to think the nations children are worth more than 1.90 an hour

[IceBeing]

Dear Tories,

The reason that there are 18-25 year olds out of work is not that young people don't want to work, it is that unemployment is at over 2 million.

You stuffed up the economy with your discredited austerity shit, now you want to employ our children at less than half minimum wage to make up for it?

AIBU to actually genuinely hate the PM?

[CharlesRyder]

Isn't the point that they aren't actual jobs. They are things that it's nice to get done but just aren't a priority for the state to pay for. Like litter picking or being 'companionable' in a day centre.

Do you think NEETs being left to languish is fine?

Or do you think that the state should pay minimum wage 30hrs a week to every school leaver? I'm not sure there would be the funds for this.

[CharlesRyder]

So, IceBeing you think that every single person over 18 in the country should qualify for 30hrs a week at minimum wage even if they contribute nothing to society?

And it should be funded from the wages of the people who do work.

I'm not sure I can square that in my mind.

[JCDenton]

Isn't the point that they aren't actual jobs. They are things that it's nice to get done but just aren't a priority for the state to pay for. Like litter picking or being 'companionable' in a day centre.

So the employers involved will pinky-promise that they definitely wouldn't pay someone for it but they kind of do want it doing if it's going free?

If a job, however minor, is worth doing, it is worth the minimum wage. That's what the minimum wage is.

[IceBeing]

charles oh they contribute to society. Just not by doing make-work.....

One day they will pay your pension...best not to call them scroungers lest they turn the tables on you.

[EdithWeston]

What is Labour doing?

Promising apprenticeships to all. How will that be afforded? And will it displace older workers?

[CharlesRyder]

Who have I called a scrounger? I am not suggesting for a minute young people, or anyone for that matter, choose to be unemployed.

I'm just questioning the kindness of people without work sitting at home. I suppose they could choose to go out and do voluntary work though.

I don't think the 'community work' should be allowed to be with businesses. Charity and local community work only. Jobs that would only ever be done by volunteers. In the Western Gazette the 'volunteer' column in the jobs section is as long as the employment section.

[MuttersDarkly]

AugustRose - he can get a job teaching English abroad. Some will pay for him to do a basic teaching certificate too. Got to be better than the Tory offer.

Specifically the last part, I wouldn't bank on it.

-TEFLer of 26 years.

Frankly some of the LS franchises make a chain gang look attractive. They tend to be the primary employers of the inexperienced, just qualified (or unqualified) teachers.

Still worth a punt. Work your bollocks off for not a lot. Manage a steep learning curve. Deal with "magical thinking" expectations, like wanting you to get to and from distant parts of the city in five minutes flat. Drink copious amounts of cheap beer, fall over, still get up at 7 to teach unteachable businessmen who demand that you improve their speaking, while refusing to utter a single word. Or whine that they learned nothing on the course cos you are a rubbish teacher.... and can't see what the small matter of them only having turned up for three lessons out of twenty five has to do with that outcome. Have a blast on your day off and then start all over again with the boundless energy of the young....

I'll be encouraging my own son to give TEFL whirl for a year when the time comes. I think it can be character building and allows you to hone your "think on your feet" skills.

But an escape from "work for welfare"... meh, perhaps a bit too frying pan to fire for many.

[CharlesRyder]

I would be happy to see 10hrs of community work or training be required for £65 a week as I think this would meet both aims. Young people would be required to adhere to some structure, would be out in society with working role models and would be getting minimum wage for their time.

[pointythings]

I see two huge problems with this, having listened to Today this morning:

1. the Tory spokesman mentioned that 'they could cook meals for older people' as an example. Question: what happens to the jobs of the people who do that cooking now? Not rocket science is it?
   
   
2. I have not forgotten that it was the Tories who abolished the NMW and I firmly believe this is their way of doing the same thing again.
   
   If you want people to work for their benefits by all means - but pay them NMW so they either a) work fewer hours, leaving more time for actual job searching or b) get more benefit for taking up this work.
   
   Anything else is an erosion of the NMW to pave the way for taking it away from everyone.
   
   And yes, Labour are just as bad. This country needs PR so that some new blood can get a look in.

[IceBeing]

charles to my surprise I agree with both your last two posts.

You said should people be paid who "contribute nothing to society". I think everyone contributes to society - it isn't exclusive to tax payers.

There are 30 million people in work and 2.2 million unemployed. So if each person in work paid an extra 10 quid a week in tax (and lets face it if I was in charge it would be people earning more than 40K paying 20 quid a week more and those under that not paying anything) then the government could pay the unemployed at minimum wage for their "community service".

What would I do with 20 quid less a week? Go out for 1 less meal every fortnight? Not buy a movie on amazon prime because I can't be arsed to work out how to operate the DVD player? Actually pay attention to what we buy in the weekly shop?

And the difference it could make to the self-esteem of a young person struggling to find work could be enormous.

So yes absolutely I Would pay more tax to support people who have never paid tax themselves. That's why Ill be voting green this year....the only actually socialist party going!