Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Cam2020 · 08/06/2021 22:44

incredulity

Bollocks989 · 08/06/2021 22:44

I worked when at uni, but I wasn't a single mum or parent. Give the op some slack guys!

smallgoon · 08/06/2021 23:41

@Bollocks989

I worked when at uni, but I wasn't a single mum or parent. Give the op some slack guys!
Bullies need a victim...
smallgoon · 08/06/2021 23:42

@SerendipitousMe

Those who think that they were better students by doing part-time (or even full-time) paid work during your student years - sorry, but you must be kidding.

As a teacher, I see many students working practically full-time in a full-time degree and, hard as they try, they achieve only a fraction of what they would if they only had the one job of actually being a student. It’s the harsh reality of today’s education system after the introduction of fees, but this system is nothing to be proud of.

Time and time again I see my students admitting that they only spent few hours on projects that needed many days because they had to work - and I believe them - but of course the work would have benefitted from more time actually spent on it! You need time to research, time to ruminate, time to write/make drafts and tests and final versions, and if you have several other jobs going, you simply can’t make the most of what’s offered study-wise.

The English education system treats the students as paying customers rather than nurturing them in the optimal learning circumstances.

Those of you with full-time professional jobs, would you also choose to have a number of part-time, irrelevant and badly paid gigs on the side to make your main job better? Probably not.

I have been a full-time student with no fees and only had to do holiday/weekend work in order to earn. Worked very well.

I have also been a full-time mature student while working part-time jobs and with small kids. Much, much harder, even though my partner also supports the family, so entirely different scenario to the OP.

Nothing about wanting to retrain with a small kid as a single parent is entitled or spoilt or sponging off. The language of these posts drips with tabloid venom.

Sensible post alert. Don't get many of these around here.
Volhhg · 09/06/2021 00:55

Wow the capitalist bootlicking single mum haters are raging on here!!!

Torvean · 09/06/2021 01:25

Everyone had some kind of job after 1st year, when I was at uni. I managed to keep one even though I had to go away on placement.
There will be summer jobs going. Retail is good. Or a food place, doing breakfast/lunch shifts.

Billandben444 · 09/06/2021 05:54

Nothing about wanting to retrain with a small kid as a single parent is entitled or spoilt or sponging off. The language of these posts drips with tabloid venom.

True, but the OP lost a lot of support by asking why should she work when she won't get any more money than from UC and that the part-time jobs around are boring and don't interest her (paraphrasing here).

Waxonwaxoff0 · 09/06/2021 06:00

@Volhhg

Wow the capitalist bootlicking single mum haters are raging on here!!!
I am a single mum. I don't care if OP works but I hate the helpless "I can't possibly work because I have no childcare" when plenty of us manage it without much or any family help.

Just say you don't want to work.

Elsielouise13 · 09/06/2021 06:42

[quote onedaybabywelbeold]@VettiyaIruken no I can't just say no, I have to prove in my journal what I'm applying for and so I will apply and attend interviews all the whilst hoping I'm not successful. [/quote]
Great attitude and one that will be very obvious to anyone recruiting.

Wasting the time of others also appreciated. Not.

You sound rather selfish OP and with your chosen SW career goal I hope you develop the mindset of being more self sufficient to model what you may need to support others to achieve in due course.

SD1978 · 09/06/2021 06:43

You are coming off a bit condescending. Many people have to work to supplement their degrees. Your counter argument of childcare in the holidays.....you will have that issue when you get a job, so it doesn't seem like a good argument for now. You have decided you don't want to work during the holidays- fine. But instead of trying to justify just be honest. You don't want to work and you're miffed you're being expected to.

Handsnotwands · 09/06/2021 07:00

@Taliskerskye

There are some real nasty arsed bitter aresholes on this thread!!
They’re probably exhausted and stressed after managing jobs and childcare
vivainsomnia · 09/06/2021 07:20

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
You've clearly forgotten the title of this thread and the comments about how OP doesn't want to do a boring job. The guy most likely mentioned continuing to work during her studies because he probably got fed up of her excuses as to why she couldn't work in the summer. She is looking because she has no choice and that's what she is moaning about.

So what that she's worked 10 years. Should all those who decide to take 3 months off every summer get to claim benefits? Being a student changes nothing at all. She would have to look for work if he wasn't a student and was available to work. She is available to work, and therefore should take the step to look for a job. It doesn't mean she will find one, but yes, she should do everything with her time to look for one.

The sense of entitlement of sadly too many people is staggering. The normalisation of claiming benefits whenever it suits is scary, especially when it becomes so engrained in one's culture that it is bound to be passed on to the next generation. Thank God for UC and the new rules that takes benefits back to what they are for, a mean to surviving when you have no other option to support yourself, not a lifestyle choice to make one's life easier or more pleasant.

SamusIsAGirl · 09/06/2021 07:32

Why are people assuming that she doesn't want to work?

It is that now she does not want to work since there is no extra money to be made but a lot of extra stress and childcare which will eat it up - therefore as of now it is pointless? She has a child - you appear to be misstaking her for one of my exes who DID seemed put out that he might need to get a job at some point over the three month vacation so he actually had money at the beginning of the year.

This throws up a bigger problem about silos in the government and the de-skilling and undermining of careers advice. Just imagine what could be achieved if the DofE and DWP collaborated and shared data!

There would be job advisers for student parents! Sensible career advice! Just imagine that! DWP advicers who can give appropriate advice to disabled people, not pretending to be Jesus!

Strange that the same people who dumped on my inability to work with my peers at school recoil in horror at the thought of working with theirs...

