Help for 18 yr old niece please

Darlyd

My 18 yr old Niece was put into a job via someone from job centre, her assessor I think.

They were paying her £2.50 an hr, she was doing a 3 mnth probation period, she was doing more than the other staff there, they were !!!!!ing about her, staring at her, watching her, and just making her life there awful, made her feel intimidated and uncomfortable, I witnessed this myself when I popped in to buy. Hence why some days she could not go in as the day before there was awful for her.

Anyway she was in the middle of pricing items, and there was a customer, she went to serve said customer and gave customer their change, they said they were charged to much, other assistant said they had already rung it through till and had to nip off or something, the manager came along niece explained things and manager told her to shut up.

Wednesday last week, she was called in for a meeting, the actual owner was there as well as the manager, she took her father for moral support, manager was even rude to her father, told him he had no business to be there, in which he replied you had no business to tell my daughter to shut up. (just giving examples on how rude she was/is).

The owner had no idea of what was going on in the shop, they ended up coming to a mutual agreement for niece to finish.

She told her assessor about having the meeting last Wednesday, she never heard back from her since the meeting, until yesterday, she rung niece when I was with her, when niece explained what happened during meeting, assessor said that is not what she heard blah blah.

Of course her attendance was low due to the fact she felt uncomfortable with that manager and other staff that were there.

She is now running out of money, she lives with her mother in a 1 bed flat, her mother is on the sick and is away for the time being, in a way lucky as niece has a bedroom. But money is running out quickly, she thinks she can't sign on for at least 13 weeks, I have taken her into every shop/business we can think off, but there is nothing there for her, she has filled in over 50 applications to be put on file.

What can she do?

She is going college next September, and there are a few courses coming in Jan, so she wants a part time job for time being, she can't even get that.

And she wants a place to live, when mother comes home she has to leave, (mother is an alcoholic, suffers severe mental health issues), could she get a 1 bed flat herself? Or would it have to be a shared house?

Thanks for any help you can give, will show it to her tomorrow when I pick her up to do more job hunting in different part of city..

Vejovis

she would only be entitled to a shared room rate, at 18 theres no reason why she cant share.

didnt she tell her advisor of the problems before it came to a head, ie when she started taking time off?

as shes 18 she could go door to door around the pubs and ask if they have any shifts over christmas, most are crying out for staff to work the shifts no one else wants to.

Jarndyce

£2.50 must be an apprenticeship rate - which should be £2.60 anyway.

At 18 she should surely be able to get casual work at least over Christmas at NMW level.

DCFC79

Definitely ask the pubs if any shifts are available, might be a bit late but how about checking the recruitment section for sainsburys, waitrose. For asda i search for asda jobs and the link yopu want is asda search jobs(2nd link down), you tried any retail parks/shopping centres close to her, even if its just on a till for the xmas period it would be some money.

pineapple123

Hi Had a quick look and thought Id comment - how about getting a live in job ie; carer, nanny or hotel/pub work where you can live in.
Pay may not be much but she would also have accommodation also try this tip instead of waiting for jobs to be adverised ( youve done well going to local businesses already) do a CV and accompaning letter and print off loads and put in all the local businesses, factories etc. I have known a few people to do this and it has got them a job and even paid training programmes with some companies, but you musn't give up hard as it is keep perservering and good luck.

Darlyd

Thanks for all the replies. Really appreciated.

She has been in all the pubs near her too (she doesn't drive don't want to go to far if in pub). Tried shoppin centers. Online next Asda Tesco careers etc. It's not looking good.

Assessor knew what was occurring and how unhappy niece was working there. Weird thing is. Her assessor is not even based on Leicester. She's based in derby!!!

Taking her to council to see if she can get a bedsit at least. But at the moment it's money she needs. Her father has been given her money but his partner is not to happy as she has kids etc.

Surly she could be entitled to something?

And she has only ever worked in a pub waiteressing and then this job since finishing school. So refs might be a problem? She's to nervous to ask for ref from that shop. So she's put me down as character ref as well as pub she worked in before.

Will see how we get on in other part of city tomorrow.

xbrenx

What a shame she was made to feel so bad.

I don't think you can write a reference for a family member - you're unlikely to be unbiased. Just be wary because that's the kind of thing that can jeopardise potential jobs.

Hope she sorts herself out soon.

bluenoseam

OK, so don't shoot the messenger, but this is a strike for reality for her! Now it's undeniable that work isn't meant to be a place where you feel miserable and suchlike, certainly shouldn't face bullying, but lets look at it sensibly and in the real world.

People were b*tching about her - it happens in every workplace around the country
Watching her - again, welcome to the world of modern retail, where managers aren't looking for staff to stand about & do nothing, they're watching to ensure she's actually WORKING!

Now i won't excuse the being rude, that's probably uncalled for, but ultimately it's a part of life that you will (and we all see this) run across people who are not terribly nice (i get the feeling there will be those who will feel by the end of my post that i am one) - how you DEAL with that is what seperates people who'll do something & those who won't. I know it's a harsh reality, but here's how it could have worked, if she just didn't go in because she was uncomfortable or didn't like it, she could have been sacked immediately and would have been if i were the boss, regardless as to what you think about it, that would mark her down as being unreliable (thankfully she wouldn't have faced the rude part if i were her boss) and as a result particularly in the current climate she'd be gone and someone who WAS reliable would be there.

There is hope though, if she learns from this that she needs to be more confident, much more savvy & an ability to ignore what people may or may not be saying about her then it'll be worth while, problem is that in the current market there's enough people out there who know this now and are her direct competition for work, so a lesson needs to be learned quickly. Workplace "politics" are everywhere, people who get jobs are those who can ignore the side show & get on with what they're being paid for & deal with things officially when it gets out of hand, just not going in is no way to deal with it.

dawyldthing

try all the local agencies as often they will need people over the Christmas holidays. But she may have to look further afield and cycle or walk it to work

ikati5

Have you been to connexions? They may be able to help with other apprenticeship schemes, housing and benefits advice. Most towns have one and they help young people 13 to 19 and sometimes up to 25 .

If all else fails, maybe voluntary work in charity shop would give her the experience she needs, a reference and something positive on her CV. Good Luck

paddedjohn

Can she not come and live with you?