..to think that £6.15 an hour...

[BertrandRussell]

.....really is shit wages?

You can probably find similar in and around most cities outside the south east, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle etc.

You absolutely can. That's how I and majority of my friends started up. Rent a room, go full time and still had plenty left over for partying and even saving. We were outside of London. London should just have a border around itself and be it's own country🙄

Yes, the “you are free to move to a new area” comments are a bit like the “Buy in bulk/shop around/just cook a big pot of beans” type advice to poor people from rich people.

Work isn't easier because it's badly paid! That is a very uneducated notion.

Also annoying is the bollocks spouted by some that those on low wages deserve them because they didn't work hard enough or aren't highly skilled.
I wonder how all the people who say such things would feel if those workers suddenly weren't there. I'd miss the bin men and retail staff and waiters long before I'd miss accountants and solicitors.

certainly not from a rich background bertrandrussell it would've been hard to be less well off than my parents when I was starting out in work.

It's a classic wages trap, staying too long in a low wage area rather than taking the job that gives you the best prospects, and so many young adults still fall into it, they don't seem to have the confidence to look for the best opportunity and move for it. I do wonder why that is, why we are having such under confident young people.

Mobility is a problem for wage growth and opportunities, it's got nothing to do with your background but probably does relate to confidence in your abilities to cope and survive.

You can't pay a deposit to a landlord with "confidence" you need real money.

Moving to new area isn't just for rich. If you don't have children it can be done on cheap. I managed to move countries on £1100. And that included safety money in case I din't find a job withing first few weeks.

snuggybuggy so saving up money to move is out of the reach of young adults? That's not a great attitude to bring kids up with that they can't save and manage money carefully - I've heard my nephews in the low wage town I grew up in say similar - they're bright kids, why would they think they couldn't save up enough to move by the time they're 18?

I'm not saying things aren't bloody hard, but you've got to have a positive attitude and bring children up to believe they can achieve better wages rather than waiting for the government to save them. Governments saving us may never happen.

First months rent in advance and a security deposit. Could be £800 up front for a room round here.....

confidence does lead to higher wages, confidence in your ability to cope and make things happen. The rhetoric of powerlessness is depressing and self fulfilling.

I knew someone that got charged 900 for a deposit and first months rent and ended up having to turn down a job.

And yes you can be the best mathematician in the world but if your necessary outgoings cancel out most of your take home pay then you can't save a lot. It has nothing to do with attitude.

You've obviously never worked for the NHS if you think you can change your wage with confidence.

I don’t think anyone should be working for a wage that requires subsidy by parents or by benefits

Well fair enough, but how much would you need to pay a cleaner in central London who is a single parent to 3 DC and needs childcare?

She'd probably still struggle on £60/80/100k pa. And if you can earn that amount of money by being a cleaner, how much more would you have to pay people to do jobs like doctors that require years of study that racks up tens of thousands in student loans? Does the NHS have the budget for it's wages bill to go up massively?

Just pay people more isn't always as straightforward as it sounds.

Is the NHS paying £6.15 an hour to skilled workers?

Well the person that had to turn down the job should've planned better. It's all well and good saying how crap your choices are but you've got to get on with it otherwise where is the change going to come from?

Fairly sure mathematicians earn more than £6.15 per hour. There is a lot of research on confidence boosting earnings power.

If you'd rather wait for a government change than thinking about what you could do to boost your pay then that's your prerogative, are there not courses and additional training you can do to move up NHS pay scales?

There are people doing essential jobs in the NHS for low wages yes. The NHS would not be able to function without said people.

Your attitude to that person who had to turn down a job is disgusting.

I knew this thread would be about min wage for that age group and someone's mum would be up in arms her kid was earning that.
No it's not right and it's shit and it should not be allowed.
But guess what, adults on minimum wage earn shit too, and don't live at home!!!
I'm in my 50s and warn £8.20 n hour, that's minimum wage for over 25s. And I've been earning it for over ten years.
Sorry to be snappy but it pisses me off when adults only realise how shut the minimum wage is is when their kids start to earn it.
Some of us have been earning it for years and no one seems to give a toss.

“Some of us have been earning it for years and no one seems to give a toss.”

I do. I think it’s shit. And I am not “up in arms” about what my child is getting paid. As my posts clearly show.

Arent bin men actually paid really well?

We’ll have to agree to disagree @SnuggyBuggy I find your attitude pretty damaging too.

@ssd

I think for some of us it's because growing up we were told to work and just assumed that as long as you work you'll be able to scratch some sort of living even if it's modest. I was honestly gobsmacked at how I still had to live at home even though I was working.

It's a classic wages trap, staying too long in a low wage area rather than taking the job that gives you the best prospects, and so many young adults still fall into it, they don't seem to have the confidence to look for the best opportunity and move for it. I do wonder why that is, why we are having such under confident young people.

This assumes that everyone has the ability, intelligence and skill set to pursue career progression. That’s not the case and has never been the case. As a society we need to make sure that everyone can afford to live, even in the lowest paying jobs. Our society could not function without them.

It would be more damaging if everyone in low pay sacked off their jobs to try and retrain for something better paid. We might sneer at these people but we actually couldn't do without their work.

I know I came across snappy and like I said I'm sorry. I wasn't aiming at you op. I'm just sick seeing it here time and time again posters don't realise how low the min wage is until their uni age kids start getting part time jobs. Then they are appalled.
I'm not even getting into the 'they should have worked harder at school, tried harder to progress' posts you always see when the min wage is discussed. My job just now is the hardest job I've ever had. IME the lowest paid jobs are the most physically gruelling. Luckily I've got a new job, slightly more money. Starting soon.

Bin men are paid well round here.
But it's a bloody demanding job, they earn their money.

its better than nothing. You cant sign on as easy as in the past.