Reed want to see my husband's bank statements 😩

[Weepingwillowtree]

Desperate to get back into the workplace after 10 years out being a SAHM. Plucked up the courage to go for a Reed interview for a teaching assistant job (no qualifications required even though I have a BSc). Was told I had too much of a gap in my CV and they would need to see my husbands bank statements to “prove that I had been supported by him during this time”. I feel this is a total invasion of our privacy, what has my husbands finances got to do with whether or not I am capability of being a teaching assistant?? Am I being completely unreasonable refusing to provide this? They said they can’t give me a job unless I show his bank statements 😩

DH has high level security clearance
At no point did he have to provide even his own bank statements.
Aside from anything else unless there was a monthly item called “supporting my stay at home wife” with a corresponding amount arriving in her account I don’t see how the husbands bank statements would prove anything.

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much everyone for your support, I’m totally over whelmed! I’m so glad I’m not the only one thinking it was awful of Reed to demand this. DH said he was completely fine giving bank statements but I just won’t do it, it feels so discriminatory 😩

I emailed them and asked for clarification why they needed husband bank statements and they replied with this:

“It’s not your financial situation specifically however we do need to obtain 2 years employment referencing for education and are asked to explain how someone who has not worked and not been in receipt of benefits has supported themselves financially. Unfortunately a letter from your husband declaring financial support would be insufficient evidence, we would need to see bank statements for proof.”

🤷‍♀️Guess the job hunt continues..thank you for everyone’s suggestions to contact schools directly, I will try that instead.

It is a safeguarding issue in schools if you have a gap in employment. You need to fully explain it. I worked in this area for a while so this is true!

However, I have never heard of anyone asking for banks statements! That is ridiculous.

My last reply to them would be "and how would his bank statements prove I'd been supported by him?"

Then I'd make a complaint. Then I'd find another agency. One that specialises in education.

His bank statements will show he can support himself. That has fuck all to do with the OP.

Your finances and especially your DH's finances are none of their business.

Your DH's ongoings and outgoings don't prove that he's supported you anyway.

Ingoings* ? Think I made up a word

@Movinghouseatlast

It is a safeguarding issue in schools if you have a gap in employment. You need to fully explain it. I worked in this area for a while so this is true!

However, I have never heard of anyone asking for banks statements! That is ridiculous.

An unexplained gap. Stating you were a SAHM is not unexplained.

@OhWhyNot

If that was a requirement then no I would not have an issue with this

I have no idea if this is a requirement

Seriously? You wouldn't question it at all? Whether they have a right to request it or what purpose it would serve?

People who work with vulnerable people are required to complete mandatory training on GDPR, confidentiality, record-keeping and safeguarding + other relevant learning.

There are no excuses for disregarding it.

It’s NHS HR I would expect them to be following procedure

And I am well aware that any procedure is not implemented on a whim

But they didn’t or couldn’t in my case but no I personally would not have an issue with this

The op has had a response from the agency. The op can try other routes to be employed as a TA

Don’t worry PurpleWh1teGreen we have plenty of training

@GabriellaMontez

My last reply to them would be "and how would his bank statements prove I'd been supported by him?"

Then I'd make a complaint. Then I'd find another agency. One that specialises in education.

This. What on earth do the bank statements prove? If it was your tax record I could see the point.

@Weepingwillowtree

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much everyone for your support, I’m totally over whelmed! I’m so glad I’m not the only one thinking it was awful of Reed to demand this. DH said he was completely fine giving bank statements but I just won’t do it, it feels so discriminatory 😩

I emailed them and asked for clarification why they needed husband bank statements and they replied with this:

“It’s not your financial situation specifically however we do need to obtain 2 years employment referencing for education and are asked to explain how someone who has not worked and not been in receipt of benefits has supported themselves financially. Unfortunately a letter from your husband declaring financial support would be insufficient evidence, we would need to see bank statements for proof.”

🤷‍♀️Guess the job hunt continues..thank you for everyone’s suggestions to contact schools directly, I will try that instead.

Sorry but I really hope you don't let this drop. This is really bad practice on their part and might be quite dodgy legally. I've worked in the financial industry and you do have to supply statements of your spouse but that's due to laws governing what people working in this industry can invest in. His statements are proof of nothing. You could have been supporting yourself by running a brothel and it's none of their business.

I had to supply my own bank statement once. It was a government agency (but not the government itself IYSWIM) and I had a 3 month gap. They wanted to make sure that I wasn't working at that time. I didn't even consider that I shouldn't. Feel a bit of a mug now TBH.

@OhWhyNot

Don’t worry PurpleWh1teGreen we have plenty of training

Then may I gently suggest you apply it?

Even I don’t see Dhs bank statements so he wouldn’t be showing them to anyone else.

Interested to know if you had turned round and said you were divorced or you were recently widowed.

Whilst your Dh might be able to show he earned money and was willing to show them his bank statements a lot of people wouldn’t.

Illegal surely, for them to ask you for someone else's private documentation?

In all honesty OP, all of that aside, if you want to be a TA, forget doing through an agency. Use the job sites to search for jobs and, if you see one, go straight to the schools website where they will likely also have a link to an application form or just contact the school and ask for one. Forget theS agencies, unless you are looking to be a supply.

I had an “unexplained” 9 month gap after uni (as in as simple as I couldn’t get a job so was unemployed, pure and simple). I was never asked to share my family’s bank statements. That’s insane. And I still got a TA job after explaining my situation! Not the first interview, but I got there.

Look at local job sites, Google schools yourself. Forget agencies in this case.
If you want supply, register to a local one, not a National one.

What if you had a private income - a wealthy family background - rental income - a trust fund - or you're a bloody good manager and make a Mumsnet chicken last three weeks? You might not have a mortgage. There's all sorts of ways people support themselves financially without claiming benefits or going to work. Or relying on someone with a penis.

@OrangeBananaFish

I had to supply my own bank statement once. It was a government agency (but not the government itself IYSWIM) and I had a 3 month gap. They wanted to make sure that I wasn't working at that time. I didn't even consider that I shouldn't. Feel a bit of a mug now TBH.

That was your own bank statements though so not the same as someone elses.

slightly disconnected point
BUT
as a (very) mature married woman when I applied for student grants for uni my husbands income was not counted so what the hell -are we living in Victorian times? surely a the background check for criminal records should be enough & submitting your tax to HMRC?

Just apply to go onto the supply list for your local authority. I did this and have a part time job at one school and have been called by three others to help them too.

They will do your DBS check for you.

I haven’t broken any confidentiality or GDPR

So I’m not quite sure what you are getting at Purple

I do not work in HR, they get on with their role I get on with mine and we cross over at times ie. when a new role comes up and i interview, when their are staff issues or the endless risk assessments under taken in the last year due to covid

We are certainly pulled up when breached GDPR/confidentiality. We have had numerous concerns around covid and government guidelines

And risk assessment is part of the role every day

I work in a school. I had a 10 year employment gap due to being a SAHM. I was not asked to provide my husband’s bank statements, and would not have been happy if they had!

I listed my period as a SAHM clearly on my CV, along with details of all volunteering and courses I had done during this time. I had references from two of the people I had volunteered for.

It’s quite normal for people who work in schools to have had an employment gap for childcare reasons.

However, I agree with others - look on your local authority jobs website rather than via an Agency.