Forced to apply for job too far away?

Derivative

I was basing it on £10 taxis, and not taking one every single time. As stated, this was before the whole "taking a train" thing came up - 1 hour by public transport around here gets you about 5 miles because buses take the scenic route (through housing estates, etc). If it is £20 a day then obviously it's not worth bothering and the expectation is unfair.

£7000 barely paying for rent on a flat... well, I concede that living in London or equally expensive area, in your own flat, on NMW, is difficult. Thankfully England's not just made up of the South East. Sorry if this seems flippant, I just don't see how it's relevant - it seems rational that anyone who is struggling to make ends meet would choose to live in a cheap area, otherwise they're just setting themselves up to fail.

baza52 wrote: »

Now im confused, You said earlier you work part time for NMW and have a flat and can still save but above you say if you earned £10k (full time) you would house share.

How many hours do you work? Are you getting grants or have other income?

I'd rather not post full details of my income on here - it's not really relevant anyway. I am happy to post details of expenditure though - income is personal to me, whereas expenditure is general (anyone can spend as much as me if they're single).

I'm looking at the following rough figures.
Rent £4000 pa (£330/mo)
Utilities £1200 pa
Council tax £900 pa (I don't actually pay this because I'm a student, but I've put it in to make the comparison fair)
Food/toiletries etc £900 pa (~£15 a week)
Total £7k

18 year old on 40h/week NMW, £10400 gross, 9606 after tax
21 year old on 40h/week NMW, £12480 gross, 11020 after tax

So, even if my rent figure is a bit low (I don't think it is, you can get flats for £250pm in my hometown, remember that we're talking about someone on a budget here), there's a fair bit left over, and remember benefits come on top of that.

just_trying

Hi, what does his job seeker agreement say on it. Does it say he is willing to work shifts ?. There is normally a bit for what hours you are willing to work due to situations like this where he can't get home from work due to transport issues. The best thing to do is have a look at it and if it says willing to work any hours get it changed and explain why to the advisor. Unfortunatley if he did not put restrictions on the hours he is willing to work he will have to go to the interview and explain he does not have transport and i would imagine that would be the end of it as they will probably find someone else with transport.

savageHK

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

The hour's travel isn't a problem: read the post. The problem is that there isn't any transport by the time his shift would end.

I did read the OP, but my post was in response to another poster further down the thread.

Bogof_Babe

just_trying wrote: »

Hi, what does his job seeker agreement say on it. Does it say he is willing to work shifts ?. There is normally a bit for what hours you are willing to work due to situations like this where he can't get home from work due to transport issues. The best thing to do is have a look at it and if it says willing to work any hours get it changed and explain why to the advisor. Unfortunatley if he did not put restrictions on the hours he is willing to work he will have to go to the interview and explain he does not have transport and i would imagine that would be the end of it as they will probably find someone else with transport.

Maybe he is able to work any hours, but just not in that location due to transport issues. I expect if a shift job came up that was in walking distance of his home he'd probably be happy to go for it.

I was just wondering whether this pizza place might consider agreeing not to put him on the particular shift that he finds difficult. Could be worth asking. I'm sure they have some flexibility in the matter. Other staff might be only too happy to do the late shift more often, to tie in with partner/child care etc. Horses for courses.

chris1973

I would sabotage the interview, afterall they gotta prove that you meant not to get the job!

Well thats highly constructive, especially when the OP mentioned that its highly likely any attempts to sabotage the interview will result in loss of benefits. No doubt you have other pearls of wisdom just waiting in the wings to share for the next thread which no doubt will be 'My friend is screwed as he has had his benefits sanctioned'.

as i feel they are being unreasonable.

It doesn't really matter one tiny bit what you think, or indeed anybody else here because non of us will be charged with making that decision. I suspect that outside the group hugs and sanctuary of the forum, reality is a little bit harsh!. On that basis I really hope the OP chooses which advice to pass on to her friend, wisely!.

Tango2009

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

Firstly, it's a minimum wage job (£4.98/hr as he's under 21) working for a well-known pizza company, so flexible times/car share schemes/etc are not available. The cost of transport is huge compared to the wage (even with long-term railcards etc) which means he wouldn't have spare cash to save for a car. (incidentally, why the assumption that everyone CAN drive? I haven't learnt yet and at present can't afford to... I've always walked/cycled/used public transport as this has been more economical on a low wage.) The few people we know who own a car do so because they need it for work so it wouldn't be free.
Also, the 1 hr journey is 15 mins (very brisk!) walk into the town centre and then 45 mins on the fastest train - an awfully long way to run/cycle etc.
Please do not think he is a scrounger - he has all the symptoms of PTSD and is still trying to find a job and cope with civvy life when he could easily be signed off work for a bit.
He is also fixing up an old bike for future jobs/interviews, just hopefully not as far as this one!
Anyway thanks for the advice, will pass it on.

Im coming in a bit late on this but as one ex member of the armed forces that has PTSD, get him to look at The Warrior Program online - it will help no end, next get him to speak to the RBL - they might pay for his driving licence as that would help him long term!

suburbanwifey

A lot of ludicrous responses here I must say. Never been a claimant myself but I am quite sure that on that wage, no way would I be prepared to pay a vast portion of it out in public transport to travel for 1 hour to get to work. The lad has to eat, buy clothes, entertainment, pay rent or board to family etc. what type of existence would it be on that wage, having to pay out for an hours travel each way every day? Has no one considered what a massive chunk of his wage would be taken up with travel costs? I think its ludicrous for him to even apply! and would be even more madness for him to take it if he was offered it. An hour on public transport is unreasonable on that wage. Seriously people!

Some mention those that travel over an hour to work - yes, some do, 40% tax payers who travel in style on commuter trains, not guys on basically 4 pounds an hour on a bus! Get real!

Yes, people on job seekers need to get work, but a job so far away and finishing after public transport ends is not practical or logical for so many reasons I could type for hours!

Poor lad, just out of the forces as well. He'd be better suited to another job I think that would better suit his specialist skills, closer to home and for a pay that is worth getting out of bed for!

earthbound_misfit

Derivative wrote: »

Perhaps, but we're talking about someone who's been in the forces for presumably a fair few years. To assume they are skint makes no sense to me. Is it common that people in full time employment have no savings? I work part time for NMW while studying and I have a few grand stashed away, why would being on NMW mean I have to spend it all?

He was in the forces 2yrs 3months. As for saving, believe me he has been berated nonstop by me for his lack of foresight/inability with money! :rotfl:Although to be fair a large amount was siphoned off behind his back by greedy/evil ex girlfriend.
But yeh, JSA is teaching him a thing or two about being frugal :T

I too can save in a NMW job - but part time? Really? With housing costs? (and for him NMW is £4.98, no tax credits for under 25's)

earthbound_misfit

Derivative wrote: »

It's daft to assume that someone claiming JSA or on NMW automatically has to be fe ckless and spend every last penny.

Agreed on the NMW - although not if you have a partner to support.
But JSA? Which is £71 a week, or £111.45 for a couple. If you are under 25 as my friend is, it's £56.25 a week. Not much left over once the bills are paid and food's on the table.

earthbound_misfit

Tango2009 wrote: »

Im coming in a bit late on this but as one ex member of the armed forces that has PTSD, get him to look at The Warrior Program online - it will help no end, next get him to speak to the RBL - they might pay for his driving licence as that would help him long term!

Wow, thanks for that. I'm edging him towards 'combat stress' support program too.
Thanks to everyone for various advice, this is one of my first threads here but I must say it's a bit like throwing a bone to a load of vicious noisy dogs - stand well back and see what happens! :rotfl: