Neets 'should not get benefits', say MPs

Cleaver

nickmason wrote: »

Paper round

Ahh, the classic paper round. I think we've all done a version of this.

nickmason wrote: »

Barman

Oh yes, a role that many teenagers have done. Memories of fun evenings pouring pints.

nickmason wrote: »

Telesales - selling advertising space.

Absolutely. I think we've all had summers sitting in a mind-numbing office making calls to people to sell things they don't want.

nickmason wrote: »

Running the forecasting models for Rothschild Asset Management.

Ahh, haven't we all had a summer... erm... wait... no. Actually, I never ran any forecasting models for an asset management company in my teenage years. When I was handing my CV to factories, shops and bars I never actually thought of contacting various financial powerhouses to offer my help and assistance.

lostinrates

ninky wrote: »

you miss my point lir which was to say that i think working rather than studying is still frowned on at oxford..

working RATHER than studying should be frowned on everywhere. Combining the two seems pretty sensible though.

nickmason

lostinrates wrote: »

wow, and what about all the non-rich people who go to Oxford?


FWIW I know people who worked through holidays from Oxford.

When I was there, end of the 90s, lots of people had to work through the holidays, and typically, but not always, got permission from tutors. The few who did work during termtime tended to drop out because they physically/mentally couldn't do both (as distinct from my experience at other universities where it was commonplace).

There were a few who lived the Brideshead life of gallivanting around during the vacations, but not many.

lostinrates

nickmason wrote: »

When I was there, end of the 90s, lots of people had to work through the holidays, and typically, but not always, got permission from tutors. The few who did work during termtime tended to drop out because they physically/mentally couldn't do both (as distinct from my experience at other universities where it was commonplace).

There were a few who lived the Brideshead life of gallivanting around during the vacations, but not many.

I think you were leaving as DH was arriving IIRC....

fwiw I think DH didn;t work as hard as me at uni! But perhaps I would think that. :rotfl:

nickmason

Cleaver wrote: »

Ahh, haven't we all had a summer... erm... wait... no. Actually, I never ran any forecasting models for an asset management company in my teenage years. When I was handing my CV to factories, shops and bars I never actually thought of contacting various financial powerhouses to offer my help and assistance.

I couldn't resist!

The prologue:
I was supposed to join the navy, and had a gap year lined up with them before going to university. With literally two days to go, that career ran aground as it transpired I had torn ligaments in my knee (ironically from a naval training course). So I had to find work for my gap year. I wrote to just about major employer I could think of, and ended up with a job at IBM, as someone had dropped out of their gap year programme. While there I became quite skilled at computers.

The lucky break:
My mother is a secretary to a man who runs a stud-farm. I did some rather elaborate quant work for him (my first degree was maths), analysing his foals and their subsequent performances. Unknown to me, one of his co-owners was Lady Rothschild, who saw the work I'd done and asked what I wanted to do when I grew up [sic]. I said I wasn't sure, after the disappointment of the Navy I was still trying to work it out. She suggested I try the city - she spoke to her brother in law, and I found myself in an interview...one acceptance, and a resigned colleague later and I was running all the forecasting models.

nickmason

treliac wrote: »

Crikey!!! How did you fit in a 'proper' job?

I didn't - I quit University at that point*. I wasn't learning anything apart from some rather dubious cocktails involving baileys and blue bols, so I went to London to make my fortune. Ah, the hubris.

* I was studying Maths at London, and had already learned most of the course at school, in preperation for Oxbridge exams, which I failed. My time at Oxford was later, after I'd seen the light... Not that you need to know this, but without that clarification the two threads within this discussion seem confusing!

Spartacus_Mills

carolt wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8607014.stm

Sounds good to me.

Opinions, please?

Excellent idea, people have to realise you do not get something for nothing. However my only caveat would be that these "NEET's" do not take work from people, IE they are not used to replace people in full time work. But if they dug ditches, weeded pensioners gardens and the like then why not.

SingleSue

Cleaver wrote: »

Just out of interest, what jobs did everone do between the ages of about 15 to 21? I did:

Paper-round
Washing up in the canteen of a shower factory
Night work unloading and loading lorries at a distribution warehouse
Cocktail barman (I was sh*t at that, kept dropping everything)
Worked behind the bar in a traditional pub
Worked for the council teaching kids to play football and took them on trips (that was ace)
Door to door cold calling and selling double glazing (quit after a day, it was awful)
Night porter in a large hotel
Waiter
Did a few weeks labouring for a gypsy family who did drives. Which was interesting.

15-16 - worked in an amusement arcade, had a paper round, worked in a garage, worked in a paper shop, did babysitting...all at the same time and part time. The previous year (age 14), I had 5 jobs going at the same time and managed to save £150 in 35 days, buy a whole wardrobe of clothes and pay for my holiday to Spain with my nan.

16-18 - worked in an amusement arcade (FT) then got my first office job (FT) just prior to 17 but still worked in an amusement arcade part time.

Left home at 18

18-21 (and further!) Progressed up the rungs in office work and gave up the amusement arcade when I got a corporate position which did not allow any other outside part time work (age 18 and a bit)

lemonjelly

The welfare reform act currently going through parliament is essentially stating this anyway - so actually, there is an arguement that this report & idea is later than government thinking.

Incapacity benefit has already been affected, & withdrawn, with Employment Support Allowance taking its place, & the requirement for claimants to co-operate with the jobcentre, medical services and so in to maintain entitlement & eventually be fit for work.

I have no real issue with the proposal, & would encourage it too. It could in addition prevent a skills gap or a reduction in de-skilling when people are out of work - win-win!:)

It could help reduce the "entitlement" culture people feel exists.

But there is one startling contradiction. Currently, pleople who wish to return to education (eg to do a levels, or similar) find it difficult/impossible to claim benefits - many are expressly excluded from claiming benefits. Full time students are exempt from most benefits. Interestingly, when thatcher brought in JSA, she changed the studying rules to class 16+ hours per week was full time study. Anyone doing more than that was excluded from JSA/IS/HB/CTB. What did colleges do? Reduced their courses to 15ish hours per week. Students need an income to survive.

There is an additional issue. What is to stop people never leaving college - doing course after course for years, in a half hearted kinda way, never actually working? It will happen - already happens with stuff like EMA.

Plus, people on benefits usually get their courses paid for....

tara747

lostinrates wrote: »

riding (horses) for money

................

eta: supermarket shelf stacking....I actually found this strangly satisfying as it involved lots of making things neat, you didn't have to sit still and your mind was free....

Glad you clarified that!!! :rotfl:

I did the following while I was a student:

Babysitting
Worked behind a bar
Supermarket checkout
Local tourist office during summer
24 hour garage during summer
Voluntary work

lostinrates, I would have quite enjoyed stacking shelves for the reasons you listed above.