To think being forced to get a job when a student is ridiculous?

[onedaybabywelbeold]

I am a 29 year old single mum, I have just finished my 3rd year at uni and going into my honours year. I worked for 10 years full time before going back to education. During the term year I receive student loan which is topped up by universal credit. I have about 1100 pounds to do me for the month so it's doable but tight.

Now that uni is finished for the summer I am obviously getting more universal credit to see me through. However, today I had to meet with my work coach and he told me I should be job hunting for a job over the summer and should treat job hunting as a full time job.

I told him that I might struggle to get a job as I can only work during the hours my daughter is in school, I have no one to help me and she finished school for the summer end of June. Also I told him it would be hard to get a job as I would be leaving again in September, to which he suggested I stay in a job whilst at uni as 'you don't really have to do much work until the end of the year'.

To be honest I don't really want to work when at uni, I mean I wouldn't be any better off than I would be on universal credit yet running with a substantial decrease in time so why would I? Honesty I don't understand the point in this, surely it's just wasting employers time as I'm not very serious about getting a job as I don't have the childcare. However, I'm worried that if I don't get a job they'll start reducing my payment.

AIBU to think the system is absolutely fucked?

[quote Batlady8]@Dddccc the OP has young children therefore is allowed UC. Where does it state in official guidelines that she has to look for work, as a full time student with young children?
Everyone keeps stating that but no one has provided any official links to government documents.[/quote]
I'm not totally sure but aren't student loans only to cover study periods? So over the summer OP will have to claim the JSA element of UC, if her child is over 3 (which it sounds like she is as OP said she is at school) then you do have to look for work.

@Graphista

What I find off-putting is the competitive “you think you had it bad? My bad was so much better than yours ”. Congratulations for your own achievements through hardship - but maybe stop wagging your finger at the OP. And stop hoping that she won’t get her placement by somebody’s mate turning down her placement. It’s ever so Victorian.

there's a complete shortage for social workers, there are ALWAYS jobs in that field so I will not struggle on that front.

You might need to take a long hard look at your work ethic if you want to be a decent social worker. I suspect you may be in for a shock - there's a reason there is 'always' jobs in that field.

They probably don’t have children to care of on top of that too I mean 😂

If you read my posts you'll see that's not always the case.

Students on my course are almost all mature students with children and it's rare for them not to work.

I would also argue that those that don't work are at a disadvantage when it comes to job hunting after the course.

@Waxonwaxoff0 the guidelines state “ If you are already receiving UC the amount you receive should be adjusted over the summer to reflect a change in student income”
Therefore the OPs UC will increase due to no student finance in the summer. The OP does not have to apply for JSA every summer of her degree.

I have been teaching University students for many years, the ones that struggle the most are the students without financial support from home, and the class inequalities have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. I’ve had precious few single parents as students, and they were actually amongst the most motivated but equally found it harder to network outside of school hours and get Industry placements for stupidly little money. On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of super-privileged but utterly mediocre students who got excellent connections through their families and will do well regardless of the effort they put in. The OP has worked full time and will work full time, she just questioned the validity of a system that expects her to treat her final university year as not that important and favour the kind of job that she would get without the degree she’s been working so hard for. Calling her entitled and lazy is infantilising and a bit nasty.

Good luck OP!

I did a SW masters: two years, two 100 day placements on top of academic studies, and a thesis.

I didn’t know anyone on our course who didn’t work alongside studying, barring two people. The bursary simply wasn’t enough. I’m very surprised that you don’t know many students on your course working. It’s standard. To be able to just purely study and not work as well you had to be independently wealthy, supported financially by a partner, or by somebody else. Everyone who wasn’t being funded by family or a partner worked.

@DelBocaVista
What course is it?
I have met a lot of student social workers through my job and those with young children didn’t work and they all got a job within the Local Authority that they did there last placement in.

Studying for a degree with placements is a full job. Being a single parent is a full time job. In no way are you being unreasonable to not want to work or make pointless applications over the summer.

Yes many of us worked while studying but also mostly without kids and also: so what if other people worked while studying? Just because we had to do something to make ends meet doesn't mean OP should. From my perspective as a tax payer and member of society, I would rather people were supported and empowered to really focus on their studies. We need more deep thinkers and we need to give them the financial support to develop in their studies.

It is really brave of OP to go back to uni while also parenting and I applaud her for making it so far in her studies. Well done and I hope you get some good rest over the summer.

Bamoon I think the benefit system is now set up with the expectation that people either work or spend full time hours looking for a job once their youngest is at school.

Doesn't matter what the job is as long as you're off the 'job seeker' system.

I don't agree that making people take any low skilled, poorly paid job that they can so they earn money to put their child/ren into childcare is good either for the children or in terms of upskilling and training people that the country needs in key jobs.

Batlady8 has made some good points on this thread.

