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?

As I say it would be much better if nobody had to work whilst being a student.

I couldn't disagree more.
Working while you are a student has multiple benefits.

All I had was a student loan...no universal credit top up. Had no choice but to get a job as well.

It's hard work but it's not ridiculous...or are you expecting free money to do nothing all summer?

Maybe I should have put the word had in bold? Nobody should have to work as a student. Everyone should be free to do so if they wish.

If I hadn’t had to work I probably wouldn’t have though, and would have missed out on the positive things that it brought me.

I’ve just finished my second Masters with a and I worked in a chippy throughout ! Never too good to scrub floors.

why would I work when I would be coming out with the same amount of money than what I could not working?

I gave up on you when I read this.

Some of the comments on here are ridiculous. Yes of course a typical student should get a part time job to support themselves over the summer but they wouldn't be eligible for benefits anyway.
Op is a mature student, single and with dependents. She is also doing a full on degree. My dsis qualified last year as a SW, also a parent with 2 kids albeit married. She's pretty tough and found the course, particularly the placements, alongside juggling family life really tricky. But she got through it and is fab SW. she couldn't have taken on a part time job. She had assignments to do over the summer and had to do a placement for some of the summer.

I agree, the system is fucked, it's giving you the choice to work or not work and that's the problem, why is anyone going to work when they can get the same amount of money for doing bugger all. To be honest though, I would rather work than be on UC and as a role model to your daughter I think that's what you should do too. You do sound very entitled and not particularly flexible, in fact I don't know why you've even posted this thread as you've clearly stated that you will look for work because you have to but hope to be unsuccessful. What a waste of everyones time. You actually sound quite lazy so I'm not sure if being a SW is for you, it's a tough tough job and what are you going to do about childcare then?

You need to re-think your values, they sound very warped.

@Roodicus21

Some of the comments on here are ridiculous. Yes of course a typical student should get a part time job to support themselves over the summer but they wouldn't be eligible for benefits anyway. Op is a mature student, single and with dependents. She is also doing a full on degree. My dsis qualified last year as a SW, also a parent with 2 kids albeit married. She's pretty tough and found the course, particularly the placements, alongside juggling family life really tricky. But she got through it and is fab SW. she couldn't have taken on a part time job. She had assignments to do over the summer and had to do a placement for some of the summer.

Yet somehow the students on my course manage it......🤷🏼‍♀️

I think too many people these days expect the tax payer to fund their life choices. It was your decision to go to uni whilst you had a young child so it is your responsibility to ensure you have the means to live with that choice.

Thank goodness I'm not completely alone in the world. Personal responsibility is like a dirty phrase these days and anyone who uses it is deemed nasty, fascist etc.

Meanwhile people who make good decisions and take responsibility for themselves are cast as privileged.

I've done a social work degree as a single parent without family support, and I don't think OP is being unreasonable.

Yes, she could get a job in the summer, to spend all her wages on childcare,leaving her no better off financially and missing time with her daughter. For the sake of a few months enhanced UC , I really don't see the point.

She will not be able to work in her honours year. It includes a five month long full time work placement, and the academic demands are significant, a huge placement portfolio plus essays and then likely a dissertation to be working on at the same time. Plus parenting. Nope.

My university strongly advised against trying to work in term term alongside the degree, in any capacity.

[quote onedaybabywelbeold]@Babyroobs yes I told him today. He just said 'oh that is good'. [/quote]
Most people are remembering their student days as SINGLE people. Of course they had jobs, how else would they be funding all the fun stuff?

Working at minimum wage at a temporary job that has no relation to your career and gives you no financial benefit so you can turn round and give it to childcare is utterly pointless. You might as well go through the motions to keep UC happy and enjoy the summer holidays with your child. God knows once you qualify as a SW, it will be a heavy workload.

Well done for choosing SW; it’s such a tough job.

I just don't buy the concept she can't work in her final year, I worked part time the whole way through my SW degree including placements and I wasn't the only one.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

There is no point her bankrupting herself to pay for childcare so she can do a poorly paid job which will lead her absolutely nowhere.

That wouldn’t be happening because UC would pay the majority of the childcare costs. There are other reasons for her not to want to do it, but childcare costs aren’t really relevant here.

The OP would have to pay for most childcare upfront and be paid in arrears through UC at 85% of the childcare. So she would need a full months childcare before she even got paid so I’d say it was pretty relevant

@SerendipitousMe

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 totally agree. Good luck from me too, OP!

@lakesummer

I just don't buy the concept she can't work in her final year, I worked part time the whole way through my SW degree including placements and I wasn't the only one.

Was you also a single parent to a young child ?

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
Job has to fit around her daughter, ie. she can work for 1 month and then take 6 weeks off, and then come back for a week before she is off to Uni again....that's called 'I don't want a job

So we should have economic hardships only to protect us from our own bad choices? I don’t think that’s a great way to run a society.
I would also contend that if nobody had to work as a student there would be different benefits or incentives to work while studying that might make you make a different choice

I worked full time in hospitality while at uni and two jobs in the long summer hols. Everyone I know worked.

@Ickythefirebobby

Of course you should work through the summer. There is absolutely no excuse not to. My mother worked full time on shifts and did a degree at the same time. To be honest you’re coming across as a little entitled and lazy.

And that was with three children too.

Maybe I should have put the word had in bold? Nobody should have to work as a student. Everyone should be free to do so if they wish
How about my wish is to not pay any tax for 3 months and instead take 4 weeks off unpaid? Is this ok too?

@Cam2020

I think too many people these days expect the tax payer to fund their life choices. It was your decision to go to uni whilst you had a young child so it is your responsibility to ensure you have the means to live with that choice.

Thank goodness I'm not completely alone in the world. Personal responsibility is like a dirty phrase these days and anyone who uses it is deemed nasty, fascist etc.

Meanwhile people who make good decisions and take responsibility for themselves are cast as privileged.

That's strange because the OP here was been called privileged quite a few times for exactly the opposite?

@vivainsomnia

Maybe I should have put the word had in bold? Nobody should have to work as a student. Everyone should be free to do so if they wish How about my wish is to not pay any tax for 3 months and instead take 4 weeks off unpaid? Is this ok too?

Are you a student?

That's strange because the OP here was been called privileged quite a few times for exactly the opposite?

Because she is.

I'm taking issue with people who are branded 'privileged' by not having a cluseter fuck of a life. They are not privileged, they've made good decisions.

@Cam2020

That's strange because the OP here was been called privileged quite a few times for exactly the opposite?

Because she is.

I'm taking issue with people who are branded 'privileged' by not having a cluseter fuck of a life. They are not privileged, they've made good decisions.

And you think going back to university to try and improve conditions for yourself and your child counts as having a 'cluster fuck of a life'?

she finished school for the summer end of June

We're not even halfway through June yet?