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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

615 replies

onedaybabywelbeold · 07/06/2021 20:01

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?

OP posts:
SamusIsAGirl · 08/06/2021 13:20

The reason that things are this way is the current set up doesn't want people who aren't priviliged acquiring it - heaven forbid that poor people want to upgrade their lives at different points in their life.

Boris and Co are rather twitchy about education because they do not want critical thinkers, creators and collaborators. They want servants, minions, corpses.

I would be happy to take the risk of funding eternal students if it means that people can do degrees and re-skill at any time in life. The system is broken if you think someone doing an MLM is somehow better than someone staying on UC for a bit longer. I'd have still looked for jobs and worked during my undergrad anyway.

And 5 years isn't a long time but it counts as a long time to this current leadership. And we wonder why we are in a climate change emergency.

Oh and fuck you and your stupid boat you disaster capitalist pigfucker.

vivainsomnia · 08/06/2021 13:20

Are you a student?
Why should it make a difference? OP CAN work but doesn't want to. Being a student makes no difference.

vivainsomnia · 08/06/2021 13:23

It's a choice to have children before getting a degree. We are extremely fortunate in this country that it is still possible to do so after having children. We are very fortunate that tax payers will facilitate it.

Yet so many entitled people who always want more and place themselves as victims when they are expected to do like everyone else, support yourself when you are in a position to do so.

applespearslemons · 08/06/2021 13:29

What's your degree in OP?

News flash! You don't necessarily get a job that you enjoy. It's a job not a hobby.

Everyone gotta work. You are an adult and you chose to have kids so you gotta step up and support them

ElberethGilthoniel · 08/06/2021 13:30

@vivainsomnia

Are you a student? Why should it make a difference? OP CAN work but doesn't want to. Being a student makes no difference.
Well of course it makes a difference. When you are a student you have a lot of unpaid stuff that you need to do. The OP also has a baby to look after.

Also, if you want to take 4 weeks off and get paid, I'm pretty sure the standard 20 days annual leave would suffice. It's nice that we all have that to enjoy isn't it? I imagine people used to be called lazy and privileged for wanting such things in the past. Thankfully people decided that that wasn't acceptable and we all now have the benefit of that. Might be a lesson there 🤔

applespearslemons · 08/06/2021 13:32

You'd definitely get temp work. Most likely admin job working from home

Cam2020 · 08/06/2021 13:39

Calling her entitled and lazy is infantilising and a bit nasty.

Infantilising? But expecting other people to pay for you is, what, adult?! I'm all for people being able to take back control over their lives and having some help but some people are just piss takers.

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'?

I wasn't specifically talking about the OP here, I was highlighting the argument. People who make good life decisions always end up picking up the tab for those
who don't and are called privileged by way of thanks if they object to anything.

ElberethGilthoniel · 08/06/2021 13:46

@Cam2020

Calling her entitled and lazy is infantilising and a bit nasty.

Infantilising? But expecting other people to pay for you is, what, adult?! I'm all for people being able to take back control over their lives and having some help but some people are just piss takers.

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'?

I wasn't specifically talking about the OP here, I was highlighting the argument. People who make good life decisions always end up picking up the tab for those
who don't and are called privileged by way of thanks if they object to anything.

By 'people who make good life decisions' do you mean the people in the highest tax bracket?
notthemum · 08/06/2021 13:47

Onedaybabywillbeold.
As I grew up everyone I knew who went to university also had jobs. I cannot believe that you want to enter a profession such as social work, when your post comes across as You definitely believe that you are better than anyone else.(you are not).
Throughout life adults have to work. If they are lucky they may get an interesting job that they love. However for some people through no fault of their own this may never happen.

You seem to think that we should all work so that you don't have to ? You sound very entitled and if you have always been this way then I am disgusted that you ever managed to get onto a social work course as these are not the easiest to get onto and the interviewer usually does try to look for people that they believe could have excellent people skills, a firm but fair approach to life and can demonstrate genuine empathy.
With the attitude that you çurrently appear to have, this does not come across and although some people wii and do need social workers they do not need some judgey woman sitting on her high horse giving her opinion that she probably got out of a book.

