AIBU to suggest my child quits a zero-hours fast food job?

[ShouldHeQuit]

My young adult child has worked a job with a well known fast food chain for a year.
its a zero hours contract and despite requesting full time hours they have never been given more than 12 hours in a week.
Most weeks it’s between 2 and 6 hours, frequently no shifts at all in a week!
The majority of the shifts are 2 or 3 hours long. We live 10 miles from the workplace and due to public transport finishing early (rural location)it means me having to drive them there then collect later so driving 40 miles for 2 hours minimum wage.
The job satisfaction is shit as well, the people they work with are a not very nice bunch and are drinking pals so look after each other. My child’s mental health is quite bad partly due to this.
They are applying for numerous other jobs but with no joy, don’t even get a rejection just ghosted which seems to be the norm nowadays
Would they be unreasonable to quit the job and claim JSA? Can you even claim JSA if you quit?
YABU don’t quit
YANBU quit

OP advised the hours being offered are no where near 16 but job seekers stops then the job coach can do a rapid reclaim to avoid the 5 week wait. I am not passing judgement if this is the best approach merely pointing out you don’t have to quit a zero hours job to claim job seekers.

What happened to the gov banning 0h contracts? Did I dream that?

the gov are still at consultation stage. They said won’t be outright ban but better worker protections. Sounds complicated in practice.

Not necessarily the work ethic. My DD worked for a well-known fast food place locally. At age 16, loads of shifts. Turned 18, no shifts at all - the minimum wage is higher, so they prefer to have 16 year olds on shift with older staff as backup.
DD left and now works regular hours in retail.

Good point.

DS didn't have that issue At 18 he had been promoted and was supervising other staff. He was still at college also

They did also pay more than minimum wage for 16/17 year olds

OP, yju Kure getting an unreasonably hard time on this thread. Very little compassion or understanding being shown to you, concerned for your child who is in a difficult and worrying situation.

would your child be agreeable to you helping them to find other work? To do up a cv, share wkth other local employers; to visit the job market and see what else hey clild apply for and/or perhaos consider if heyre are any courses tbey could start to they’ll them get a better job, where it’s more likely they’ll be better treated and have security?

like you, my concern would be my child’s mental health in all this and there are clearly serious concerns so I would tell them to quit - but at the same time I’d be helping them (if they were agreeable) to look for other options.

Keep looking - it’s easier to get a job when you already have a job.

zero hour contacts are the worst.

I don’t know how people are expected to live on them