Apprenticeship £5.25ph, no free prescription/dental/opticians and no child benefit

[SamBeckettslastleap]

I take it MN will think this is perfectly reasonable but I think it is dreadful that a child on half the minimum wage will have to pay prescription cost/dentist/eyesight.

They also don't get child benefit, or UC/TCs so in low income families will have to pay rent.

How is this fair? Traditionally it is lower income families that go into apprenticeship at 16 .

However if they are home educated (in any form no checks) or go to college and not apprenticeship (some courses are 9 hours a week) they get it all, and could be earning significantly more in PT jobs.

Does the NHS low income scheme apply.

Apply for a HC2 certificate

So long as they are below 18 dental treatment in the NHS is free , over 18 or for help with prescriptions apply for a HC2 certificate for help with dental/prescription glasses etc on low income grounds

It's fair because in 12-24 months they'll be earning a full time salary for an experienced employee while their peers will be either getting into tons of debt or applying to entry level jobs with the same level of qualification.

Short term pain for long term gain.

How much money does a 16 year old need?

It is fair. They are earning more money than a student.

And realistically how often will.a healthy 16 year old have dental,optician appointments and ,need prescriptions in one.year?

Yes, my dd just went for her epipens and had to pay for the first time as she's 19 now.

Personally I think it depends on what the apprenticeship is.

If it is something like training to be an electrician or accountant or software developer at a recognised company it don't see half the minimum wage as a problem, because you are genuinely being trained.

But if it is an apprenticeship in something that doesn't really require an apprenticeship because you can learn the job in a day or two (for example work in a shop or some generic office admin job), then I think these young people are being used for cheap labour. I think quite a few apprenticeships are like this unfortunately.

Yes some do.seem.a bit like the old YTS,scheme of my youth.

It's £200 pw, surely you're not losing that much in benefits? And they'll get free prescriptions and dentistry etc if earning less than £16k pa.

A sixteen yo living at home on £200 pw is rich, even if they give half as rent. (Mine did £50pw).

All the apprenticeship schemes I’ve come across are a joke. Apprentice office junior, apprentice nursery nurse etc. In the past you’d have at least got minimum wage and worked your way up. Now there’s an excuse to pay you sweet FA for the same work!

If doing a full time apprenticeship (40 hours) they will be earning about £200 a week - 10 times the weekly amount you get for Child Benefit.
If you need extra to cover bills (what you get from UC) then your 16 year olds wages should go towards it. It’s a wage - not pocket money.

Most young people are lucky to be healthy. Do they get free eye test vouchers if they do a computer based job?
My son did an apprenticeship and while the wage is very low it was only for 18 months and he went into a much higher paying job.
Totally agree that not all apprenticeships are equal and some are basically entry level jobs costing the employer half as much.

It's not like they have any tax or national insurance to pay?

There was no minimum wage before modern apprenticeships were introduced and minimum wage for under 18s is the same as for apprentices (£5.28, not £5.25, for the sake of accuracy).

I have long said that apprenticeships are running the risk of becoming the preserve of the middle classes, our DS (22) (he took a long I know best route to get here 🙄😂is on a decent hourly apprentice wage, out of that he is paying:

Car insurance (needed to get to work, as cheaper than taking the train) £150

Car tax £19.25 (We pay this)

Phone £15 a month (We pay his bill)

Petrol £ 250/300 a month bulk of this is spent on getting to work.

Housekeeping £200 ( I save this for him)

Gym membership (nothing fancy) £25 a month.

Rugby club membership £30 a month (they train twice a week) good for his mental health.

Pension I think is about £100 a month

His AD's prescription £10 a month ( we have paid for a PPC

A meal deal once a week when packed lunch gets boring.

But lets pretend that he was not an only child that we can more than afford to carry, the above come to roughly £850.

If his living conditions were not happy, there is no way he could afford to move out, as just a room without bills around here is minimum £600.

We also pay for MOT and required maintenance.

As I said it is in severe danger of being beyond the reach of many and it makes me angry.

Lots of apprenticeships pay more than minimum wage, just as lots of jobs do.

UC child element for 2nd child is £237 (£282.50 for 1st /only), plus child benefit of £15.90. (£24 for 1st only) Per week.

For £5.45 × 40hrs child is paid £210. Per week.

From those figures alone I can see why many children of universal credit families are unable to take up apprentiships. Their household would be at least £42 and upto £86 a week worse off, assuming the kid hands over their entire wage and there is no transport/uniforms etc needed. I assume the UC claim will also reduce as the kids income counts?

I think it’s fair to assume that when you have a child you’ll be financially responsible for them until they’re 18. They’ll be able to make up for the loss in child benefit by paying a notional amount of rent.

But surely once the child turns 18 you won’t get child benefit or the child element of UC anyway? So annoying it’s 2 years earlier but it would be coming anyway. So much better for them to be earning £200 a week at 16 and then working their way up to a good job at 18.

No, the uc is per month.

Surely the benefits are per month (or 4 weeks?) so the "household" is significantly better off if the child does an apprenticeship than stays at school

Could they join a workplace health scheme? I was an apprentice back in 2005 earning £3.25 per hour. My measly £500 a month was taxed because the threshold was somewhere around £5k at the time. I didn't need prescriptions and the work voucher plus specsavers deals meant my glasses cost £10 but I remember being relieved to have the health scheme when I needed my wisdom tooth pulled out! Saved me £600.

realistically it can be very common!
my son has just turned 17, and started an apprenticeship, needs an eye test and updated prescription every 12 months!!