AIBU to encourage my 18-year-old daughter to claim Universal Credit?

[ThisTealWarrior]

My daughter is 18 and no longer in education. She currently as a job (7.5 hours per week) and is waiting to start another job pending DBS checks. I advised her to make a claim for UC at the beginning of September before she was offered this position. She had to go to a meeting at the job centre this morning to start the claim and weekly check in video calls until she starts the job. This won’t be fixed hours as it is a bank staff role.
She has made such a fuss about it saying it is pointless basically acting like claiming is beneath her! We don’t charge her any board and don’t intend to after she earns more either but I have explained that technically we could. I just think it’s important to claim if she is eligible and also explained about NI contributions for when she gets older. I have explained that at some point the hope will be that she is earning enough that she doesn’t need to claim but for now she should.
Am I being unreasonable?

If she had gone to university you would be paying a LOT for her upkeep for 3-4 more years. Surely she had a plan when deciding not to go to uni?

This is why I think it’s a good idea - as they’d be someone else on her case to work more hours

The Op said her daughter isnt academic
So its not a case of choosing not to go to university
In the real world many people dont go to university

When claiming Job Seekers she will also get support for cv writing and be offered different training courses.

That it’s what it’s there for.

To support people seeking work.

She should apply for it.

At her age you should be pushing her to work full time and seek employment with progression

Which she will get support to do with the JOB SEEKERS element of UC.

I've encouraged my 18 year old to claim - I'm hoping they'll support him with finding a job. He's applied for a lot of jobs, so it's not for want of trying in his case.

And fwiw although I'm not charging him rent, I have both lost my child benefit and single persons council tax allowance as a result of him leaving school. I can just about afford to absorb this but I know that many parents can't.

The Op is
But the job market is terrible at the moment.

This is an interesting point. I guess it depends where you’re headed. So it works for a high flier like you to motivate you in to getting off them asap. But, at the other end, if someone is headed for NMW tops, then there’s barely any difference between the two - certainly once you have a child - so it would open up some options that I really wouldn’t want my 18yo even thinking about.

Barely any difference?
Minimum wage is about £1600 / month pre tax for somone under 21
And about £1900/ month pre tax for some one over 21
Universal credit is is £338/ month for somone single under 25

You have used here the maximum numbers for working and the minimum for benefits! Pretax is meaningless, what is it after tax? What is the benefits one if you don’t live at home and have 2 children?

I am going off the Ops daughters actual circimstances
Not making up an entirely different scenario.

I think if you are from a background where benefits have never featured, realising they won't sustain your previous lifestyle does keep the boot up ones arse.

It’s interesting. The question itself is arguably a sign of the times.
When I was a student and lived at home, my parents would never have asked for rent/digs money but equally, they absolutely insisted that I had a part time job which is completely reasonable. Benefits weren’t such a thing but they wouldn’t have liked me applying as essentially we were able to look after ourselves, one way or another.
I can see both sides of the argument but a potential pitfall of claiming UC before any work is that some might fall into the trap of seeing it as an extended delay or alternative to employment. My parents really pushed us to find work, any work, and we did. The job market is tough for many age groups but where there’s will, there’s a way.

We cant just magic jobs up that dont exist
Yes there are some but the problem is there are far too many people looking for work and far to few jobs
It really makes me laugh when posters come along and smugly say just take any job aa if its a novel idea and people hadent thought of that.

I would encourage mine to if they were still looking for full time work. I can’t afford to support them other than give them a roof. They’d need to be contributing towards food and their own daily living costs whether that’s through work or UC.

My daughter is 18 and desperately trying to find a job, she’s applying for anything and everything with very little luck. I encouraged her to claim, not so much for the money but because it’s the only way to get help from the “job centre” these days, you can’t just pop in and take a card with a number off a board anymore. Some people on here need to get off their high horse.

I’m with your daughter on this , if she doesn’t need it why start a claim , it risks starting a habit of relying on benefits .
over 2 decades ago I was a single mum working and studying at uni and the amount of pressure I suffered to get a. Council house and benefits back then was awful . I was adamant I would not fall in that trap and now over 20 years after some of those friends pushing me are still in the same council estate areas in bad area with bad schools and bad infrastructure while I progressed and in a better position .

What @EyeScanners said. It exists for this very reason- the interim between very part time work and hopefully more hours. My DD was the same, felt embarrassed about claiming but she eventually only needed it for a few weeks as she picked up overtime almost straightaway.

My son is 19 and in the same position
Hes applying for anything and everything
Hes only had a few interviews
Hes been offered a temporary ware house postion
Which he will obviously take but theres no gurantees it will become permanant..

Really? and you know that do you?

Have you read Alan Milburn's report? It's much more difficult for young people to get jobs now than it was in the past.

The Op isnt a single mum though
And they really wont let you start a bad habit on benefits
Its £338/ month shes not going to be living in luxury on it.

A sensible kid would not be drawn to the idea of staying on UC if they wanted a career. All you need to do is ensure she knows she needs to pay her way.

I was on jobseekers and got an apprenticeship that paid less 🤣 I didn’t care - I wanted to work. If she has the ethic she will

But OP's DD is 18, presumably doesn't have two children. Why can't she work more than 7 and a half hours a week.

I personally wouldn't, but if your circumstances mean its essential then sure.

I don't want my kids sucked into the idea that the benefits system will bail them out.

You can say different, but my daughter met a horrible older man who was trying to befriend her.

Cut a long story short he, through her, accused us of "preventing her from claiming benefits" by providing her with a roof over her head. 🤔

But this is the kind of twisted mindset I hear from a certain community. I dont want my kids within a million miles of that attitude.