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.

Agree.

My son went into an apprenticeship at 16 straight from school. He’s now just turned 18 and is fully qualified in his field. He’s just had his year 3 pay rise, has a company van of his own and with the hours he does is well on his way to a decent house deposit. He pays board for living here and anything else he wants or needs comes out of his pocket.

He loves his job and thanks to his apprenticeship and the qualifications he has gained I doubt he’ll ever be out of work.

Er, no.

It's £5.28 per hour for the first year, then age appropriate minimum wage, regardless of the age you start your apprenticeship

The rates of benefits payments are crippling low

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/apprenticeships-and-benefits/what-is-an-apprenticeship

Apologies, I did not know that. I stand corrected.

@SamBeckettslastleap

A single parent on minimum wage can not afford to fully support another person.

I think it must be a shock - but surely if they contribute £400/month that would make up the difference? They would have £400/month left for fun.

I don't think their salary will stay that low. Most apprenticeships go up every year. I think you just need to be up front & explain to them that you have lost benefits & so need to ask for keep.

Unless it’s a specific trade like building/electrons/plumber…etc or it’s with a big multinat (in which case pay is usually better anyway) apprenticeships are a total and utter scam.

At uni I was working at a retail store getting paid minimum wage and a girl a year or two younger than me was on an ‘apprenticeship’ doing the EXACT same thing as me for half the wage and she was full time. They would have hired her at minim wage for sure. I felt really bad for her.

At uni I was working at a retail store getting paid minimum wage and a girl a year or two younger than me was on an ‘apprenticeship’ doing the EXACT same thing as me for half the wage and she was full time.

If she was on an recognised apprenticeship scheme she would have had 20% of her time off for study and could have gained appropriate NVQ qualifications, and Maths and English if necessary. If on a Level 2 apprenticeship, she may well have progressed to Level 3 (A level equivalent), with the same employer, and gained qualifications at that level. Some years down the line, she may have gained higher level qualifications and be in management, earning a salary equivalent to or better than a university graduate - and with no student loan debt. I have personally seen this happen.

She would have been doing a Customer Services apprenticeship, which would have involved essay writing, project work and observations and, as @borntobequiet said, 20% off the job learning time that is monitored by the training provider ( if the TP doesnt provide it, they don't get paid, and the employer signs a contract to state they will give them training.) We are a service based economy. There are plumbing etc apprenticeships out there, just not enough businesses or staff who are willing to train young people.

So you pay the dentist with an IOU dated 2 years in the future?

Can he get some panniers for his bike and upgrade it to electric? You can get a kit and your self and will definitely cut down the hours bus ride

You pay out of your £800 a month salary. You are learning essential life skills, such as ' things need to be paid for out of your salary'.

I'm not privileged, just realistic. The point of an apprenticeship is to learn, the same as people who go to university, but they have the added advantage of being paid for it. After a 3 year apprenticeship, you can expect to be £50k+ up on a student who did a degree. There is no way the pay (and lack of fees) doesn't make up for the reduction of free medical costs unless the person is particularly unlucky.

In most cases 16 & 17 year olds cannot get UC anyways so it's a bit of a moot point, neither can students.

Finally, i'm actually currently on an apprenticeship. Most people will not get paid that low and even if they do, they will rise to a more reasonable salary within 2-3 years.