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 😩

I have recently been vetted twice for new jobs. What a shit show. I was asked for a copy of my marriage certificate to prove my change of name. I pointed out that a marriage certificate does not change my name, it merely evidences the fact I got married. People change their name after marriage by convention. That sent them into a bit of tizzy until they checked and discovered that I am correct. The fact that I use my maiden name professionally, and my married name privately, caused them no end of confusion - I thought this was something that a lot of people did but they could not understand this at all. The fact that my driving licence is in one name and my passport is in another must have given them palpitations! I was also told that I have something called a "Legal name" - there is no such concept in British Law. You can call yourself anything you like. I have also been asked to "account" for my time as a SAHP - I offered to send a photo of my child and emails confirming the PTA meetings, coffee mornings etc. My previous prospective employer intervened at that stage! These vetting companies are ignorant of the law, are run by idiots and ask for evidence that in many cases does not exist or to which they are not entitled. I suspect many of them use US based software or similar. It's classic "computer says no" territory. I pushed back hard, but politely, on the silly requests I received. I seem to have passed! Certainly do not give them your DH's bank statements. You can sign a short statement confirming that you have not been in employment, that is all that is needed. This sort of thing is deeply sexist and misogynist in my view. Many women have periods at home looking after children, or elderly relatives, that these vetting agencies seem to treat these periods as potentially criminal and mysterious is just wrong.

Are they even allowed to ask for your husbands bank statements considering you could just give them without his permission? This sounds insane why would a DBS check not cover you? I’m really not sure if this is GDPR compliant.

I wouldn’t have a problem if they wanted my partners

I accept that working with vulnerable people they want to carry out full background checks

Other agencies may not ask the op can look around

@motherloaded

Because men with sufficient become would only marry a woman that was appropriate. If she is good enough for a husband with an income then she is good enough for the school. Seems legit.

😂😂😂

Yeah, sounds about right.

But you know, looking at the TA cars in the school car park, you might have more a point that you though 😂

I'm going to have a good HaHaHa at this top comment too Reed are ridiculous if seriously asking for a DH bank statement. There are so many possible life scenarios : Applicant may be single, living on UC, may not have access to husbands (private) bank statements. Reed or Employer would run a DBS check to discover employee's past surely ?!

@OhWhyNot

I wouldn’t have a problem if they wanted my partners

I accept that working with vulnerable people they want to carry out full background checks

Other agencies may not ask the op can look around

What if your partner had an issue with providing his statements for no legitimate reason?

They don't need them

Maybe someone who works at Reed may come on and explain why this is

As a Chair of Governors I completed a course last week on Safer Recruitment in Education.

Gaps in a CV are one of the first things to look for and the explanations need to be verified. I must admit that looking at a Partner’s bank statements wouldn’t have crossed my mind and there would be other ways to check. I would assume that this is Reed’s policy and would have been thoroughly checked out by their Legal team.

It’s a case really for Education employers of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

Mumsnet would go nuclear if it was revealed that a TA had been in jail in Thailand for sex with children but had told the school that they had been on an extended holiday……everyone would, rightly, want to know why it wasn’t checked 🤷🏻‍♀️.

NB: OP I am NOT insinuating that you have been in jail in Thailand or anywhere else! 💐💐

@EstuaryBird
How would the husbands bank statement prove that though?

How would looking at a bank statement show one way or another that they were or were not in Jail in Thailand?

I started a job in 2017 (it was actually going back to my old job but I had to reapply etc) and because of the 5 year check thing they wanted bank statements from 2012 to show how I supported myself for 1 month due to the dates being 1 month out.

I phoned them and told them they weren't getting them as 1. It was on a joint account at the time and 2. It was my ex husbands account, don't think he would be too pleased to give me old bank statements.

Then they asked for proof when I was unemployed for another 2 weeks. I ended a job 22nd July 2017 and started a new one on 8th August. But that wasn't good enough, again they wanted bank statements and proof. I told them I had an 8 month old child and I got my last wage on 15th Aug so I didn't need to prove anything to them as I ended my job when I was on maternity leave.

I also had one many years ago that wanted my then husband to write a letter to show he was supporting me etc because I wasn't working or claiming or looking after children. This was right at the recession when everyone was unemployed and I couldn't claim as his wages were too much.

But @EstuaryBird looking at her husband’s bank statements doesn’t prove anything about alleged sex tourism. References would be reasonable & appropriate, I think.

I can’t see why a partner would have an issue if I’m applying to work in this area

What if you were recently separated and your StBXH was financially abusive. I can’t see him handing over bank statements in that instance, just asking would make him go batshit.

Reed obviously haven't thought it through, as it also means anybody disabled who has had periods of being unable to work and hasn't qualified for benefits due to the income of a partner is automatically failing their checks. And anybody who has entered the country in the last ten years, perhaps as a refugee?

As a Governor, would you be happy to know that disabled potential applicants or those who had been awarded refugee status in the last ten years were being filtered out before being passed to yourselves?

Ridiculous. Your husband’s bank statements will not reveal anything of relevance here! Take it higher, it’s completely stupid.

What the actual fuck?! This is completely unacceptable.

The chances of a husband's bank statements providing proof that a woman has not been in jail are so minuscule as to be non existent, as are indeed the chances of a woman applying for a job having been in jail.

The chances of a man applying for a job having previously been jailed are statistically somewhat higher, but this is generally not a bar to male emoyment on many fields and again, a spouse's bank statements would hardly provide much proof either way.

What about women who don't have husbands but who have had caring responsibilities, or sex or pregnancy related health issues causing gaps in their employment history?

All this expecting women to provide court level evidence of employment gaps simply places hurdles to employment of women that don't impact men in the same way.

Doesnt make sense how would your dh bank statments prove anything about you

What if you were single? A widow? Your husband didn’t work but you loved off inheritance or family wealth?
It really is none of their business and I’m a bit shocked they had the balls to ask!

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.

Which will be picked up by DBS checks. No need to see bank statements.

I’m single always been a single parent

I handed over my bank statements for background checks and when my advanced dbs was applied for (nhs)

The point here is I'd want to know WHY they want it. It proves nothing about YOUR history, your conduct, what you've been doing etc. How you've lived in the time of no employment is not relevant. You could have had a lottery win, you could have been in prison or hospital or running an illegal drugs operation! None of that is proved by your and certainly not his bank statements!

I can't see a situation in reverse where a man is asked for his wife's statements.

Like a pp said if you weren't married would they want your mum and dad's?!

I work with the vulnerable, have had dbs checks for numerous roles employed and voluntary and have never had to prove "how I've been supported". I can't believe some people have willingly complied with this without questioning further.

It would be intrusive to look into your bank statements to ask to see a husband's feels like we've gone back to the 19th century and being the "property" of our male relatives

I don’t see how that matters anyway ,
You could of been ill taking a break why do you need to prove you have been supported ?
Obviously you have been supported if you have breaks but it’s irrelevant to them how . Tell them to jog on .

Mumsnet would go nuclear if it was revealed that a TA had been in jail in Thailand for sex with children but had told the school that they had been on an extended holiday……everyone would, rightly, want to know why it wasn’t checked

Which is why we have checks which are specifically designed to pick these things up. Anything beyond those checks is over stepping. It is actually none of your business what the gap in my CV is. The only question is, am I qualified and experienced for the job?

People are entitled to privacy about their finances (unless they're applying for certain financial things, obviously). Personally I'm dreadful with money (trying to get better) and would be really embarrassed to have to show my bank statements over several years so that some strangers could judge me. I've never done anything dodgy or been in prison, though. Totally unrelated.