To push ds into claiming

[Lacky301]

Ds has just finished uni and never worked through me and ex dp give him £450 a month between us plus I've always bought him the odd thing and gave a bit extra here and there.
Me and his dad are seperated and his dads just received notification that he will now be charged full council tax as ds has finished uni I'm under strain financially. I've told ds he needs to claim universal credit until he finds a job but he keeps saying I want my results first. Am I wrong in pushing him to claim to take some pressure off me and dp. Fwiw he would get around £370 per month as living at home.

Sorry to tell you this but i recruit for a grad scheme and we rarely give the application without any work experience on it a second glance. If you weren’t motivated enough to work by being a skint student then you aren’t going to have what it takes to get through a grad scheme. Work whilst studying isn’t just about money it’s about demonstrating that you have motivation and that you understand what it is to go to work every day and to have people rely on you as part of a wider team.

Exactly, good points.

Benefits are not for people who want 3 months time out after studying

When you’re 21 and your uni course is coming to an end, if you are not applying or on a grad course after, you should have the foresight to apply to cafes etc for a “meantime”
role.

the fact that there is a safety net for people who just cba is not ok, IMO.

I've spoke to other parents who say thier dc had similar trouble getting jobs.

My DSS and DD both graduated university in 2020. By the time their final exams rolled around, DSS had a job lined up with Boeing, DD had been applying but knocked back from loads. Boeing job was cancelled last minute due to pandemic related cutbacks. DSS applied for benefits, but it took about seven weeks for his first payout. He then spent several months faffing about at the JC, getting told to apply to be a binman, a long-distance lorry driver, etc, and had to attend every interview no matter how unsuitable, or risk getting discharged. It then transpired he missed a work appointment at the JC because the eejit was working cash-in-hand with his step-dad. He (quite rightly) had to pay HMRC back.

In that same timeframe, DD was unencumbered by these random interviews, so had time to apply for, interview at, and was receive offers from several jobs.

Obvs anecdotal, but ime it was more faff than it was worth, and DSS was a lot less motivated than DD once he had cash rolling in.

Who said he cba just because he needs help whilst seeking work. He's been extremely busy with his studies

UC takes 5 weeks to get anyway. Chances are, OP's son would find a job in that time... and if not, he has that safety net to fall back on.

Really.

Because that's unusual. It can be hard in some areas for under 18s to get jobs. But the great thing about being at uni is you can travel and so move to areas where there are jobs.

That's a complete excuse & not the norm.

Well if he's booked onto a festival it will cancel his award out or massively reduce it

But it’s probably because they just lazily send a CV to a few companies and hope for the best.

when I finished uni it didn’t even cross my mind to get benefits or similar. I needed money so I sent HUNDREDS of tailored cvs for roles and asked every single friend or acquaintance I had if they knew of a role going etc. and while at I was uni I worked in a bar.

someone I know with a recent graduate and child who graduated a few years ago has them both at home not working because the former is just too lazy “it’s too difficult” and the latter thought the job he found was “boring”.

These people are the future of the economy….

I agree. It was a while back that I went to uni, but I didn't meet anyone at uni who had never worked at all. Everyone worked - either during term time or the holidays, or both.

The fact that he hasn't even worked in the holidays doesn't reflect well on his work ethic (and it won't impress employers). Yes, he might need to claim UC, but his highest priority should definitely be finding paid employment - first something casual to tide him over, and then something more long term.

Who said he cba just because he needs help whilst seeking work. He's been extremely busy with his studies

So has every other final year student, and most will have still found some time to plan ahead.

I agree. Universal credit for a single person is so low that no one is going to stay on it long by choice. Working just 10 hours a week for minimum wage would give you more money than universal credit does. I don’t think we need to worry ourselves that the ops son is destined for a life on benefits.

The problem with knowing there’s a safety net there is that there’s just not as much incentive to find a job.

Sidenote: why is DS's dad council tax going up in the first place? If your DS lives elsewhere, surely that's the household his council tax exemption should apply to?

Surely his Uni will have told him about the grad schemes? Most will have finished recruiting by now for a September start but there may be a few around still. If he's staying in his Uni accommodation until August then he needs to be looking at bar work, hospitality or any job. Zero hours or more. Or he could sign up with some recruitment agencies, they often have warehouse work and temp roles that would suit a move in August. He needs to be keeping a good eye on indeed ect for jobs.

Well some need a little time to find thier feet everybody's different and follow different routes.

Don't think it matters in thier eyes he's finished uni and can get a job.

UC is a pittance, plus the Job Centre make you apply for everything going. No one just stays on benefits when they are fit for work.
Plus, OP said herself that she is struggling financially, so her son could contribute to the household if he claims.

That was some of the worst advice you could have given him. The uni holidays are the best time to be gathering work experience. Lots of students do internships to build relationships with companies and get relevant work experience. Others work part time jobs which are still valuable and demonstrate a good work ethic and transferable skills. It’s a waste not having done anything during this time. He’s going to be competing for graduate jobs against all those who did put the effort in to gain experience whilst studying and/or during the holidays. We get over 200 applicants for each of our graduate jobs, we don’t even look at the ones without work experience as we don’t need to, we have plenty who made the effort.

Well some need a little time to find thier feet everybody's different and follow different routes.

They can do this while working in a bar / cafe / gardening / building site or whatever.

Having employment & planning your longer-term future are not mutually exclusive.

You've babied him

That's the crux of it I don't want me or his dad to pay out anymore so I do want him to either claim in the short term or get a job quickly

Who said he cba just because he needs help whilst seeking work. He's been extremely busy with his studies

My DS is in the midsts of finals and has been very busy with his studies.

Yet he still managed to apply for multiple paid internships where he worked over the summer holidays and graduate recruitment schemes.

This summer he will be interning again before starting a masters degree (so still technically a student) after completing which he already has a guaranteed job offer from the company he working for (assuming he gets the required grade - which he will cos he will work his socks off).

He is not unique in this. All his uni housemates and friends from home have done similar and made plans/applications and got ducks in a row WELL before getting results (basically from year 1 of uni).

People are not benefit bashing.

They are understandably questioning why your son has failed to get his act together and in light of that, you think the taxpayer should fund his lack of motivation and effort.

Sorry if not clear, I meant why is DS's dad claiming the council tax discount in the first place if DS lives elsewhere and is surely claiming it there?