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?

Well you're not leaving him with much choice are you. If you want him to continue with A Levels you need to be funding his transport so that he can get out of the village and into the local city.

Even if he leaves, you could encourage him to continue self-study on one A level and book the test himself - not through the school.
It might help him get on an apprenticeship depending on the subject.
It would make more sense if the vehicle created his income. For example, buy a small van and learn a trade.

He wouldn't be able to afford to run a car on universal credit- he would also be expected to spend thirty-five hours a week looking for work, and to provide evidence of this to the job centre. Failure to do this would mean he wouldn't get paid.
If he's likely to do badly at A levels and wants to get into the working world, why not help him find a more suitable, vocational course? What sort of job does he want to do?

I think I'd be funding his transport contingent on him having a coherent plan - whether that was doing a BTec at college or working in a charity shop to get something on to his cv. If he's going on to UC, then I'd be scooping up half of that as a contribution to his keep, and tell him I'd help with transport once he has a job to use it for.

I do not see the problem in a job seeking 18yr old claiming job seekers allowance. If he qualifies he should have the money. I think too it is smart to use it to fund reliable transportation as that will make his chances of finding a job and no longer needing job seeker allowance greater.

@WhistleDownTheMersey

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.

If he is genuinely interested in a trade then get him on an apprenticeship. They ARE out there. Shut pay bit working knowledge.

I’m not going to lie I’d be really embarrassed if my son was on benefits at this age.

It sounds like he's not particularly academic. This is not a bad thing, it just means the A levels then university route might not be best for him.

Young people have been sold a pup with this idea that everyone who is remotely capable must go to uni. A degree is worth less and less, ever since Blair decided 50% of young people should go to university, and they're coming out with more debt every year. This year's offering looks particularly shite and I doubt next year will be marvellous. IMO it's no longer worth doing unless you have a specific professional aim or you really love academic learning.

So I think it's fair enough if he wants to jump off the treadmill and he's 18 very soon so you can't stop him anyway. I don't think employers care much about A levels. They're either looking for a good range of GCSEs or a degree. Has he said what he'd like to do, beyond 'jobs further out'? Is there any vocational training or an apprenticeship that might suit him better?

Short term he needs to carry on looking for any job. Is there any delivery work available locally? This is one of the few growth areas from what I can tell and he might find a lot more opportunities once he turns 18.

If he applies for UC the 'support' is likely to be quite intensive for someone his age. He can be sent for all sorts of shitjobs, work experience and training of varying quality that might be nothing he is interested in. If he doesn't comply he can be sanctioned. It probably won't help him get a worthwhile job but it might be the kick up the bum he needs to sort things out for himself.

If he leaves school now this has implications for child benefit and any other benefits you are claiming. You should not be left worse off because of his choices. He absolutely should contribute towards his bed and board and that is the purpose of the measly £56 - not to pay his car insurance.

The long and short of it is if he wants to come out of education then he gets treated as an adult and that means meeting his priority bills first, or at least contributing towards them. Unemployed 18 year olds cannot generally afford to run a car.

Try to encourage him to complete the year, it will be much easier. My 19 year old finished year 13 in June and is taking a year out before hopefully going to Uni. He does have a part time top so claimed Uc this month to top up wages but has since found another full time job so is doing 11 hours a day working 2 jobs. In just a couple of weeks though he has had to have phone call from Uc and now has just been sent a job centre appointment which he can't attend because he's at work but my point is that he will have intensive efforts made to make him find work.

Your husband is right and if your son wants to go on benefits, I'd be taking £40 a week for his keep. He can't afford to run a car and that's all there is to it.

I'd be horrified if my child said this.

I'm also quite shocked at some of the pp who seem to think it's ok.

Ok 1 he cant get jsa as its no more it universal and it goes off household income so he will just get nothing
2 tell him if he want to quit he has to find full time employment first as he is ment to stay in education or full time employment until July 2021 or you could end up with fines and in court

I know this is not what you want to hear but it might be the best thing.

My friend's son was struggling but stuck it out and got some not very good grades. Bu because he has a level 3 qualification he's not eligible for many apprenticeships.

Let him apply for jobs and if he gets one then he can leave.

The jobcentre will be firmly on him in his work searches. The type of work he’d be expected to do might not be what he’d what to do.

