I'm jealous of my benefit fraud friend

[MorningCoffees2]

I know this is stupid, but it's occupying my thoughts more than it should. Me and my friend both work hard, I work in a legal job where I pay tax etc and get nothing from the government. He gets full universal credits as he is officially unemployed, however he also works aound 40 hours in a restaurant. He gets around £1000/month from UC plus maybe £1700 in pay from his job. His hourly pay is less than mine, but I have to pay tax, national insurance and I get no help from the government. I know I get holiday and sick pay, but it doesn't feel like it really makes up for our difference in income.

He's 27 and absolutely minted. He has so much disposable income, he thought nothing of buying the latest iPhone, whereas my phone is old and crap, my colthes are old and even when they were 'new' to me, they were actually second hand.

I couldn't do what he is doing because I would find it too stressful, but he has no issues with it. He's not stressed, he's very happy, he's rich...

The only downside I can see is that he might get caught, but that's pretty unlikely. It just feels so unfair.

Houseshare, i know it doesn't sound like something to be jealous of, but that's what housing in London is like. It's quite normal here.

I doubt that £600 covers his rent. Even houseshares are expensive in London. What area is he in?

For those asking why I am posting, why does anyone post of a forum? I'm a bit sad and feeling sorry for myself. I'm home alone and wanted to chat.

You're right it doesn't cover his rent. But the £1000 does, and that includes bills. So everything he earns at the resturant is just for food, clothes and socialising.

If you'd posted about being sad that you are struggling financially, you would have recieved a very different and more positive response.

Where on earth can he be living for £600 rent in London?

Looks like all house shares at that price.

OP now says his rent is £1000 for a houseshare. Which is not out of the ordinary for London.

Why are you friends with a thief?

Yes of course, but that's not the truth. The truth is that I'm sad because I'm jealous. If I'm sad because of my jealousy, there's little point me posting that I'm struggling financially. I don't want financial advice, I wanted to talk abut my feelings. It's not nice to be jealous of my friend, but there's no point pretending I'm not jealous to a bunch of anonymous people and having a conversaton that makes me look better but isn't relevant to how I'm feeling.

Oh sweetie.

Public forum, opinions asked for, opinions shared.

Troll hunting? Who exactly is troll hunting?

Nobody can verify the claims of anonymous Internet posters, but the fact is your "friend" would be a prime candidate for intensive commitments to claim his UC, as he's apparently receiving the lowest level of subsistence, so proof of job searches applications interview attendance and the like, regular appointments, fitting around his extensive and well paid night work.

If this restaurant is busy enough to employ several people, potentially, earning a couple of grand each cash in hand they too will be operating outside of the law, including tax laws. It's a disaster waiting to happen and if this is all true, which I have as much right to doubt as you do to insist it's true, both your "friend" and his dodgy employer will likely get their just desserts sooner rather than later.

If you are jealous, then I find that peculiar. You are safe from a potential criminal record due to your admirable morals and ethics.

If my "attempt at humour - yawn" post has provoked such a specific and lengthy defensive response, it has either touched a nerve, or is close to a wider agenda.

Either way, I will continue to chime in on discussions which interest me.

Nobody that I know of has rent for only £600, but universal credits don't pay your whole rent, you are allocated an amount based on your circumstances. If that covers your rent, then great, if it doesn't, then tough.

He is living in a houseshare, working cash in hand with zero employment rights, and the potential for it all to go tits up is strong.

Not much to jealous of.

I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that if he sustains an injury at work he probably won't be insured.

You can always report your friend and the restaurant or just back away from him because he doesn't sound like someone that you or many others would respect.

His situation isn't really one to be jealous of though. He has no career, no ability to get promoted, no skills bar low skilled work serving/cleaning in a restaurant overnight, his work arrangement could dry up at any moment and he would be left with UC only, just about covering his rent and bills. You have the career, ability to learn and gain new skills, potentially apply for better jobs, gain respect and improve your self esteem via a successful career, potentially apply for a mortgage if you wanted to down the line.

So his entire benefit entitlement only covers his rent?

If he didn't work I guess he'd starve!

You are very welcome to join in, but at the beginning of this thread were so many people writing that it's not true. You ask who is troll hunting, well what you and others were doing is the definition of it.

You are free to post your opinions, but post after post saying it's not true is boring and against the rules. I'm not defensive, I'm just explaining that all these posts were derailing the thread and that it's better to report me than have yet another thread made difficult to read by people posting the same thing over and over.

I don't know what the job centre asks him, but he seems to be doing fine with whatever they are asking.

His restaurant work isn't well paid. As I said, I earn more per hour than him, the difference is I pay tax and get nothing from the government, so although my job is better paid, he takes home more than me.

Actually it's not uncommon in London for even legitiate businesses to employ people cash in hand. I don't know about elsewhere in the country. The media might portray the poice busting into places and rounding up illegal workers, and maybe they do, but they must be catching only a small percentage. I've never known anyone to be caught.

You're right to find my jealousy peculiar, I said at the beginning that I know it's stupid. But there's no point me pretending to be a better person than I am, especially when it's anonymous. It's difficult to watch him having a much nicer standard of life than me.

What restaurant does he work in that he earning 1700 a month can I get a job there to

The posts saying it’s all made up seem to have died off a bit….

Perhaps you need to talk to a professional about being irrationally jealous of someone living in a house share in a very precarious financial position with no employment rights and no ability to progress a career and no pension.

Coupled with his UC commitments I'm not where he finds the time for everything.

I'd imagine most people would pity him.

No, I wouldn't be delighted. That's horrible.

Well none of want to get suspended...and the conversation has moved on a bit.

Thank you for your clarity. You're absolutely right. I need to reread this every time my chidish jealousy resurfaces.

Or maybe now the OP has posted further it’s no longer looking like a fake story?

Yes more or less. I think the UC payments are a bit more then the rent, but by not very much at all. It's a horrible situation. If the government pays more towards rent then there would be an outcry that our taxes are being paid to line the pockets of London landlords - which is fair. On the other hand, London is where the work is, and people need somewhere to live, so they are stuck paying whatever the landlord asks. I don't know what the answer to it is, but yes, if he didn't work illegally, he would starve here.

Of course people can leave London, but then they leave everything they know, and it's not easy to get a job anywhere, so no guarantee of a better life.

I'm not unsympathetic to his situation, but that doesn't stop me feeling envious of his lifestyle.

It's less than minimum wage, so...yes, go anywhere you like and earn that amount.