..to think that £6.15 an hour...

[BertrandRussell]

.....really is shit wages?

Stay in education is the answer, stay at home until older and the pay will go up, get a better job

Yes agree that lots of people have forgotten just how low wages were before NMW. A lot of people got a pay rise when NMW came in.

Ds 15 earns a good wage, good hourly rate, higher than most listed!! in a fish and chip shop!

@EleanorReally how about those 18 year olds whose parents are crap ? Some people can’t stay in education and need to get a job ASAP and leave the parents home. They shouldn’t be paid less than a 25 year old doing the same job.

The whole point of a phased minimum wage is to encourage companies to take a chance on an 18 year old, which helps them in the long run. Why would you choose an 18 year old with 0 experience that you may have to hand hold over a 23-25 year old with a few years under their belt unless you're benefitting in some way?

These businesses are not charities and recruitment is expensive. If you looked past your initial outrage and thought about what you would do as a small business owner, you'd realise why it has to be like this. If an 18-24 year old doesn't feel they're getting paid what they're worth, they're welcome to get another job that will pay it. If they can't find one, maybe their work isn't worth that amount?

When my 19 year old gets paid to work, I don't criticise the amount, I am proud of them for earning

Although I have to say plenty of less scrupulous employers may well prefer the younger staff, lower pay scenario

When my 19 year old gets paid to work, I don't criticise the amount, I am proud of them for earning

But wouldn't be unfair on her to earn less than an older colleague doing the exact same job, with the exact same qualifications and the exact same experience just because of her age?

“When my 19 year old gets paid to work, I don't criticise the amount, I am proud of them for earning“

I hope you encourage her to curtesy to her employers morning and evening. So very kind of them to pay her at all.

Yes agree that lots of people have forgotten just how low wages were before NMW.

Plenty of us remember when there was no NMW, but we also have the brains to realise that was in the past and that past was very different than now and so was the cost of living. Things have since moved on.

Stay in education is the answer, stay at home until older

So if you don't live in a palce where there is higher education or the higher education you need is not in that area where you parents live, you're fucked then.

I now see the wisdom in my daughter's decision to emigrate. This country really is in a race to the bottom of the barrel.

Higher education is not possible for everybody. And if it was, who would do all the jobs that do not need that education?

Plenty of people don't have the option of living at home with parents. I didn't (I had to leave home at 16). When I worked at that age it was because I needed that money to pay for housing, bills and food.

The assumption that young people are all supported by wealthy parents, and therefore don't really need to earn money, really disadvantages those who aren't.

*EleanorReally

Stay in education is the answer, stay at home until older and the pay will go up, get a better job*

That is such a let them eat cake answer. How naïve.

Students don't pay council tax. That would save about £2000/annum even on band A in most councils. Students get discounted travel costs and discounted rates on many things including banking accounts. Students also get into debt to live. Students' parents arestillexpected to sub them well into their 20s.

And what about those young people who don't go to uni? Don't they matter?

@EleanorReally not all 18 year olds will have supporting parents willing to finance them.

And I was living alone and working full time at that age, I was not cut out for further education. I'm not academic at all. Not everyone is.

Stay in education is the answer, stay at home until older and the pay will go up, get a better job

I think some people just don't realise how many 18 year olds cannot do this. They live in a bubble and don't realise that many young people have to go out and earn a living and don't have parents who can house them or fund them and not all parents are nice people and at times teenagers have to get away from them.

If you had bothered to read the entire thread, Hill, you would know that this post of mine was in response to another poster who claimed it's fine for young people to earn so little because students get that much and do just fine; therefore in direct contrast to not caring about young people who cannot or do not attend uni (my own daughter did not until later, she went into the Forces and trained as a paramedic). But instead you didn't bother so misconstrued it just to be snappish and rude.

jennymanara

Yes agree that lots of people have forgotten just how low wages were before NMW. A lot of people got a pay rise when NMW came in.

True, but people are still being exploited and workers rights are being slowly eroded again. There are lots of thing that are shit about years gone by, but it doesn't make the present perfect and we shouldn't be grateful for something that is crap, just because it was even shitter 15 years ago.

Education doesn't have to be academic

“Education doesn't have to be academic”
How do you think 18-20 year olds support themselves?

To be fair, if most 18-20 year olds had to support themselves they would get a “proper” salaried job and begin their career rather than a min wage job at odd hours.

@Passthecherrycoke that's just not realistic these days, to get a salaried job at that age straight out of education.

Considering the op's ds is a student with a part time job it is irrelevant to them

“Considering the op's ds is a student with a part time job it is irrelevant to them“

Why are other 18 year olds lives not relevant to me?

Yes it’s shit!! I wouldn’t take any less than 10 an hour these days!! And that’s pushing it!!