How on earth do I persuade my DS aged 21 that this is a terrible idea ?

[Wordsfailmeeverytime]

He’s just graduated from Uni with a first class degree. Applied for 30 odd jobs, mainly NMW as there’s nothing going in the field his degree is in. Has had a couple of interviews with no success.
‘A friend’ from uni has told him about an opening working as a cycle delivery person. Essentially delivering parcels around our local city on an electric bike. Pay is apparently £13ph. It will take him 1hr 20 to get to the job to start with. He doesn’t know the city at all. He’s not ridden a bike for 10 years and certainly not on busy city roads. He can’t drive yet (has just started lessons). He’s not the most confident, in fact I suspect there may be some undiagnosed autism going on but he’s resistant to take it further. I think it’s mad.
Appreciate I may be overreacting, what do others think ? There’s no pressure on him to start paying rent, we appreciate how hard it is to find employment but this just seems so foolish.

He may also need specialist delivery insurance.

@Wordsfailmeeverytime

You're going to encourage him to not take the job and not work until Christmas?
Your username describes my reaction perfectly!

Back off, he's an adult and good on him for having a decent work ethic. His choices are literally nothing to do with you at 21.
Let me guess, working as a delivery man isn't good enough for you to share with family and friends?

Ah yes snobbyness ?
Not at all. Just a worry that a not very street wise young adult gets a job doing something he hasn’t done before on v busy city roads in a city he doesn’t know. Any mother would have anxiety about that.

YABU - He’s taking responsibility and earning some well-deserved money. It's a valuable life experience, and he's mature enough to make his own decisions.

Its easier to get a job if you have a job

I think people saying don't do anything/that it's a good thing either
Haven't read your post fully or
Wouldn't be saying it if it was their DS
or both....
It's a poor stop gap that has great accident potential and will gobble up any spare time needed to get work he really wants.
Don't know what to suggest, personally I'd try positive diversion tactics...think of other things that will add to his CV not detract from it. As others have said volunteering / distance work / a course that may give him an edge (depending on the line of work).

Good luck

You're absolutely justified in worrying about the safety aspect - many posters are ignoring that and misunderstanding your concerns. I recently restarted cycling in a much quieter city than Manchester and found city centre traffic a nightmare. I hope he can find something else, or failing that, have a lot of practice gaining traffic sense somewhere quieter.

The job is an excellent idea:
He’s 21; he is a young man, not a boy
Bit of a commute but so what? It’s not a big deal
Prospective employers will look on him much more favourably if he has been working while looking for better employment
Great work experience
No offence, but please don’t baby him. He will have no self respect and other people will definitely not respect him.

I don’t get the impression that OP is being snobbish at all.

Good for him!
If it's a bad idea he can give it up. Part of becoming an adult

Why doesn’t he go to a temp agency, local council ones particularly are usually pretty desperate! He can build up experience through short assignments.

I wouldn’t encourage my son to ride an electric bike around a busy city. I just don’t trust other vehicles.

There’s a huge tech industry in Manchester and you can get junior software testing roles with zero experience (providing you have the right skill set), mainly WFH with some office days, and there’s a lot of progression opportunities. Look up ministry of testing, if this is something he’s interested in.
Around September time BBC do an early careers drive for tech roles which also may be of interest.

Many of the graduate "entry" level roles for IT at bigger places/civil service etc. tend to run in Sept-Dec (some a bit later into spring), so that grads have a role when they graduate. He should see more opening up in a couple of months. Of course, not everywhere keeps to that schedule but that probably explains some of the "why am I not seeing roles".

My Son is in a similar position. Found out he got a first this week. He is doing a part time summer job & will be applying for graduate schemes from September. A good degree is a good degree. He chose to focus on his studies before applying for jobs & tbh he has very limited work experience.

He 2 older brothers, also with firsts and they did the same. They have good jobs now.

it shows a great work ethic.

Yes, he might be paid more elsewhere and he'd have no dangerous cycling on roads. I don't know which city it is but cycle couriers are very vulnerable and not well paid. There's also the matter of the 2 hour 40 minute unpaid commute. He'll be exhausted and tired cyclists are more at risk.

It can take a while to get the perfect post grad job, meanwhile earning is necessary. I did cleaning jobs, retail and others, all grateful for and appreciated. Xx

I agree with you it’s madness when he doesn’t know the area well and I’ve been on a bike in a small town and it’s frightening how vehicles have no consideration for cyclists. If he insists get him a good helmet seriously.

I’m shocked that so many posters think this is a good idea. Someone with no driving licence/road sense/experience getting on an electric bike to hurriedly deliver lots and lots of food in a busy city he is not familiar with? Idiotically stupid. City driving is very dangerous. Buses, pedestrians, cars, e scooters, bikes, e bikes, vans, lorry etc - all on roads that can be counterintuitive re lanes:changes, one ways etc with lots of congestion.

Am in disbelief at so many of these responses thinking it’s a good idea - and actually wonder whether they have read the full opening post. Yanbu op. This job isn’t suitable at all, and is outright dangerous given what you’ve said about your ds.

Fine to take a random job - but this particular job is dangerous given the OP’s ds lack of road/bike skills.

You had 18 years to teach him some street smarts, seems as though you didn't bother so he's going to have to do it himself the hard way

She isn’t babying him. She’s advising him that this job is dangerous for him, which it is.

I’m nearly 50 and have grown up kids. I will still happily take advice from my own mother.

How the fuck have people determined OP is snobby? She’s worried about her ds’s safety on busy roads.

WTF. So many people unable to read and comprehend.

@Wordsfailmeeverytime, a very quick search has shown me there are many roadcraft training resources for the UK - free and paid (£25). This might help both of you feel a tad more confident in his ability to manage the practical aspects of biking in the city.

Yes, that was what I was meaning, there are allsorts of jobs. I agree the delivery one is more suitable to an experience cyclist/driver. X