Taliskerskye · 08/06/2021 13:48

There are some real nasty arsed bitter aresholes on this thread!!

Cam2020 · 08/06/2021 14:14

By 'people who make good life decisions' do you mean the people in the highest tax bracket?

Not at all. I mean people who take responsibility for themselves. Plenty of people in lower incomes work bloody hard and don't expect other people to pay for them. Some of those people will be financing people like the OP, who doesn't fancy a job cleaning or stacking shelves, because they wont enjoy it! Won't lower herself to that sort of job, but will happily take the money from people doing them!

Waxonwaxoff0 · 08/06/2021 14:22

@ElberethGilthoniel

OP does not have a baby, she has a school age child.

blahblah789 · 08/06/2021 14:28

You absolutely should be working.
I’m a single parent to an 8 year old, work a part time job and have been studying with university for the past couple of years.

It’s possible with good time management.

newtb · 08/06/2021 14:34

I won't enjoy it and it won't interest me

Well, welcome to the real world.
You sound incredibly immature and entitled. Are you really sure that sw is the job for you?

Phatpheasant · 08/06/2021 15:06

Also, a recent work history will stand you well for job applications. I recruit as part of my SW job and recent work experience is always a real positive.

vivainsomnia · 08/06/2021 15:11

When you are a student you have a lot of unpaid stuff that you need to do. The OP also has a baby to look after
But OP won't be doing any studies in the summer months! She doesn't have a baby either.

She's not being asked to work 40 hours in addition to studying, but indeed to work, like everyone else, when she is not doing another FT activity. What is this so hard to grasp?

christinarossetti19 · 08/06/2021 15:16

Is 10 years previous work experience not a positive then?

christinarossetti19 · 08/06/2021 15:17

"when she is not doing another FT activity"

Ah, now having been on MN for a few years, I thought looking after a young child was a full time activity.

Or is that just for SAHP with high earning partners?

LateAtTate · 08/06/2021 15:31

@vivainsomnia again, the original OP was actually about the OP’s worth about struggling to find a job that would fit around her child in summer only - and the advisor’s reply that she should keep it throughout her final year!
If she’s 29 and has worked for 10 years previously that means she’s been working since she was a teenager. Hardly a slacker.
Also if you read the rest OP has actually been applying to jobs - she’s just worried they’d reduce her UC if she doesn’t find anything.
Seriously people ...

DelBocaVista · 08/06/2021 15:40

I won't enjoy it and it won't interest me

Tbh she lost a lot of people at this point.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 08/06/2021 15:54

@christinarossetti19

"when she is not doing another FT activity"

Ah, now having been on MN for a few years, I thought looking after a young child was a full time activity.

Or is that just for SAHP with high earning partners?

The child is school age, so it's not a full time activity. Being a SAHP to a school age child isn't like being a SAHP to a baby or toddler.
moynomore · 08/06/2021 16:01

AIBU to think the system is absolutely fucked?

It is if people who are 29 years old and have children can make the choices you seem to be able to make. Why shouldn't you have to work? I honestly don't understand.

christinarossetti19 · 08/06/2021 16:33

Waxonwaxoff0 what else is childcare for a lone parent during the summer holidays if it's not a full time activity?

moyonomore OP is a lone parent who has worked full time for 10 years and is now doing a full time degree to improve her work prospects and her family's future.

Which of those choices do you consider to be fucked up?

Waxonwaxoff0 · 08/06/2021 17:00

@christinarossetti19

Waxonwaxoff0 what else is childcare for a lone parent during the summer holidays if it's not a full time activity?

moyonomore OP is a lone parent who has worked full time for 10 years and is now doing a full time degree to improve her work prospects and her family's future.

Which of those choices do you consider to be fucked up?

It's not childcare, it's parenting your own child.
christinarossetti19 · 08/06/2021 17:01

Yes, quite. It's a full time activity for lone parents.