If be taken money for lodge. He wants to drop out of education then he needs to see that the Universal credit is for his food and living costs. Mum and Dad aren’t paying for that.

There's a few things I think.

1. JSA is paltry, so any posters claiming he would fund a 'lifestyle' with it are living in about 1982. He will be expected to attend appointments and show evidence of active job seeking. It'll be shit (and pointless, but our benefits system is mostly designed to appease DM readers who know nothing of the real world!)

2. What he is proposing is self-defeating but not illegal or, imo, immoral. He is entitled to leave college and become an active jobseeker. That does not mean what he is doing is wise.

3. You shouldn't support him if he takes this route. He leaves education aged 18, he is going to have to take responsibility. So he needs to contribute to your household, or move out. His household bills come before car insurance, IMO.

He's being a bit silly, because three Es at A-level is better than nothing, and sticking the course out shows commitment. But maybe he does really feel he is on the wrong path, and can't find a better one.

If he's planning on quitting education you'll lose any child benefit for him and he'll be expected to pay some rent etc?

My recommendation would be that he buys a £500 car and uses the rest towards the insurance and hopefully has the rest within 6 months.

£58 a week is not going to do him any favours long term.

How has he had a quote for car insurance when he hasn't got a car? Id be weary of him getting a car and then not being able to afford the insurance never mind taxing and putting fuel in

I do think it's immoral if he is going to claim benefits, purely to pay his car insurance.

I don't think you can tell him what to do ,it's his life
But I would definitely make him pay keep

Well how is he going to pay for his rent, food etc?if you don't do anything to stop him and just let him live with you for free he will have zero incentive to work.
You are going to enable him becoming a bum. He is looking only short term. If he think getting a car will allow him to see work further afield then tell him of he finishes uni the so many more doors will open.

And you're not exactly giving him the best lesson
I mean benefits are there to help struggling people. He's just a lazy twat that wants to be a car dick basically. Short term brain is engaged.

JSA is contribution based now so pretty sure he won't get it, and UC I think will take household income into account. Are you sure he isn't saying this so you pay for his car on return for him staying in education at least until he finds a job?

TBH if he only just scraped his GCSEs then A Levels probably weren’t the best choice, especially if he’s not interested in uni. I’d have an honest chat with him and maybe help him look into apprenticeships.

I was similar at his age; left college after trying both A Levels and a BTEC and got a job as an admin assistant for the (then) DHSS. It was poorly paid and I was in poorly paid jobs until I was in my 30s. I did a Diploma with the OU (this is relevant), I don’t honestly think it has ever helped me get a job. However, I was made redundant a few years ago and was open to the idea of an apprenticeship. I was actually quite excited at the thought of retraining in a completely new area....until I found, as pp said, that my qualifications meant I was only eligible for degree level apprenticeships, which are few and far between.

I didn’t think you could just claim JSA/UC if you voluntarily left a position either?

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

Someone sensible and self assured enough to see that the path they are on isn’t the right one for them? Someone brave enough to stand up and say ‘this isn’t for me’? Someone accepting that they’re not academic enough for a levels and that another path might suit them better? Someone prepared to be brave and go against the eight of expectation and the daft adults who think there’s only one successful or valuable path in life?

Why would anyone force their child to do a levels?!

A Levels are clearly not for him and there is a lot to be said for taking decisions about your own destiny.

However he should not be planning to claim benefits. He should be able to get onto a training scheme. Ask him to see the careers adviser at school or local college. Get him to look at notgoingtouni website for apprenticeships. Facebook is good for job hunting he needs to follow all the local trade and hospitality places, local jobsites etc and check Facebook jobs every day. Tell him you support his decision but want to see a concrete plan. And ask him to postpone buying a car until he is earning because of running costs (get him to work out insurance quotes plus tax, mot, breakdown, petrol, servicing). And point out that when not in education he will need to pay rent to you or a landlord.

No chance. Get a job, apprenticeship, training contract THEN leave school. There’s no way his desire for a car is about ‘getting to town to work’...! If he must have a car, and you can’t withhold the trust funds, he can get a 400£ banger and minimal, black box insurance with the rest

I’m a great believer in benefits as being accessible to us all to be a safety net, even while we make life choices, but not to fund car insurance to drive him and his mates around while depriving you of the equivalent in child benefit!