To ask how you’d react to your Year13 quitting 6th form to claim JSA?

[WhistleDownTheMersey]

Posting in AIBU for traffic.
DS who is in his second year of 6th form has just given me and DH a big speech about how he wants to quit, and get out into the ‘working world’. He already declared a few months ago that he has no interest in uni. I didn’t mind that as uni isn’t the be all and end all and if you can take a path that avoids you getting into lifelong debt, good on you. But I am not happy with him dropping his A-Levels. He has struggled with them, having only scraped the necessary GCSE’s needed to do them. The pandemic hasn’t helped. He’s struggled with the remote learning and only being called into 6th form college 1 day a week (local lockdown area, they are only having students physically in one day a week to ensure social distancing within the college).

He wants to buy a car with a 2k trust fund he is getting for his 18th birthday in 3 weeks. That’s fine, it’s his money and he has passed his test. But I’ve told him he has to be pay his own insurance. He’s applied for hundreds of part time jobs to be fair and yet has got nowhere. His CV is decent enough so I am blaming Covid. He’s just read that an 18 year old is eligible for JSA (or the UC alternative) as long as they aren’t in full time education so he wants to quit so he can claim. He’ll get £58 a week. He knows that the car insurance will swallow all of that up but he’s apparently fine with it, he just wants his car. He knows that while claiming he will have to be actively looking for work, and he says he intends to. I definitely think he’ll be claiming for a while with the current job climate and don’t want him to become a bum, so to speak. DH is fuming and thinks it’s taking the lazy way out, and thinks that if he does go on JSA we should take the money off him for his upkeep. DS’s argument is that by going on JSA, he’ll be able to fund his car insurance, therefore meaning he’ll be able to apply for jobs further out, increasing his chances of getting a job. It’s a fair point.

I don’t know what to think. Also, when he’s supposed to be in Year 13, will he be able to claim?

No chance.

My dd1 left collage on the provision she got a apprenticeship immediately - and she did. She travelled the world now for her career and lives abroad through it.

Tell him he is not starting his young adult life on benefits when he is capable of finding something else. It’s a piss take tbh

Shit, why’ve I posted in the Covid section. MNHQ could this be moved please

Has he talked about just taking a year or two out to find himself and decide what he wants to do? Maybe with more maturity later on he will find studying easier. I wouldn't want to study during this pandemic. BUT on the other hand jobs are scarce and he will be competing with people with more experience and qualifications as they downgrade their job search because mortgages need to be paid.

My parents said they would support us untill we finished full time education and after that we would need to contribute money. I think that's a fair method. If he is struggling with A levels then he needs to look for other courses suchas BTECs if he can't find work, BTECs are coursework based and often help those who struggle with exams.
If not set some house rules and an expected contribution maybe the cost of your electric or broadband bill.

So if he did not have the £2,000 would he still quit? Is it the money for a car that is his main goal? Is he likely to pass the A levels - as a shame to give them up with 9 months left in reality of them.

@Pinkfluffyunicornsdancing

Has he talked about just taking a year or two out to find himself and decide what he wants to do? Maybe with more maturity later on he will find studying easier. I wouldn't want to study during this pandemic. BUT on the other hand jobs are scarce and he will be competing with people with more experience and qualifications as they downgrade their job search because mortgages need to be paid.

Benefits are not to be used for a fucking gap year!

He stays in collage, finds a job or apprenticeship. I’d be beyond embarrassed for my child if they thought they were going to chill out on benefits for a while.

I understand not getting on with education and if you know that then it's hard to 'stick with it'.
I left college (a levels) in year 13, about now in the year actually. Its the best thing I ever did. I just didn't get on with education despite getting above C in all gcse's.
However, I left with a job to go to and would never have left if I didn't have the offer of employment, albeit part time receptionist is what I left for.
Im now 25 and have an established career (which I'm about to take my second mat leave from) and have worked my way up in a specialist sector. So it can work out.
I would however encourage him to get a job offer first before leaving. But if his heart isn't in it, there's an argument that says the JSA option may give him a kick to prove he was right and get a job as soon as he can.

