To be really really annoyed at River Island's treatment of my daughter at interview

[BadHairDyeDay]

DD17 applied for a job with RI - 8 hour contract evenings and Saturdays and would fit around school no problem. On Thursday she an email asking her to attend a "recruitment event" yesterday morning at 9.30 and to bring "proof of eligibility to work in the UK". Excellent so far.
So yesterday morning DD gets her National insurance number letter and I drop her off for the interview. As I'm walking back to the car I get a phone call from DD to say she needs either her birth certificate or her passport. I ask her what for. She says she was supposed to bring either one. I said no it was proof of eligibility to work in the UK, I.e. National insurance number. Birth certificate = proof of identity. Passport = eligibility to travel outside your own country. That was problem no 1 . Anyway RI had said she could come back at 10.30 with said documents and have interview then. So I made the half hour round trip home to fetch BC.
All fine then. But no. Problem no.2. At the end of the interview DD is asked when she can work (which she had set out in detail in her application form and was the same as the advertised position). So she tells them again and they say "Oh so you can't work XX?". DD says no. They say not at all? DD says sorry no it was in my application form and I didn't think I had to! End of interview!

So AIBU to be raging that they didn't ask for the documents they actually wanted at interview and also that we completely wasted a whole morning due to the fact that they didn't read my DD's application form properly and changed the criteria at the last minute anyway!!!!!
I have a good mind to complain to head office because that's is just plain incompetence - and in their eyes my DD looks like she is in the wrong!!!

P.S Sorry this is so long!!!

I don’t really think there are grounds for complaint but if one is to be made then it should come from your daughter not from you.

You’re not unreasonable about the hours thing. You are unreasonable about the passport. But you complaining on her behalf won’t get you anywhere.

This is how retail works now. They may have a vacancy for say, Thursday and Saturday but you will not get the job unless you say you are fully flexible. A lot of people just say yes to get their foot in the door then deal with the consequences later. Retail is a pretty harsh environment so you will both need to toughen up, they're not doing you any favours. And she would need to be fully flex over Christmas too. Just treat it as a lesson learned - it's not just River Island who will do this.

She didn't get the job move on. A complaint will not make the slightest difference but will make your adult daughter look like she needs her mum to fight her non existent battles for her.

If they wanted a passport or birth certificate they should have asked for them!

Probably a lucky escape from an unorganised employer.

Well I am going to say YANBU.

Teenagers often apply for jobs without their parents' help, so they should have been specific about what they wanted. I wouldn't have been sure what was required either when my DC was looking for their first job (although I tend to put together everything I can find so I go OTT).

As for the hours, that's annoying but a lot of companies do it. I have a couple of friends whose 16/17 year old DC have applied to Sainsburys and then been told at the interview that they can't be employed because they are under 18. They clearly do employ under 18s as anyone who tries to buy alcohol will attest to but presumably they have a quota, but the jobs friends' DCs applied for for not specify this and most importantly their age was on their application so why call them for bloody interview??

Still I wouldn't complain, just put it down to experience.

Birth certificate plus national insurance letter is acceptable but there's no photo on either of them so again they 'could be anyone's'. The birth certificate just confirms nationality. Maybe they should have included a copy of the full list of documents, or at least a link to it. It's quite detailed.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774286/Right_to_Work_Checklist.pdf

that is annoying, what a waste of time

YABVU about proof of work.
YANBU about the change of when they want someone to work.

Did you advise your daughter that she needed a NI number?! Is that why you're now raging. I doubt your 17 year old would have come up with this as a form of ID without your prompting, as yes, having worked and employed others for 25 years, you've always needed passport as proof of ID and usually utility bill. What have you produced in the past OP? And if you haven't worked, why wouldn't you encourage your daughter to either check online or clarify with RI?

For this reason alone, you're being v u by not encouraging your daughter to research and prepare! This is basic problem solving. I think they were very reasonable to have allowed your daughter a different time to collect the docs as not sure I would have done as I'd have considered it a basic failure to prepare and follow instructions?!

It's standard to take a passport . I've applied for loads of jobs and always have to take it .. it's difficult to get any job and being difficult at the start isn't going to bode well with getting employed .. knock it up to experience and move on .

