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 😩

Yes, it seems yet another likely example of indirect sex discrimination, because women are statistically far more likely to have gaps in their employment record.

I'd report them to the Equaliry and Human Rights Commission for this, who will investigate for free. Its appalling.

This is why we have references and DBS checks. Employment agencies making things up as they go along, unaware of the law, trying to act like the police or MI6 - What a bunch of total idiots.

Total bollocks. Tell Reed to bugger off. Very wrong and breach of gdpr. They have no need or right to a third parties details like thus. What if you were single. They are talking shit.

It’s probably for DBS / safeguarding reasons. When applying for roles in schools you have to give a full employment history and explain any gaps. It’s not to judge or invade your privacy, but to check you weren’t in prison, not omitting a job from your cv, etc.

OP had (presumably) already told them she had been a SAHM. Which do you suppose is more likely: that she'd been banged up in jail, moonlighting, running a drugs cartel etc.... or, erm, looking after her children, whose existence is easily provable? Being a married SAHP is hardly unusual.

This is truly nasty. I get when mortgage and other lenders want to see proof of your income, as this is relevant to your relationship with them. As for employment, unless you're seeking to be a very high-ranking (and very well-paid) civil servant/government department leader or similar, why on earth do they need to know what you were doing for employment before you worked for them? For a highly-valuable much much under-paid TA? Of course, the DBS is a requirement, but checking if you've got/had a criminal record is miles apart from demanding to know how your family manage their finances.

If you don't need the job (or at least them), I'd be so tempted to send them an explanation letter saying "When a man and lady love each other very much, they have a special cuddle and sometimes this results in a baby, which then has to be looked after for a number of years. This might be surprising news to you, but it is in fact, normal - and if this didn't happen, humans would actually soon die out. In fact, YOU yourself were once a baby and had to be looked after by a grown-up (this was probably mainly done by a lady)."

Seriously, the very thought that somebody wanting to work with children might also actually be one of those not-very-rare people who wanted to have children of their own.

Otherwise, I'd give them and their practices some SM exposure. This is outrageous and it IS sex discrimination. They may say that they would ask a male applicant for his wife's bank statements (and I wonder if they actually would do this in practice), but just because SAHPs can be either sex, the vast majority are women, ergo it's clear sexism.

Considering that the DBS is already in place specifically for this purpose, they're effectively suggesting that anybody who has taken time out of work to look after children (mainly women) needs to prove that they're not a criminal; whereas those who haven't (mainly men) - who could have had any kind of illegal side-hustle or embezzlement scheme going on as well - are vanishingly unlikely to be criminals. Paid employment is for honest, decent people; looking after children is for shady, untrustworthy probable-criminals. They really need to be called out and exposed publicly for this and made to justify their sexist, discriminatory actions.

I fail to see how your husband has any relevance to your job application

Find another agency

Find a professional person who can provide you with a reference (not family)

I work in an environment that needs enhanced DBS plus higher level vetting, someone's history has to be with no gaps. That is usually achieved by way of personal references eg a statement from your husband and someone external to the family to confirm you have been a SAHP for that time

If you work for the government in a very restricted role, I am prepared to believe that is true - I know for example their vetting for the FCO is extremely thorough, and that's not the most restricted level by a long way.

But not for a teaching assistant, where you really do only need to know that someone doesn't have any skeletons in the cupboard making them unsuitable to work with kids. Which the DBS check (kind of) achieves (all it really does is prove that you haven't been caught yet, but is the best we have).

I used to work in recruitment and would never ever request to see a third parties bank statements. Data protection etc. It is irrelevant whether DH or a dead Aunts trust fund has supported you!

complain, and copy in the school.
and tweet /glass door / show them up publicly

Lots of luck with finding another role (or them realising how inappropriate this is, and you starting this role).

@Gemma2019

Unfortunately you will be subject to a detailed gap analysis as you have been out of the workplace for so long and this is a job needing an enhanced DBS. They legally have to do it. You will need to prove exactly what you have been doing since the children were born, and they are asking for bank statements to see if any payments have gone in from employers you might not have mentioned. If you have done any voluntary work, or your parent can vouch that you were their carer for the entire time, that would also be fine, but you will definitely need evidence to explain the gap with any new employer.

They're not asking for the op bank statements, they're asking for dh bank statements

What if op didn't have a dh?

Maybe make an enquiry to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO)?

If you are able to check your historical National insurance record on the Government Gateway this should show you have been credited with SAHP NI? For your parental caring responsibilities which are triggered by child benefit eligibility?

Even the DWP refused my friend uploading their own bank statements for universal credit proof of address (as had no bills) so REED are being reckless with your family personal data.
Your husband personal data is not relevant unless for visa reasons which is not REEDs role!

Is there a reason you name changed for this OP or is this your first post on MN?

Use your local council website to look for and apply for teaching assistant jobs.
I wouldn’t touch Reeds with a barge pole. You become a product for them to sell.
Cut out the middle man altogether.

Having just done a Course on GDPR its only being asked for information that is relevant and needed so for example religion , sexuality are not relevant to anyone’s job so do not need to be asked gender is going the same way. I would put this under the same bracket your husbands income has nothing to do with you being able to do the job, there are a few jobs where both partners back grounds need to be checked out but this is usually done through an enhanced DBS style check which does included financial checks but still not seeing your actually bank account. Did you list the gap in employment as a career break to raise a family? I have never know this not to be accept .