Mine wouldn't be getting a 2k trust fund if they quit school with no plan. Quit school for a job or an apprenticeship absolutely fine. He needs direction. What does he want to do and how to get there. Sports coach? Electrician? Plumber? Farmer? Accountant? Government worker? Army?

For JSA? No chance. He'd be funding his own two feet.

DSD had a similar idea this time last year.

We gently pointed out to her that if she was not in education she would be expected to contribute to the household and that leaving college with no job lined up would be a bad idea. She stayed and is now at uni.

He’s not interested in a gap year or travelling or the like. And he goes out once in a blue moon really. He does genuinely want a job, he’s also said he may look into trying to learn a trade if he fails to be able to find a job.

He’s made it quite clear he knows he’ll have nothing left of his claims after his car insurance and he says he doesn’t mind, as he thinks having a car will greatly improve his chances of getting work. He is correct there as we live in a village but when he gets his car he’ll be able to commute the 10 miles to the nearest city.

Passing A Level is a hit and miss I think. There’s one he’ll deffo pass, and the other 2 are iffy.

Quitting to go to a job, yes as they can always return to education. Quitting and claiming benefits, absolutely not. Benefits should be the last resort in times of need, not to fund lifestyle choices.

Is JSA still a thing? I thought it was all universal credit now. There's a calculator you can use to see if he'd be entitled to anything but from what I know, single adults with no housing costs and no dependents don't seem to get very much.

Has he worked out his insurance costs? I remember it being £1.5k ish when I was older than him. No point having a car you can't afford petrol for or repairs on (a £2k car is going to expect maintenance)

I agree that uni and a levels are not the only options in life but he doesn't have a job offer, an apprenticeship, a plan and covid will make everything harder.

I would therefore be outlining the contribution I'd expect from him, JSA might not look so appealing if he has nothing spare.

How's he planning to pay for petrol, road tax, repairs, MOTs etc?

I’d be freaking out if my y13 had said this to me, you sound much calmer.

It’s easy to say that he has to contribute if he’s not in education, but if he can’t get a job and insists on paying for his car then you’re left in a position where you either have to take it back or chuck him out. Teenagers can make some stupid choices sometimes and I’d be doing anything I could think of to get him to finish his a levels. Bribery if necessary.

I don't really have that attitude of "allowing" things with my dd, I'm trying to get her to think things through like an adult and look at the long term consequences and how it affects her future and what we could do as a family financially.

Are you sure jsa would be enough to tax and insure a car? What about maintenance on the car? Fuel etc?

How I'd react? I'd be disappointed that I'd raised someone like that.

Ask for rent at the going rent for a lodger in your area. That'll sort it.

He’s been quoted an initial payment of 400 and 10x200 for the insurance. I have no intention of paying the initial £400 so I’ve told him that he’ll have to get a cheaper car and use what’s left of the £2000 trust fund after that for the initial payment. DH is helping him choose the car, he knows a lot about cars and what to look for so hopefully he’ll help him get something that won’t be too shite for that price.

Is he only looking for part time work?
Who will pay his petrol?

Also are you getting child benefit whilst he is at college?

Has he looked at getting an apprenticeship op? I dropped out of sixth form and did that - much easier to get an apprenticeship with no experience than your average job.

I did a similar thing when I was his age, got a car, paid for insurance (it was a lot cheaper back then) but as a consequence for wanting to go into the working world but having to go on JSA first I had to pay house keep, it was only £20 a week so not a lot but enough when you're on JSA. Maybe contribute something and if he can't get him to do some jobs that contribute, like cook a meal, do the washing once a week?

Because of covid there will be a lack of jobs, possibly for a couple of years, it sounds like he's only thinking of the now and not the future.

He would have to apply for Universal Credit as JSA only exists in a contribution based form now. If it was one of my 3 then they wouldn't be allowed to leave school or college until they have something else lined up - it would be far too easy to just say I will claim UC as a temporary measure until I get a job and then find 1 or 2 years down the line they are still on benefits. I would assume an employer may look more favourably on an applicant who has continued with education until they get that interview/job rather than one who has dropped out for benefits.