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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Benefit for 18yr old son

133 replies

cosmobrown · 21/07/2020 00:33

HI. I'm just wondering what benefit, if any, my son should be applying for. He is having a year out before uni, and so far has not managed to get a job at all.
Does UC count our savings, as he lives with us? Or just what he has?
If he could contribute to the household, it would really help at the moment.

OP posts:
bookmum08 · 21/07/2020 07:51

THisback as I said a few posts back about a similar idea how is he going to get to Canada/Australia/New Zealand if he has no money?
He. Has. No. Money.

LemonTT · 21/07/2020 07:52

The poor guy has no great options here.

University is meant to be a formative experience. It’s not just education. But a lot of the activities simply won’t happen. I would be loathe to attend this year in his shoes.

Jobs are thin on the ground.

Travel is difficult and he could be stuck if things got bad.

He should apply for benefits whilst looking for work. NB best not to mention that he is on a gap year as it could hold him back.

If he is unsuccessful then I would also suggest doing a form of the thing Irish pupils do, volunteering or studying something completely different to his current choices. Like car mechanics or art.

Ellmau · 21/07/2020 07:52

Can he undefer his uni place? That might make the most financial sense right now.

Timeforabiscuit · 21/07/2020 07:55

Can he possibly take a half step back and see if he has any skills he could use as self employed? Tutoring/minding for teenagers? Groundswork? Any local, smaller, firms who would take him as a volunteer. Has he got an online profile which his industry would be involved in? Entering industry competitions relating to his subject?

I think anything which is an occupation for a year rather than paid work, might be more realistic - he'll need to self promote like mad for paid work but it will all be experience and he is by no means alone!

Yorkshirepudding1987 · 21/07/2020 07:56

UC and im sure he can claim housing benefit for his room and pay you rent
I know afew people who do it

He cannot claim housing costs, he needs a rental liability to do that and making one up now is contrived to take advantage of the benefit system.

He can claim UC without any of your income/ savings being taken into account. He'll get the standard allowance.

Ledkr · 21/07/2020 07:59

My 18 year old is in same position and claims UC and they didnt ask about our money.
She has worked part time since 15 alongside her studies but lost her soft play job due to covid and its nit easy to get a job at present.

JojoLapin · 21/07/2020 08:02

Not a good year for a gap year. He’ll really struggle to find a job and won’t be able to travel either. Encourage him not to.

TheDrsDocMartens · 21/07/2020 08:31

Echoing those who said Uni instead. Better use of the time.

Frazzled2207 · 21/07/2020 08:38

Agree uni is a better idea but I feel for all 18 year olds right now.
Kids that age generally find work in the hospitality industry which is fine but there must be extremely slim pickings right now.

LaurieFairyCake · 21/07/2020 08:46

Also consider he may be able to get in to a much better uni this year than any other year as no one wants to go.

trappedsincesundaymorn · 21/07/2020 08:48

@THisbackwithavengeance

Has he considered a working holiday in Australia, NZ or Canada?

As others have said, if he claims UC he will have to spend all his time applying for any job going. They are strict about this (rightly so). Seems a bit of a waste of a year out to be sat at home churning out applications for McDonalds and the like.

Slight flaw in the plan there regarding working holidays......no flights (Australia at least), being the main one.
Yesyoudoknowme · 21/07/2020 08:50

I doubt if he can get any - you are expected to support him. This was certainly the case with my DS when he tried to claim anything despite being over 18.

cuntryclub · 21/07/2020 08:54

@Yesyoudoknowme

I doubt if he can get any - you are expected to support him. This was certainly the case with my DS when he tried to claim anything despite being over 18.

That's not the car at all though. Once they are out of education and over 18 they are no longer classed as a dependent.

cuntryclub · 21/07/2020 08:54

DependAnt

bigbluebus · 21/07/2020 09:22

Those of you who say ' he should get a job' must have been living in a cave for the last few months. My student DS has worked every Uni holiday in a warehouse - the biggest employer in our area. By the time he finished his course this year all the jobs were taken presumably by staff furloughed from elsewhere or self employed unable to work in their usual line of work. This business has used agency staff for years to plug staff shortages and as they are in the food industry the lack of vacancies is not due to a downturn in trade. The only jobs available are in care work which my DS is really not cut out for.

My DS has not signed on even though he has just graduated because he is returning to do a Masters in Sept but with no income over the Summer and post grad loan not enough to cover his course fees plus living expenses he's just hoping he can get a part time job in his Uni town - although even that is doubtful if pubs are still operating on reduced numbers and students stay home due to remote learning.

RufustheRowlingReindeer · 21/07/2020 09:29

Ds1 has just left uni and can’t find a job

I don’t think he gets anything under UC but on the back of this ive told him to contact citizens advice

Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/07/2020 09:32

I also think he may be better trying to un-defer his uni place

RufustheRowlingReindeer · 21/07/2020 09:35

Oh

And i should say that the uni thing Is probably a good idea

Dd left collage and was taking a gap year because she didnt get into where she wanted and didn’t want to do a foundation year

She is doing a foundation year now

I do appreciate that thats probably not an option for the OPs son but taking up his uni place may be

RufustheRowlingReindeer · 21/07/2020 09:36

College obviously!

IrmaFayLear · 21/07/2020 09:46

In normal times the advice would be hell yeah, get a job.

But these are not normal times. How can people be advocating volunteering abroad?! ha ha ha ha. And it is very, very difficult to find a job - any job - at the moment.

Ds has graduated from university. Only one of his friends has a job. Every single other person has had their graduate training schemes axed or postponed indefinitely and their internships cancelled.

The only jobs available in this area and 20 miles around are care jobs (they can never fill those!) or ones demanding a lot of IT experience.

blackleggingsandatshirt · 21/07/2020 09:50

I was in this position, and my DS was entitled to NOTHING, because I worked and earned £13,500 - we were supposed to survive on that.
He had to be 25 before he was 'entitled'

LastRoloIsMine · 21/07/2020 09:55

Black

UC can be claimed for 18 yo who live with their parents. Your income is not considered as they are an adult in their own right. They are just not entitled to housing costs as they have no rent liability.
Are you sure it was UC?

vodkaredbullgirl · 21/07/2020 09:57

My dd gets UC and has to look for work aswell. As she still live at home she only get the basic.

She has applied for 100's of jobs, been to loads of interviews. Since lock down she has not been able to apply for jobs.

Its going to be even hard now that 100s of people will be losing their jobs.

LemonTT · 21/07/2020 10:02

I’m not keen on saying he should take a place this year. Especially if his reasons for a gap year were that he didn’t feel ready or didn’t know what to do.

However, if a lot of students defer this year. Home grown and international, competition could be fierce for places next year. Might be worth exploring this option.

Soontobe60 · 21/07/2020 10:10

@Smallsteps88

Fucking hell. People being made redundant up and down the country, businesses shutting down, people with 30 years experience up against thousands of others for a single job and people are expecting an 18 year old to just be able to walk into McDonald’s and grab a job? Hmm give the kid a break. Jobs aren’t ten a penny right now.
I've seen about 10 jobs advertised locally to me for bar and restaurant work this week. Both my nieces have walked into jobs in bars as they're having a gap year.