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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:
GiantToadstool · 10/06/2021 16:08

But this isnt about term time working but summer holidays. When I was at Oxbridge lots of people worked summer holidays..

christinarossetti19 · 10/06/2021 16:35

The fuller quote from OP

"To be honest I don't really want to work when at uni..."

moynomore · 10/06/2021 17:48

Because she wouldn't be better off and it would be more stressful. That's life I'm afraid. Working and stress and paying your own bills.

christinarossetti19 · 10/06/2021 18:14

Which is exactly what OP does.

I can completely understand why she doesn't want to spend time looking for a job that she's not going to be able to do because she doesn't have childcare (her child finished school at the end of June).

The suggestions that she 'find childcare' the moment she is offered a job when the summer holidays have already started are laughable.

But people from all walks of life seem to enjoy a bit of single mum bashing.

OverTheRubicon · 10/06/2021 18:21

@GiantToadstool

But this isnt about term time working but summer holidays. When I was at Oxbridge lots of people worked summer holidays..
Out of touch comment of the week? 'At Oxbridge', how many of you had children that you needed to find childcare for at short notice and that was affordable in low wage seasonal jobs that are now often zero hour contracts with shifts that can change with 24 hour notice? Hmm
moynomore · 10/06/2021 18:32

But people from all walks of life seem to enjoy a bit of single mum bashing.

Really not single mum bashing. She referred to the system as "absolutely fucked" and "ridiculous" because of the suggestion that she look for a job in the summer. Fine, probably not feasible, but that doesn't mean the system isn't fit for purpose. It is allowing her to do exactly what she wants to do, retrain and have free time to do so.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 10/06/2021 18:36

Out of touch comment of the week? 'At Oxbridge', how many of you had children that you needed to find childcare for at short notice and that was affordable in low wage seasonal jobs that are now often zero hour contracts with shifts that can change with 24 hour notice? hmm

Considering the poster was replying to the post above about oxbridge and work work, bit unfair to Hmm

christinarossetti19 · 10/06/2021 19:54

Op referred to the UC system as 'absolutely fucked' and 'ridiculous' because she's being expected to evidence her attempts to look for a job that she won't be able to do for lack of childcare and the fact that she needs to return to uni in September.

She's far from alone in thinking that UC is a crap system, tbf.

Babyroobs · 10/06/2021 20:06

@christinarossetti19

Op referred to the UC system as 'absolutely fucked' and 'ridiculous' because she's being expected to evidence her attempts to look for a job that she won't be able to do for lack of childcare and the fact that she needs to return to uni in September.

She's far from alone in thinking that UC is a crap system, tbf.

In order to claim Uc though you agree to looking for work when they ask you to. I think I'm correct in saying there would be no expectations as a full time student to seek work in term time. If she didn't want to at least attempt to meet the Uc commitments she agreed to then she didn't have to claim.
Babyroobs · 10/06/2021 20:08

@christinarossetti19

Op referred to the UC system as 'absolutely fucked' and 'ridiculous' because she's being expected to evidence her attempts to look for a job that she won't be able to do for lack of childcare and the fact that she needs to return to uni in September.

She's far from alone in thinking that UC is a crap system, tbf.

I don't agree it a crap system, well it's not great for single people but for working people with kids, people do quite well out of it. If op were to work even a few hours a week she could earn up to £293 a month whilst keeping all of her Uc as well as getting wages and after that each pound she earns reduces her Uc by 63p. It's actually not a bad deal !
Babyroobs · 10/06/2021 20:09

Maybe op just doesn't understand how Uc works if she thinks she won't be better off by doing a few hours a week?

christinarossetti19 · 10/06/2021 20:20

Um, OP is looking for work. She says so in one of her posts.

Her valid point is that she doesn't have childcare to facilitate her working.

GiantToadstool · 10/06/2021 20:20

Doesn't she have childcare already for working on placements/at uni?

christinarossetti19 · 10/06/2021 20:36

Probably a term-time after school club?

ConsuelaHammock · 12/06/2021 12:30

How’s the job hunting going?

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