Problems for 16 Year Old Working At JD Sports!

danzeg

Hi,

In July i was intervied for a job at JD Sports.

The store was desperate for new staff as loads were leaving at the same time. A manager from another store was covering, gave me an interview and promised me i would be getting £4.17 an hour (i am 16 by the way).

Well, i had to wait 5 weeks to get paid (meant to be paid weekly...later found out my application form wasnt sent off). But after that, I only received £3.00 an hour (min wage). Later i find out the manager that interviewed me had left and he was only speaking about the wages in his store.

On top of that, I had to pay a large amout on N.I. as it seemed i was earning around £250 in that week (simply because JD's didnt bother sending off my application forms).

I was told to go to the tax office about my N.I. as JD's didn't deal with this!....Is this right?..simply it is their fault?!

Also, is there any comeback on my wages, i was initially promised £4.17 in my interview (although no REAL proof).

Surely JD Sports are messing me about and taking advantage of me (because i don't know my rights).

Could someone help me please! Should I go to CAB?

Thanks!

Daniel

ts_aly2000

Hi Daniel,

Sorry to hear about this. It can be a bit like this when working at 16. I started at Sainsbury's about 10-years ago just after my 16th. Anyhooo

JD Sports do have a bit of a reputation I'm afriad. My first reaction as would be most peoples; go and work somewhere else. In the long run it's far far easier and less stressful trying to put the might of a company to rights.

This £4.17 business. There's not a whole lot you can do but query it politely. As for the NI, yes that's their fault, again, a reflection on how JD is ran. "A mistake," they will say. "Dog ate my homework," they may as well say. Welcome to the world of the workplace. Truth is, someone forgot, couldn't be bothered, or just put it in a pile of papers and it's been forgotton about. An insider tip; Adults do not know best, quite a few are absolutely useless!! But just let them think they know best for the time being

Without proof there's not a whole lot can be done. With the larger more established (and professional) companies, you would be provided with a draft contract before starting employment. This would list out basic things like your wage and hours. Then after starting there, within a month or two, you get your full blown contract which details all of the other things; pension rights, sickness pay, union rights. That kind of thing.

If I were you. I would sit tight for the time being and look for a job elsewhere. To be honest, I probably wouldn't even mention JDS. At 16 most people are starting out anyway. At 21 some don't even have jobs.

Sainsbury's are a relatively good employer. I can only say that having worked for them.

Good on you for working at 16 btw Kind of fills me with a bit of faith that the world has a future afterall, ie. not straight on the dole.

Others will come along here to comment I'm sure, so check back.

But in all honesty. Don't even bother worrying about this or putting up a real fight. It's a habit that many people much older than you have got into, and you only need see how wound up they are. Simply turn your back and walk away. It's far easier. And you get to retain your sanity too.

Hope it works out

Aly

tomstickland

Very interesting. Confirms quite a lot of suspicions about JD sports.

pavlovs_dog

i work for argos, and would recommend them as an employer. a lot of their staff tend to be young (they will recruit people from 16yrs of age), and this lends itself to a good vibe instore. in my experience, it is a fun and friendly place to work. they are also fairly flexible with their young staff when it comes to exam time :beer:

although you will be paid less than your older counterparts, you will get more than minimum wage, and would be well treated. and we're currently recruiting for christmas temps.

on that note, something to bear in mind..if you DO leave JD now for another company, be aware that if you are taken on as a chrstmas temp you are not guaranteed a place come new year. make sure you check your contract carefully before you sign the dotted line!

Kilty_2

pavlovs_dog wrote:

i work for argos, and would recommend them as an employer.!

One of my friends worked for Argos for a few months and was treated like s*** by the management so left pretty quickly

I'm almost 16 but not going to get a part time job as I'm starting up as a self employed web designer. Hopefully it's going to work out so I don't need to slave away at £3 an hour....... if not, <insert name of a major supermarket here> here I come!

danzeg

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, I have seriously been thinking about leaving for the last few weeks. But when i started, i really was outgoing about it all, and JD's have taken it all away!

I received my contract about a month ago, but i havent signed it or sent it back to them as it doesnt even mention my contracted hours....what a joke!!! (the contract says it is on my payslip)

My supervisor is always nagging me and being petit with things, trying to get a reaction out of me. Once i told my assistant manager, it stopped temporarily - and i got an apology.But my friends working in there have told me she is talking about me when i am not there, saying whenever something goes wrong....it is me.

To be honest, I think the replies I have got have now made me more confident in the fact that I should get another job.

By the way, what should i do about the N.I., i was charged about £19 on £250, clearly not my fault?

Thanks once again for the replies.

Daniel

ti1980

Sorry to hear about your trouble at JD.

At M&S they are taking on Xmas temps at the moment and the minimum amount of money they get is £5.60 an hour. This goes up to £5.80 after you have been trained and become 'qualified'.
The job is not guaranteed after Xmas though, the contracts are usually for 2-3 months so they can assess if you are worth keeping on.
Though if they are desperate they end up keeping on anyone!

ageandjo

ts_aly2000 wrote:

But in all honesty. Don't even bother worrying about this or putting up a real fight. It's a habit that many people much older than you have got into, and you only need see how wound up they are. Simply turn your back and walk away. It's far easier. And you get to retain your sanity too.

Hope it works out

Aly

Glad to see you have chilled a little since earlier:T

calleyw

danzeg wrote:

By the way, what should i do about the N.I., i was charged about £19 on £250, clearly not my fault?

Thanks once again for the replies.

Daniel

NI is national insurance and this is different to Income Tax.

For NI you can earn up £89 a week before your start to pay.

Income Tax is totally different and if you earn less than £5030 a year and you have paid tax then you can get that back.

But as far as I am aware you can't claim back NI contribtions.


Yours


Calley

tomstickland

But when i started, i really was outgoing about it all, and JD's have taken it all away!

They've sucked your good will out of you.
Funny that - I recently visited a friend of mine and the people in his house sucked my good will out of me until, when I left, I felt depressed.

ts_aly2000

They've sucked your good will out of you.
Funny that - I recently visited a friend of mine and the people in his house sucked my good will out of me until, when I left, I felt depressed.

That they have.

Daniel. Don't let it get to you. All of the best and most dynamic people up there just move on. They don't complain (very much) and just turn over their life to the next page.

In some respects I still try to do this, turn over pages, but it gets more difficult as you get older with big responsibilities like mortgages and when your family are getting ill and things. But certainly when I was your age, I'd just walk off, I wouldn't even tell JDS, and would just walk into the next opportunity that sprang up.

They WILL NOT suck your good will out of you, as you're not going to give a damn. This daft supervisor who talks about you behind your back, that's what goes on I'm afraid. You're doing the right thing to just ignore it, as the management will be onto her so you're quite safe. They're probably fed up listening to them. Some people moan moan moan at work. That's their life, and no one of any worth takes any notice of them.

Good Luck!! Fresh air

Aly