A birth certificate or a passport does not prove your eligibility to work in the UK. E.g my son has both and he can't work - because he is too young! When he is old enough to work he will get a NI number and therefore be eligible. I can't understand why this only makes sense to me. They did not ask for proof of identity - but now she knows to bring the whole lot in future.
DD was not indignant at the interview she was polite and apologetic- unlike her mother and they listened to her replies.
Thanks to everyone who made helpful comments. Noted.

Sounds like a super standard interview tbh and it was very understanding of them to let your DD come back an hour later with correct forms

Proof of eligibility to work in the UK means passport or birth certificate if you are a UK resident. You didn't know that and are misdirecting your anger at RI rather than acknowledging your own ignorance. No biggie, lesson learned. Chill out

Mummy complaining on behalf of her 17 year old snow flake. Go ahead and give HO a laugh.

This is your daughters responsibility to check, not yours.

Proof of eligibility to work in the UK has always been a passport or driving license (SHE should of checked what was required before hand).

Retail requires flexible working hours. Your daughters inability to be pragmatic over the request is a red flag that she’s inflex.

Your daughter is 17. Teach her some responsibility and independence.

It’s annoying and they could have been clearer - admittedly all jobs i’ve applied for recently have required some sort of security check, but they’re very helpful with saying what they need; mostly “Please bring 1 document from List 1 and 2 from List 2”; with List 1 being Passport etc and List 2 being proof of address stuff.

Having said that, use this as a learning opportunity for your daughter about preparing for interview. As PP have said, a quick google would have confirmed what was needed for proof of eligibility to work; and then have her take some time to answer the flexibility question - a smile an an enthusiastic “I’m happy to be flexible around my studies, I understand that there will be busier periods so can be available to support the team on a Sunday or certain days in the holidays”.

But if an over reaction. Yes they could have worded it better about what she needed but it's pretty obvious when you go to any interview you bring those documents 🙄

What hours did they want her to work that she couldn't?

It only makes sense to you because it is completely wrong.

Re:passport/birth certificate - blame the government, not River Island.

Re:flexibility - unfortunately too many jobs, especially retail, want to guarantee as few hours as they can get away with paying, while wanting the option to have people available for busy periods. I agree it's annoying and unfair, but meh, thst's late stage capitalism for you.

2 second google search:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checklist

Suggest your daughter interview preps beforehand.

A birth certificate or a passport does not prove your eligibility to work in the UK. E.g my son has both and he can't work - because he is too young!

Now you’re just being obtuse. Obviously it would be seen on the face of your son’s passport that he was too young. It is not possession of a passport in and of itself, it’s the details contained within, e.g. a UK citizen of relevant age.

When I was applying for jobs last year, I took everything to every interview no matter what they asked for - copy of my CV, copy of my references, passport, photocopies of my passport, NI number, letter within the last 3 months with my address (usually print off of my bank account), plus proof of any other qualifications.

I don't know if it was some sort of test but a couple of the interviews asked for something which wasn't on the list to bring. In my current job I was asked for the proof of address and it was mentioned that I was the only person so far that day to have that with me - I'm not sure if me being prepared had anything to do with getting the job.

At the end of the interview DD is asked when she can work (which she had set out in detail in her application form and was the same as the advertised position

Retail needs to be flexible, it could be something as simple as "I would be happy to start earlier or finish later on the days I can work" or "I have X commitment on a Sunday but I could work until 1pm on that day." They need people able to cover holidays/sickness etc.

@sanmiguel you certainly have NOT needed to show a passport or proof of address for the last 25 years. It is only in the last few years that I have needed to show a passport at an interview and I have never ever needed to show proof of address. From 2005 to 2010 I applied and got 4 different jobs in retail and did not have to provide anything. In 2016 I applied for a job and was surprised to learn I had to take my passport and/or birth certificate

DH went for an interview last year and wasn't asked for any proof of id.

If the ad was for specific hours then they should be the hours worked but it doesn't surprise me that a retail employer would lie. Retail is a pretty shit job

Any retail job I have come across now is flexi contract so it's very difficult to get the hours you want.
They always need proof of identity,address and NI number.
If she's available weekends then she's likely to get the job anyways. Don't lose hope yet.