Are Apprenticies entitled to any benefits?

punkgirlyuk

Unless you are disabled or have a child then you need to be 25yrs + to claim WTC

barbie299

Thanks for the advice so far... I i worry about prescription charges because im constantly getting them and i dont like the idea of having to pay for them but i suppose it wont be that expensive . But £95 a week doesn't seem like a lot to me it wont last long not when im going to have to pay for travel every day . Ill just have to wait and see how things go . I hope i dont seem greedy i just worry that im going to be constantly skint all the time and surely if i am entitled to any help/benefits i should be able to get it .

leveller2911

barbie299 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice so far... I i worry about prescription charges because im constantly getting them and i dont like the idea of having to pay for them but i suppose it wont be that expensive . But £95 a week doesn't seem like a lot to me it wont last long not when im going to have to pay for travel every day . Ill just have to wait and see how things go . I hope i dont seem greedy i just worry that im going to be constantly skint all the time and surely if i am entitled to any help/benefits i should be able to get it .

I don't think your appearing to be greedy at all.I can talk from experience,I was an apprentice for 3 yrs.Its not quite the bed of roses that some on here have said.Firstly as an apprentice I was working 45hrs a week, all my friends were working 40hrs and taking home 2.5x the amount I was earning.It was entirely up to the employer whether or not they gave you anything on top.
Someone has said that an apprentice earns the company little or nothing, In my trade Joinery this was not true at all because if I didnt clear out the extractors,sweep the floors or stack timber then the job still had to be done by a qualified joiner.

Travelling costs as you mentioned is generally high ,at the end of the day your training so why shouldn't you be entitled to subsidised travel,aren't students?..... Lastly IMO you are contributing to the economy and if people are entitled to WTC, CTC for working why shouldn't you be entitled to some help...........

Lastly if you can't get any help with prescriptions and you need them regularly then get a pre-payment cert as it may work out cheaper.......

Good luck and take my advice finish the apprenticeship at all costs as generally speaking it will be a benefit to you in the long run.

Personally when I started mine my friends were earning 2.5x my wage, now I earn 4x theirs..;)

leveller2911

McKneff wrote: »

You have £95 a week to call your own (pocket money) to you, less board and lodge, how can you possibly say you cant afford prescription charges. Are they less important than what you will fritter your money on. Paying for your health should come miles before paying for a mobile phone.

Im 60, and i really really wish i had £95 a week to call my own to spend on what wish.
You are one lucky young person to have even secured an apprenticeship.

Many employers still see aprenticeships as cheap labour and get rid of the apprentice as soon as they qualify because they should then pay them a higher wage. They have no obligation to give them a job and many then just start the cycle over again.Personally my parents took 50% of my wages for bed n board so if the OP is in the same boat she will be left with £47-50, not much at all IMO for a young person needing to buy clothes,social life travel to work let alone have anything left to save......

laurel7172

If you get a lot of prescriptions, you can get a prepayment certificate-a one year one costs £104 pa, or about £2 a week..

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx

Oldernotwiser

leveller2911 wrote: »

if the OP is in the same boat she will be left with £47-50, not much at all IMO for a young person needing to buy clothes,social life travel to work let alone have anything left to save......

There's plenty of adults on decent salaries who would be grateful to have 200.00 per month to spend on themselves!

leveller2911

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

There's plenty of adults on decent salaries who would be grateful to have 200.00 per month to spend on themselves!

In the current climate thats possibly true, but the current climate is exceptional.........TBH for the last 15yrs or so the vast majority of people would have laughed off apprentices wages.......Think about it 32hrs work wage of £5-75 hr = £184-00 per week, apprentice £95-00 a week...........you work it out

Oldernotwiser

leveller2911 wrote: »

In the current climate thats possibly true, but the current climate is exceptional.........TBH for the last 15yrs or so the vast majority of people would have laughed off apprentices wages.......Think about it 32hrs work wage of £5-75 hr = £184-00 per week, apprentice £95-00 a week...........you work it out

You are comparing NMW for an adult to that received by an 18 year old which is misleading; in fact, NMW has only been in existence for 11 years and before this wages would have been lower still.

Throughout this period apprenticeships have been highly sought after and very few young people would have "laughed them off"!

ailuro2

Welcome to the adult world, OP

Make the most of having money to spend on yourself each week, it may not last forever.

If you're doing a decent apprenticeship then you should be taking home hundreds more pounds a week within a few years, then continuing to for many years, get into good budgeting habits now and you'll be laughing when your wages go up.

£95 is probably only for the first year.

kingfisherblue

OP, you might be able to get a travel pass, which would save you money. My daughter was spending around £6 a day, six days a week, until she found that she could get a weekly pass for £15 or a monthly pass for £53.