council, then a school. Either way you have been given a time and location of the interview and I imagine who you would be interviewing with. You must have had some paperwork

i get your daughter is poorly and takes priority, but it would have taken 5 mins max to find the number and give them a call. Many interviewers would understand and possibly even rearrange the interview. But you have been incredibly rude and wasted their time.

if the employer were to be followed up by UC it really wouldn’t look good for you. At least if you phoned they could have corroborated your reason, as it stands your just a no show.

My daughter's school was an hour drive away for me, she travelled by train. Do you think all parents live around the corner?

There was a sofa in reception where a child could lie down under their watchful eye. She never did though, maybe why she has such a strong working ethic now. Ridiculous to rush to a school when a kid feels under the weather.

She was once taken ill on a school trip, a six hour drive to the hospital. Don't know how you would cope with that.

I wouldn't be surprised if you do get sanctioned, dp got sanctioned once because he missed a meeting at the job centre. He was in A&E because his face had swollen up! They wouldn't accept that as an excuse. Fingers crossed for you but they can be quite ruthless. It might be a good idea to send an email apology to the interviewer at least.

That’s horrific ??? They are totally unreasonable under those circumstances to sanction

OP you aren't really making sense. You didn't want to waste 5 minutes of a receptionist's time letting them know you couldn't attend and possibly postponing the interview? But by not informing them you've probably caused the same receptionist even more work (perhaps several interactions between them and the interviewers querying if you've arrived etc) You've also caused a significant amount of disruption to whoever is interviewing you. They will maybe have taken time out to prepare and may have been waiting for a long time for you to turn up. These are probably senior members of the school who probably have a million and one other things to be getting on with. I think whether you prioritise your daughter over the interview was a judgement call that only you can really make. However I think you've been hugely unprofessional with this job interview and if I was able to I'd sanction you tbh. As pp have said it doesn't sound as if you want to work and tbh that isn't a life choice the people who do work should have to fund

It's almost like you don't want to get a job!! It's not exactly difficult to find a school phone number, they have websites, click on the location in google maps and there's bound to be a phone number. Surely you remember being a kid and the school having an office and a receptionist?? You really need to grow up and act like an adult if you're going to join a workplace.

I don't think it will have bearing on your UC but googling the school number and leaving a voicemail at the very least would have been the polite thing to do and would have increased the chance of rescheduling.

The internet never fails to shock me with people’s total lack of problem solving skills.

It would have been much better to have told your daughter's school that you would come as soon as possible but were currently attending a job interview so couldn't come immediately. If that was impossible (because your child has a sever medical condition, for example), then you absolutely should have called the place where you had an interview and let them know. Not wanting to phone is not a legitimate excuse.

Finding a job is important. A child's health is important too, but they were at school and so not likely to come to harm. You might not get penalised on this occasion but should be if it happens again. Good parenting includes stepping up and being responsible.

No you didn't
Or if you did then you might want to practice reading a bit more if one typo and a few missing commas throws you so much.

I’m shocked at some of the nasty responses on here! Perhaps op’s a bit lacking in confidence and felt anxious about phoning the school? Either way your pile on about what a rubbish employee she’s going to be isn’t going to help her!

OP if you’re still interested in the job, see if you can find an email address and explain the situation, you never know they may have been unable to recruit and might give you a second chance. The idea that op will be blacklisted across the whole council for jobs as suggested by some is ridiculous, different departments don’t talk to each other when it comes to recruitment.

Im surprised there’s so many who think it’s fine to leave the child at school until you’ve finished what you need to do. You’re the parent, it’s not up to schools to have to spend time looking after sick kids, they’re strapped for resources already. If your job’s so important you can’t be available for your own kid then you need to make sure you have a back up available.

Is this thread a joke or is the OP that clueless that she cannot see what she did wrong. Thing is I suspect the UK is rife with people like this looking at % of people not in work for xxx reason. My Mum was a single parent back in the day when it wasnt that usual. Ironically she was a teacher!

I have my tin hat here but the sooner the government (dont mind which one!) get to grip with the welfare bill and this sort of behaviour we are just going to continue on like this.

Completely disagree. I have a grown up conversation with whoever rings me, and then if said child is being blue lighted to hospital (thank God this has not happened so far 😂) I don't finish my tasks and go. If he's just thrown up or is a bit under the weather, then I tell them when I'll be there and text said child (mine are older) similar.

What I find unbelievable is that people just drop everything and run off to get their child for the slightest sniffle without putting professional ducks in a row first. But then I suppose it depends at what level you're working at and how bothered you are about your career.

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.

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

🙄🙄🙄🙄

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.....

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

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

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

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

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.