My child lost her EMA and took a job only to be bullied in the workplace

[Miranda24]

My daughter is studying her A-Levels and is in her final year. She used to get £20 per week EMA. This money was crucial to her education. It helped pay for transport cost, singing lessons she has to pay for as part of her course, lunches and in educational material.

When she lost her EMA and we got turned down for financial assistance from her college, she had to get a job to help fund her final year. She works in a 5* hotel restaurant. She works very hard and is dedicated to her job. She always likes to give her best. And any employer should thank their lucky stars to have a person like my daughter working for them because she's your dream employee. Well one would at least think...but in her job, she is bullied, sexually harassed and excluded. She is so unhappy and stressed that its affecting her studies. She wants to leave the job, but knows getting another one is so hard and can't afford to. I am unable to financially help any more than what I am.

I am so sad she is in this situation and I blame the Government, because if they had not taken away her EMA she would not be in this position. She is also Dyslexic and has worked so hard to get to where she is, and now her studies are further impacted on.

I know she will not be the only young person ended up in this situation...but it makes you wonder what the Government are doing to our young and how dare employers treat the next generation of workers in this manner...same on these people I say.

Does anyone else have any similar experiences. I have written to my local MP about this issue.

Well you know those working conditions are illegal don't you? She should raise a formal complaint with her manager. Then if nothing is done she can leave and get another job.

There is no reason why she shouldn't start looking for another job now.

leave the job. she has that choice. she is not a slave. she is too junior to influence the culture of the place. it will be unnecessarily stressful for her to raise a complaint. it will be less stressful filling in job applications. she should leave asap with a good reference and find another job in a better environment.
fighting battles at her stage in life isnt wise. neither should she put up with it. neithr should you encourage her to put up with it. it will damage her self esteem. she can and should raise her head up high and leave the job.

Yes, she should leave, but she should put her complaints in writing to the management of the business.
Does her college have a hardship fund? Have you checked if there is any way they could help with the essential costs of the course?

Don't agree its the Governments fault ?????
She needs to complain , look for something else.

The harassment and bullying are entirely the fault of those carrying it out, and their supervisors. If it wasn't your DD, it would be someone else's child because bullies need victims to feed on.
Is she the only one being picked on, or are there others?

I agree - too stressful for someone in her position to complain .
Please talk to her college ,my understanding ( might be wrong ) is that amounts of money are available at the college/schools discrection to individual pupils .
Good luck ,and well done for writing to MP .

Prior to starting 6th form did she get free school meals and free transport? It is sad that EMA has gone but prior to its introduction kids with low incomes still stayed on at school if they were able to academically. If she cannot afford course materials then she should put a claim in to college specifically for those, she could also be proactive and seek out sources of say 2nd hand textbooks. At the school I taught in we always provided textbooks for 6th formers which had to be returned at the end of the course.

I thought students in year 13 who got EMA last year still got it. It's year 12 who have lost out unless they are in care or on free school meals. Even FSM get much less than they used to on EMA.

I was in this situation during a job in the summer holidays prior to starting uni. A lot of bullying and sexual harassment and general nastiness. I left without complaining and it's one of my few regrets that I didn't stand up to them and complain.

nagynolonger -I thought students in year 13 who got EMA last year still got it
Can I ask what makes you think that ?
I know some schools have a small fund from which they can make discretionary payments ,but AFAIK the EMA is gone .

Happy to be wrong though !

In what way is she being bullied? I've worked in restaurants and poor working conditions are par for the course. Can you give an example?

TBH I don't have much sympathy on the "my poor DD had to get a job" - welcome to the real world. All of my DC had to get Saturday jobs at 16, (yes even the two with SEN) as well as going to school. They had to carry on working while at university too, because we can't afford to keep them and with 2 parents working FT they get sod all.

My DS's girlfriend received EMA whilst studying for the A'Levels - she has just gone to Uni this sEpt and she still receives it for 6 months or so.

There is info here on help with transport costs

and here about the new bursary

I also think she should leave the job but she should let the manager know why she's leaving (possibly in a letter after she's gone) as it would be stressful for her if she's not naturally very strong and assertive.

It is appalling that she's being treated like that but if its a case of having no allies who'd back her up, I think she'd be better in a different environment.

I have been reflecting on this and thinking about best ways to make an effective protest if one is young. I still think your DC should leave the job : as the current one will seriously damage her health and self esteem, but also it could be useful to make written notes of incidences and times and gather any evidence while she is still there. Then when she has left she could go through the unions to get compensation perhaps for being 'forced out'. I don't know how much , for example, the NUS might help, or the legal assistance on the house insurance. And, as I mentioned before, it is important to weigh up the time and energy a legal case would involve.

These are 2 seperate issues, any bullying in the work place is bad, why do you feel it is worse because your DD is a student?

Oh good God, people managed for years without EMA. I studied 4 a levels and worked weekends and one evening a week for £2.16 an hour in the late 90s.

Workplace bullying isn't acceptable an needs to be dealt with formally, as it would be for any employee but there is nothing wrong with working and studying. In fact, it's being able to do that which will help her find a full time job later.

You'd do better to bring her up to work hard and pay taxes not whinge and expect benefits. In the long run she'll be wealthier and happier if she's self reliant, self confident and achieving.

Can you and her dad not work / work more hours to support her financially so she can focus on her studies in the run up to A Levels? Alternatively she could look for another job, speak to the student welfare officer at college or approach one of the various charities which help young people from low income families (you could help by drafting the applications so she can focus on her studies).

I do blame the government actually. Disregard for high achieving youngsters from low paid working families trying to achieve more for themselves. These are the youngsters we should be helping.

I dont agree with students working long hours whilst studying as it affects their grades if they're not careful and not einsteins, and it wastes their opportunities. Costs are far greater these days to all the "I didn't have it in my day" contributors or "I wasn't paid to go to school." Student fares are astronomical before 9am and most courses expect you to contribute financially in way of materials and trips, etc.

Bursaries are not the same as EMA as there's a limited pot for each school or college. Once it's gone it's gone and the eligibility is less and so is the award.

There were flaws with the EMA system or it was open to abuse, but once again the decent hard working poorer students lose out. Definitely blame the government. Sorry