What does it matter anyway? I mean, you could say "sorry, my husband didn't support me - I had a Russian sugar daddy and I'd like to keep it under wraps" or "I won the lottery, blew it all on cocaine and now have to get back to work". It's literally none of their business. OK maybe the second one is

Reed are shit.

And haha at them trying to undertake due diligence.

In my last job they sent an accountant who we found out didn’t actually hold the professional registration they said they did, and one with a very recent conviction for assault! (Which we found out doing our own research, having been burnt with Reeds performance over the first one).

Tell Reed that you need to see their CEO's personal bank statements, to prove that, were you to work for them, your wages would not ultimately be overseen by somebody involved in illegal or dishonest gain. They won't object to that if they consider bank statements to be public documents, available to anybody who asks to see them....

They must also be very stupid if they think that everybody has one bank account and one only. Your stipend from your radical terrorist overlords (which I assume you must have received, as you were a SAHM?) could very easily have been paid into a separate bank account, in your name, your DH's name or that of any random made-up name - registered in the UK or any other country.

It's like asking to look in the jewellery box of somebody accused of masterminding a multi-million-pound diamond heist and, on finding it only contains a couple of pieces from Elizabeth Duke, assuming that they couldn't possibly have done it, as there's no way they might have hidden them elsewhere. So stupid, as well as discriminatory and highly questionable practice.

@Gemma2019

Unfortunately you will be subject to a detailed gap analysis as you have been out of the workplace for so long and this is a job needing an enhanced DBS. They legally have to do it. You will need to prove exactly what you have been doing since the children were born, and they are asking for bank statements to see if any payments have gone in from employers you might not have mentioned. If you have done any voluntary work, or your parent can vouch that you were their carer for the entire time, that would also be fine, but you will definitely need evidence to explain the gap with any new employer.

Rubbish!

I had a gap of 15 years before I got a job in school. For my gap I wrote date - present I was not in paid employment as I was raising my children. I was never asked how I’d supported myself for those 15 years.

Safer Employment rules require gaps to be accounted for not proven.

Are you absolutely certain that they asked for your DH's bank statements and not simply a statement (i.e. a signed,dated letter) from your husband to confirm he had financial supported you during your years at home?

''It's like asking to look in the jewellery box of somebody accused of masterminding a multi-million-pound diamond heist and, on finding it only contains a couple of pieces from Elizabeth Duke, assuming that they couldn't possibly have done it, as there's no way they might have hidden them elsewhere. So stupid, as well as discriminatory and highly questionable practice.''

Ha ha you're making the point so well, I'm laughing at this analogy!

Not worth going for OP
These jobs are highly coveted due to hours
It will go to someone who has extensive experience as this position is experience driven.

I work in Finance and this is a common thing. They will be checking to see if you were actually being supported by him and not in jail or something. It's no big deal really.

I had gaps in my enhanced DBS check record after a 3 month trip around the USA having been made redundant. Was ill and lived off savings as not eligible for benefits. Then my father died and I had to administer his estate which took the best part of a year (unpaid). Needed the DBS for temp agency work. I was able to evidence the gaps by providing my fathers death certificate and my name on the probate documents. Fortunately the agency manager understood such gaps. She said it was also very difficult for people leaving abusive homes/DV and starting a new life or new identity to 'prove'. Ironically my first temp job was in a prison!!!

An enhanced DBS does not require any third party verification. A partner's documents are not included in the list of required documentation. This is definitely not for the DBS check.

The only legitimate reason I can think of is in relation to Right to Work. If the ops partner is in the UK on a visa, the op can work. However for the visa to remain valid, the op's partner cannot change jobs without the Home Office being notified and a new visa being issued. However in that case, it would be more likely to ask for correspondence from the Home Office. Alternatively, and Reed is big enough to have access, right to work status can now be checked through the UKVI portal pending submission of documents.

I suspect this is a belt and braces approach arising from Reed relying on relatively inexperienced sales people who conflate the regulatory requirements with their own misunderstandings which then get written into the local office processes because nobody is experienced enough to refer upwards for expert advice.

I had to be positively vetted in relation to DH's job. I was approached directly for information about my finances and I imagine this was triangulated via credit agencies.

@TheJackieWeaver

It’s probably for DBS / safeguarding reasons. When applying for roles in schools you have to give a full employment history and explain any gaps. It’s not to judge or invade your privacy, but to check you weren’t in prison, not omitting a job from your cv, etc. I’ve never heard of anyone been asked for bank statements to prove it though! Maybe ask if they’d accept anything else? Or try calling one of the teaching unions for advice?

You don't need someone else's bank statements for a DBS check. The check will be with the police forces where the OP has/had an address so it would be completely pointless.

Any applicant would be expected to provide an explanation for gaps in employment, but that's all.

I spent 20 years in recruitment and never asked anyone that! If there was a gap in the cv I would ask for a character reference to cover that time.

I now work in a school, look at local school websites on on green sheets to apply for job direct. Schools prefer that anyway. Good luck OP 🙂

Still no idea how your husbands bank statement would prove you were not working.