Lazy? Ungrateful? I don't understand!

[worriedandanxious]

Long story short, I basically offered a friend (who is a single parent on benefits - child is older primary age) a very decently paid job with flexible hours and not much of a commute. Much more than she'd ever get from claiming anything, but it seemed like the realisation that she'd have to start paying her rent herself and loose CTC wasn't worth it, and she flat out refused. I really don't know why, when even after paying the bills she'd have more than she does now. Feeling pretty peed off at how dismissive she was about the job, even though it's the type of work she's done in the past and is more than capable of. Am I overreacting?

I'm a single parent and I would not want to be self employed. It's an absolute nightmare when claiming WTC as if you have any unpaid time off then you could end up getting incorrect tax credits.

I'm an employee. I work the same hours every week, get the same wages at the end of the month and paid holidays. It makes life easier. Not slating people who are self employed but you can't argue that it's not more of a risk than being an employee with a contract.

Did your generous job offer include a paid holiday allowance and sick pay?

If she’s on CTC and unemployed at the moment, it’s more than likely that becoming self employed would trigger a migration to UC. And UC really doesn’t work for SE people. She’d be daft to do that.

Do you own a cleaning company, OP?

Or do you something else and you've offered her a cleaning contract for your place of work,?

Or is it cleaning your house?

Self-employment would mean she loses her benefits and would has no job security or employment benefits.

Saying no to that doesn't make her lazy or ungrateful! It's not the same as being offered a job as an employee at all.

I don't see how you can be self-employed working for another person, that would be employment.

So, you either just offered her some of your customers and she had to be self-employed to do the work, or she would be an employee of the OP. Or maybe the OP is acting as an employment agent and charges a fee or something?

I think quite a lot of these 'self-employed' roles will be ending soon as HMRC are getting a lot more interested in them following the various gig economy cases and the new IR35 rules coming in April.

I have an employed role and my own Ltd co through which I do work, and am also registered self-employed for other work. It's all different and in my Ltd co I have a number of clients. If I offered that work to someone else then it would either be that they just took on that client, or it would be under my Ltd co and they would be an employee.

Just because it's how many people 'work', doesn't mean it's right or legal.

And the person who turned down the 'job'? Very sensible, frankly.

www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/threads/taking-on-a-cleaner-as-self-employed.330386/

Oh dear god, so you suggested your friend should set herself up as a self employed cleaner and then call her lazy and ungrateful. Ungrateful for what exactly? Get over yourself.

There is an issue with the roll out of universal credit too. Existing claims in some areas stay on tax credits but all new claims in some areas swap over to UC which if she is unsure if it will work, would be a massive risk

Gosh you sound like a hideous snob op.

I can tell your intentions were good OP. Her choice to refuse. Don't be miffed. Let her find something herself next time, that will presumably be better than the job you pointed her at.

A self employed cleaner will not be paid more than she will get in benefits

OP you have a warped idea of what a well paid secure job is.
It is NOT cleaning for a friend.
Registering as self-employed is easy. Cleaning is easy. But YOU are clearly not all that! She would be mad to put her child's security at risk with the benefits system as complex as it is to get back into, just for you.

You didn't offer her a job if she was going to be self-employed!

I wouldn't want to work for a friend; I think that when one friend employs another the nature of the friendship has to change as you are no longer equals.

I most definitely wouldn't want to work for a 'friend' that was as judgemental as the OP and wouldn't want her as a friend either.

Based on everything you have said OP, I wouldn't want to work for you either.

And like many others, I would NEVER work for a friend.

There is something very irksome about your attitude.

OP back off. Help that is not asked for, is not 'Help'

You do not have the right to offer any opinion on the fact she didnt leap at your job demand, i mean offer

You sound judgey and seem to know little about her situation

and a control freak.

Back off. If you are a 'real' friend

Is she actually looking for a job?

A very decently paid cleaning job that would enable her to pay her rent, council tax, all her bills and still have more money left over than she does now?

Seriously?

I sense you just wanted to bash single parents on benefits OP

i wouldn't want to work for you either op. sinbu.

You haven’t given us enough information to make an informed opinion.

I suspect you may not have enough information to make an informed opinion yourself.

This ‘employment’ you have offered is ambiguous at best, and it’s clear that there are many circumstances in which your ‘friend’ may be better off not accepting the type of Temporary, Fluctuating, Self Employment Contract ... considering her potential circumstances.

Good thread title though. Very, um, inviting.

It would be cleaning my house for me. Four times a week. Guaranteed hours and I would be paying a lot more than minimum wage.

No way would I come off benefits for that. That’s not a full time job unless you have a mansion.

How much exactly would you be paying her?

4 times a week? How big is your house?