I had my first part time job at 16 whilst at 6th form. I worked all holidays. I also worked whilst at uni. I did a wide variety of jobs.

I never claimed benefits

However, you do have a child to consider

Part time work is good to put on your CV

It is idiotic that the system is actively trying to sabotage those who are upskilling themselves rather than to aid them in getting appropriate secondary employment. I avoided signing on when I was told to effectively abandon my PhD write-up to get any assistance.

I've known people with excellent skills struggle because they have limited network opportunities and these are limited as an undergrad, whether more fortunate people got jobs via connections during the summer and got more jobs/funding postgrad.

This is a serious issue and we would do well to contact our MPs about this.

Calling her entitled and lazy is infantilising and a bit nasty
People are not commenting on her working whilst at Uni but in between, ie. the 3 months, 1/4 of a year, she isn't. OP wants a break and not having to deal with the pain of childcare whilst still getting an income to support herself. Don't we all wish we could take 3 months off paid, even if low, to enjoy the summer with our kids!

Also, depending onn your location it is perfectly possible to spend all summer looking for jobs and not get a single one. I never worked all holidays until my third year since I didn't get a job over all holidays.

while OP and her disdain for shelf stacking may make her out to be a princess she’s not wrong - if she gets the same amount on benefits and working why should she work?

@SamusIsAGirl

It is idiotic that the system is actively trying to sabotage those who are upskilling themselves rather than to aid them in getting appropriate secondary employment. I avoided signing on when I was told to effectively abandon my PhD write-up to get any assistance.

I've known people with excellent skills struggle because they have limited network opportunities and these are limited as an undergrad, whether more fortunate people got jobs via connections during the summer and got more jobs/funding postgrad.

This is a serious issue and we would do well to contact our MPs about this.

Even in real situation, the person isn't being told to leave the uni tho. She is told she should work over summer holidays. That's not "actively trying to sabotage" someone.

OP I hope you have every success for the future, but I'm sure you can understand why some of your comments have been taken badly. There are mums on here who work the jobs you said are dull and boring to support their children. It's not that this is the job they dreamed of in school, but it's what feeds their kids. I know you didn't mean it that way but it did sound a bit graceless.
If you can get by on UC for the summer, that's great and will give you quality time with your daughter.

@SchrodingersImmigrant actually the OP is about how the advisor suggested she keep the job throughout uni. Not just work in the holidays...
Nowhere did OP say she wasn’t applying just that the job has to fit around her daughter ... that and just for the summer might make it hard.

Social work is a profession that often attracts mature students. Most people are older and have commitments including mortgages and children. OP is not unique in her struggles. It’s very hard but it’s not unusual.

For those going on about placements, uni and study, it’s irrelevant. Placements and lectures are term time. OP is being asked to work in her SUMMER HOLIDAY - no placements and no lectures!

Benefits side, her attitude isn’t fitting with social work ethics and values.

I work in a dental hospital so these students are essentially working as dentists all day then going home to a mountain of coursework, most of them have jobs on the side too.

Also I've just seen that you volunteer. Surely it would make sense to quit that and swap it for a paid job?

[quote Batlady8]@DelBocaVista
What course is it?
I have met a lot of student social workers through my job and those with young children didn’t work and they all got a job within the Local Authority that they did there last placement in.[/quote]
It's a professional masters which has a significant placement and professional practice element. The placement requirements are set by our professional body so are non negotiable and assessed.

It's a professional area which is currently experiencing a skills shortage.
Nearly all my students work and those are the students that find it easy to get jobs and tend to get the more desirable, higher paid jobs. This is a course that runs for 12 months full time and 24 months part time with teaching and work during the summer - unlike an UG course my students don't get 3 months off over the summer.... yet they still work.

I don't think it is unreasonable to assume students who do have the summer off should be working.

if she gets the same amount on benefits and working why should she work?
FGS, why not! Why so many people nowadays are taking benefits for granted? It's not a case of 'I should only work if I'm better off than claiming benefits', but ' I have no choice to claim because I can't get a job'.

This new status quo of benefit entitlement is why the system is a mess and had to move to UC. OP HAS to look for a job as part of the rules. Just sitting on her bottom enjoying the summer is not an option any longer because there is no reason for it to be.

I understand it is hard to get a job during term time if your course is full time, but there is no reason whatsoever not to get a job in the holidays. You have a long summer, you need to be looking for work for that. I’m glad UC are picking up on this as benefits should not be for those who can’t be bothered to get a job.

[quote LateAtTate]@SchrodingersImmigrant actually the OP is about how the advisor suggested she keep the job throughout uni. Not just work in the holidays...
Nowhere did OP say she wasn’t applying just that the job has to fit around her daughter ... that and just for the summer might make it hard.[/quote]
Why wouldn't someone suggest you may want to keep the job. It's nkt a rule though. It's a suggestion... People suggest to other people all kinds of stuff.
In any matter none of that is "active sabotaging" of someone studying.