Can Social Services legally pay less than minimum wage

terra_ferma

nametaken wrote: »

um, I'm not idle. I already work full time. I was looking at changing my job and took a bit of interest in this one. Till I saw the rates.
And I don't want sky-high pay, just minimum wage.

Hello name

It's unusual for junior staff to do on-calls in my experience, dealing with emergencies etc, particularly someone who seems to have little experience in the field, and paid such a low rate.
I hope you have easy access to a supervisor/manager.
This would be my first worry about this job!

Now about on calls.
In my experience they effect people differently.
I have some very committed, hard working staff who are prepared to put in a lot of extra hours if needed, but dread on calls because they can't sleep for the whole week worrying about been called, not hearing the phone etc. They get very tired, and don't perform as well during the day.
I also have other people who volunteer to do lots of on-calls because they find it an easy way to get extra money in, as they can sleep easily when not being disturbed.

Not liking on-calls is no reflection on your aptitude for the job. The pay you quote is very low, so I can see you are not motivated by money.

If I was you I would try to find out how often you are likely to be disturbed during the night, and arrangements for additional payments if you are called (don't assume that there will be any as many organisations in social care don't pay extra for that, some give TOIL, most nothing, in my experience).

PS we are all assuming you mean on-call, but not at work.
Is this what you mean, or are you talking about a sleep-in, where you are still on-site, in bed, and available if needed?
Probably not, but just checking, as the legal position would be different.

nametaken

thank you for being so helpful terra firma. I would be at home during the on-call.

Oldernotwiser

terra_ferma wrote: »

Not liking on-calls is no reflection on your aptitude for the job. The pay you quote is very low, so I can see you are not motivated by money.

£7.50 ph is actually very good for this sector. It is, after all, nearly 30% higher than NMW.

Odette

I'm on call at least 4 days a month and I get £10 for a weekday, and £25 for a weekend. Its standard practice.

terra_ferma

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

£7.50 ph is actually very good for this sector. It is, after all, nearly 30% higher than NMW.

You obviously don't know much about 'this sector'....

This job is at the lower end of the scale in DV jobs. Full Stop (all you need to do it google 'refuge worker' and check for yourself - you may find one or two lower if you try hard, but most are higher).
Jobs in care, which is a totally different field, are paid less.
I'm not giving an opinion on how much people doing these jobs should be paid, just stating a fact.

The OP will take on a lot of responsibility when dealing with DV emergencies, and this is not reflected in the pay scale.
Inexperienced staff responding to DV emergencies = recipe for disaster

Blackpool_Saver

terra_ferma wrote: »

You obviously don't know much about 'this sector'....

This job is at the lower end of the scale in DV jobs. Full Stop (all you need to do it google 'refuge worker' and check for yourself - you may find one or two lower if you try hard, but most are higher).
Jobs in care, which is a totally different field, are paid less.
I'm not giving an opinion on how much people doing these jobs should be paid, just stating a fact.

The OP will take on a lot of responsibility when dealing with DV emergencies, and this is not reflected in the pay scale.
Inexperienced staff responding to DV emergencies = recipe for disaster

Yes and many do that job for no pay at all, such as volunteers for women's aid.
I worked for hours and hours for no pay at all in the offices.

terra_ferma

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

Yes and many do that job for no pay at all, such as volunteers for women's aid.
I worked for hours and hours for no pay at all in the offices.

Yes a lot of services in DV and other social care sectors would not exist without volunteers.

Oldernotwiser

terra_ferma wrote: »

You obviously don't know much about 'this sector'....

This job is at the lower end of the scale in DV jobs. Full Stop (all you need to do it google 'refuge worker' and check for yourself - you may find one or two lower if you try hard, but most are higher).

The sector I was referring to was for helpline staff. As no qualifications or experience seem to be asked for, the post will mainly be signposting clients to other services rather than actually dealing with their problems directly, as a refuge worker would.

paulwf

As has been mentioned in other threads about on call pay it really depends on what being on call means. How many calls will you get, 1 call a week or 10 a night? Do you actually have to go out when a call comes in or do you just offer advice and then call the appropriate person to attend if required? Do you have to answer the phone straight away or is waiting 5 minutes ok, that would make a huge difference as you could take a shower and get the kids ready for school etc?

OP you don't seem to get your head round it, it is not the same as being in an office. If you are in an office and you don't get a call come in you still have other jobs to do and have to stay there anyway. However when on call you can be at home with your feet up watching telly and eating your dinner...there really is no comparison. I'm not saying you should take the job as it isn't for everyone but I can't see why it should be NMW as 99% of the time you aren't working.

Magnolia

dmg24 wrote: »

If this is your attitude, this is not the role for you. It is the kind of role that needs a much greater motivation that how much you'll be earning.

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Snap......

Snap..............