EMA withdrawall

Kirri

Shakethedisease wrote: »

When I was 16/17... during the big 80's recession, 3 million unemployed and all that. I, and all my peers left school and did a YTS for about 30 quid a week for 2 years. Sound familiar ?

I can only assume those crapping on about Saturday jobs and the like have never experienced what it's like to be 16/17 in the midst of a huge recession. Where there are no Saturday jobs, no supermarket shelf-stacker jobs or paper rounds going. Especially in areas of high unemployment and rural areas.

Try not to be so self-satisfied and smug about 'what you did'. Times change. 16 and 17 year olds are at the bottom of of the pile in terms of part-time work atm.

Todays kids, not all but a huge majority where I live are gobby, uneducated, can't even speak properly (gangster speak is popular here in South London) and I really wouldn't employ them myself from what I have to endure on public transport, it's no wonder if that particular group have trouble, not that they probably want PT jobs.

Yes times change, there wasn't free bus travel for kids in London when I was at school.. sadly they don't know how to behave on that either.

I'm sure kids outside of this part of London are better..

SingleSue

doire wrote: »

I worked all weekend stacking shelves to have money when i was in sixth form.

Todays lot get it handed to them and spend it all on booze.

All of them?

My son certainly does not...he spends his on essential books that we would otherwise not be able to afford - just yesterday he got a list of additional books that he needs to get where even second hand, the total would come to over £50, he spends it on travel on the days that I am unable to take him to school and he has dislocated or if he is going cross site - the 6th form is based over two different high schools, I am unavailable and he dislocates, has got halfway there and dislocates (he refuses to claim disability benefits ), he uses it to purchase pens, folders, pads etc.

He does have a part time job, unfortunately it does not pay a great deal in the winter (he is looking for another job that does) plus he babysits 5 nights week straight after school to save a friend's single parent mum from having to pay exhorbitant childcare while she works 4 jobs to make ends meet.

That said, he would still be doing his A levels without EMA, it just makes it that little less stressful affording the essentials he needs to do so.

But he does not use it to booze with.

setmefree2

oz0707 wrote: »

C'mon then, lets see some opinions...

Personaly, I think it's really sad. In a time of high youth unemployment it seems like a silly thing to do too. We need to keep kids in education and the savings from withdawing the allowance are really quite small (relative to the mess we are in)

WHITEVANMAN

setmefree2 wrote: »

Personaly, I think it's really sad. In a time of high youth unemployment it seems like a silly thing to do too. We need to keep kids in education and the savings from withdawing the allowance are really quite small (relative to the mess we are in)

With the debts that the country will carry for decades to come, with the global economy changing and the Uk and others falling down the chain over the next ten years or so, the population is going to have to learn how to fend for and feed itself in a more integrated and less selfish manner.
The government are starting with some small costs savings, over the next few years, these will seem so minor when the real cost cutting starts.
With inflation rising, house prices flat at best, wages stagnent the Uk is going to have to learn to live differently again and find its way.
A less state reliant population is the way to go, ingenuity and creativity will come to the fore and in years to come will prove fruitfull for all of us.

tightrs

life_in_termoil wrote: »

My responses are in red

But if he didnt get EMA i would have to fund him myself (which of course doesnt bother me in the slightest) but if its there going then im sorry but why should he not take it

he could use a bicycle nearest town is 15 miles away up and down hills or moped Who is going to fund it?!
have you not got the use of a car to take him to work /pick him up from work if he gets a job in the local town -I work from 3 till 11
he is going to have to travel for a job most people do I agree but any job he gets would have to be between 8 and 6 therefor not enabling him to go to college, both my daughters work and are at college they do not qualify for ema and myself or my wife will drop them off /pick them up when its late or buses aren't running Your lucky their are 2 of you to do the running about after them

more excuses
the moped could be funded by a job not to mention the savings on bus fares ,hours of work are not between 8 and 6 ,both daughters work in shops sometimes till 9pm on weekdays after college,some of their friends work in fast food outlets till midnight
last week we were in lanzarote and my sister picked the youngest up from work for us ,have you no one at all that will help out,family ?
getting ema is not a barrier for work you can have ema and a job :beer:

Smidster

Mixed opinions on this one.

I got the money (£30 p/w) and saved it for University as I walked to Sixth Form and the idea that you have to buy masses of books is never something I caught onto, even at Uni only bought 2 books 2nd hand. Did the cash come in handy later on - yes £2,000 by the end of 2 years was a nice cushion to take with me.

Are there many people out there who genuinely *need* this to carry on in education - I doubt it. In 2011 I just don't think that there are families out there where there is that immense pressure on a 16 year old to come out of education to support the family. May have been the case in the past but there are some serious problems if that is still the case today.

There does need to be a better mechanism than just giving people money left, right and centre. When I was getting the money I know that most, for the sake of clarity NOT ALL, others were spending it on nights out, alcohol and shopping trips. Therefore perhaps better to use the £500m towards subsidising travel such as they do in London or giving some of it to schools to invest in the books which can then be used for many years.

As for the 'When I was in college I had a job' posts - Care to tell me where these jobs are? As a Graduate currently on the hunt for anything it isn't easy out there right now although I guess the 16-17 Year Olds who hold few qualifications will be fine as they are not overqualified.

Smidster

tightrs wrote: »

,both daughters work in shops sometimes till 9pm on weekdays after college,some of their friends work in fast food outlets till midnight:beer:

Surely this isn't something you would recommend?

If someone is in college from 9-4 they then really shouldn't be working from 5-9/10 in the evening. They still have to do college work (and yes A Levels do still require a lot of effort and additional work and if they are not getting back till the small hours of the morning then how are they going to be able to function the next day at college. The net effect is the education really suffers. They do also have to do things like eat and have some sort of life outside education and work (although I accept that most people are not as fussy about meal times as I am)

life_in_termoil

Im not saying my son shouldnt work and im not making excuses for him either but these kids cant get jobs if none exist

jojo1964

Maybe in the only one, but many of the "students" i saw being interviewed had obviously let the past 12 years of education pass them by, so would another year or two make much difference to their job prospects?

molerat

EMA was only brought in to massage unemployment figures. At school / college therefore not unemployed. About time it was done away with.