ChubbyMsSunshine · 09/06/2021 07:41

@trevthecat

If you have time to volunteer you have time to work

I don't. I've done 3 volunteer shifts this week vaccinating people in Burnley. I've not had a break during these shifts. Ok that was my choice as we were so busy. Op didn't say what she was doing whilst volunteering. Maybe she is doing the same

@trevthecat The PP means that OP could use the time currently spent volunteering to actually get a paid job, thereby fulfilling the requirements for UC which she seems impossible.
RedthroatedCaracara · 09/06/2021 07:54

OP - just pay lip service to your "work coach" and enjoy the summer with your DD. No point paying for childcare whilst you work at a minimum wage job just to tick some boxes. You're working towards a better future for you and your DD. Best of luck.

Babyroobs · 09/06/2021 07:58

I very much doubt her Uc will be stopped if she doesn't find a job. they seem to do very little about enforcing any of their rules which were designed to get people back to work. When Uc was introduced it was meant to be stricter on getting people back to work when their kids reached school age ( whether single parents or in a couple ), but in reality very little is done ( in my experience).

DelBocaVista · 09/06/2021 08:00

There would be job advisers for student parents! Sensible career advice! Just imagine that! DWP advicers who can give appropriate advice to disabled people, not pretending to be Jesus!

That's part of the problem - in the vast majority of cases DWP advisers aren't qualified careers advisers.... the government talked about the importance of good careers advice then didn't bother stipulating that DWP advisers had any guidance qualifications at all. Probably so they could pay them peanuts. Ridiculous.

millymoo1202 · 09/06/2021 08:06

I kind of get what you are saying as my daughter is about to go on her last SW placement as didn’t get last year due to covid so will be full on, her tutor advised you will not be able to work during this due to work load. She had worked up until now though but obviously doesn’t have a child. Good luck to you on finishing

DelBocaVista · 09/06/2021 08:07

@SerendipitousMe

Those who think that they were better students by doing part-time (or even full-time) paid work during your student years - sorry, but you must be kidding.

As a teacher, I see many students working practically full-time in a full-time degree and, hard as they try, they achieve only a fraction of what they would if they only had the one job of actually being a student. It’s the harsh reality of today’s education system after the introduction of fees, but this system is nothing to be proud of.

Time and time again I see my students admitting that they only spent few hours on projects that needed many days because they had to work - and I believe them - but of course the work would have benefitted from more time actually spent on it! You need time to research, time to ruminate, time to write/make drafts and tests and final versions, and if you have several other jobs going, you simply can’t make the most of what’s offered study-wise.

The English education system treats the students as paying customers rather than nurturing them in the optimal learning circumstances.

Those of you with full-time professional jobs, would you also choose to have a number of part-time, irrelevant and badly paid gigs on the side to make your main job better? Probably not.

I have been a full-time student with no fees and only had to do holiday/weekend work in order to earn. Worked very well.

I have also been a full-time mature student while working part-time jobs and with small kids. Much, much harder, even though my partner also supports the family, so entirely different scenario to the OP.

Nothing about wanting to retrain with a small kid as a single parent is entitled or spoilt or sponging off. The language of these posts drips with tabloid venom.

There are a lots of generalisations being made here.

It really depends on your course and the individual. I used to employ students and many of them still achieved firsts and 2:1s.

No student should be working full time - most universities make it clear to students that they shouldn't work for more than 15 hours a week otherwise it could impact on their studies.

Working can be very beneficial- I encourage my students to work as it does enhance their employability skills and most universities have a job shop to help students find part time work. It's ingrained into the university experience.

And students working isn't a new thing....I went to university 25 years ago and worked. Most people did - even if it was just over the summer.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 09/06/2021 08:18

@RedthroatedCaracara

OP - just pay lip service to your "work coach" and enjoy the summer with your DD. No point paying for childcare whilst you work at a minimum wage job just to tick some boxes. You're working towards a better future for you and your DD. Best of luck.
I work a minumum wage job and pay childcare, should I not bother then?
Cam2020 · 09/06/2021 08:30

I work a minumum wage job and pay childcare, should I not bother then?

This is exactly what pisses me off about people like the OP. There are people in this country who work hard for little reward while others take, take, take - at the expense of those other people. Such a bad attitude and not one that lends well to being a SW IMO.

SofiaMichelle · 09/06/2021 08:37

@SerendipitousMe

I have been a full-time student with no fees and only had to do holiday/weekend work in order to earn. Worked very well.

But that's exactly what the OP is being told she needs to do - work during the long summer break.

I don't understand your angle here.

Lebowitzlove · 09/06/2021 08:39

@Volhhg

Wow the capitalist bootlicking single mum haters are raging on here!!!
Funnily enough there is another thread where youth violence is also being placed at the door of single mothers ( too busy working to properly raise their children).
christinarossetti19 · 09/06/2021 09:12

But the school summer break isn't that long. It has already started where OP lives (possibly Scotland), where schools return mid-August.

I am still intrigued by how many posters on this thread seem to be able to access affordable, all day childcare at short-notice or on as 'as and when' basis which is what OP would need.

Summer holiday childcare round here at least gets booked up week in advance.

moynomore · 09/06/2021 09:35

Wow the capitalist bootlicking single mum haters are raging on here!!!

Oh please. It is not that at all. It is the unabashed entitlement dripping from the OP and her grubby attitude about work, that's all. I get working might not be feasible, but the idea that maybe she should does not mean the system is "absolutely fucked".

What if everyone quit working in their late twenties for four years with a child and no family help and relied on state aid? How on earth could that be sustainable. She has made a choice that works for her, fine. But we don't all have to congratulate her on that choice. Also, the working for 10 years is absolutely irrelevant. Unless the OP was on a ridiculously high salary, she's been a net taker in respect of taxation for all those years. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't entitle you to anything.

Swipe left for the next trending thread