Working in a bank

1940sGal

Seen a couple of jobs near me, 1 with Barclays and 1 with Natwest. I've read in the past that some banks do a credit check prior to any offer of employment, and it says so in the Natwest advert but not the Barclays.

Question is, is it worth applying if you know you've got a poor credit rating and an overdraft?

Sharon87

Depends, what do you mean by poor credit rating? Bankruptcy, CCJs? Probably wont pass their checks, defaults... well depends how long ago they were I guess. An overdraft, I'm sure that wont be a problem, as long as you're in your limit.

They do the credit checks to assess risk. If you're 20k in debt they may not trust you around lots of money, but if you're say 2k in debt, well that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

1940sGal

No nothing like that. I have my student loan and my student overdraft but that's it. And the OD is in limit.

Poor credit rating is from poor decisions with money in the past. Long time ago though and there's certainly nothing outstanding. Just never really worked to improve it, never been in a position to.

Sharon87

That should be fine then, can't see why you'd fail a credit check to work in a bank then

MissSarah1972

1940sGal wrote: »

No nothing like that. I have my student loan and my student overdraft but that's it. And the OD is in limit.

Poor credit rating is from poor decisions with money in the past. Long time ago though and there's certainly nothing outstanding. Just never really worked to improve it, never been in a position to.

Debts do not have to be outstanding to still show up. Debts only clear from your credit report when they have been clear for 6 years.

Most credit sites do a 30 day trial which I would look at if you are really worried and see if the trial shows you what they hold on you.

I have a credit file account with http://www.equifax.co.uk and it's been very good to have a full account with them. Anyone does a search on you, you get an email alert. If a credit limit goes up on your credit cards say you get an alert. It shows you all the debts you have and all sorts.

1940sGal

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

Debts do not have to be outstanding to still show up. Debts only clear from your credit report when they have been clear for 6 years.

Most credit sites do a 30 day trial which I would look at if you are really worried and see if the trial shows you what they hold on you.

I have a credit file account with http://www.equifax.co.uk and it's been very good to have a full account with them. Anyone does a search on you, you get an email alert. If a credit limit goes up on your credit cards say you get an alert. It shows you all the debts you have and all sorts.

It's been more than 6 years and i checked on Noddle which said my score was 2 out of 5. I'm going to have a look on Experian too though and take advantage of the free trial (though i'll cancel before the 30 days are up).

agrinnall

Any score given tou you by a CRA is utterly meaningless. While it's worth keeping an eye on your credit record (by paying £2 per report once or twice a year) in this case you already know what credit you have so unless you think there may be something that's wrong on there it's unlikely to tell you anything unexpected. While the bank as an employer will certainly check your credit record it doesn't sound to me as if you are in any worse position than lots of existing bank employees, although if they use credit record as part of the assessment process (I have no idea if they do this) then they could pick someone with no debts ahead of you.

denla

Student loans isn't the same as busting your credit cards, going bankrupt, or having an eviction filed against you for failing to pay rent. You'll do fine, and yes all banks do credit checks whether they advertise it or not.

Milliebob

I'd be thinking twice about getting a job in a bank tbh! Trust me! Unless you're a ruthless salesperson who likes working under immense pressure to hit targets for little above minimum wage.

denla

Milliebob wrote: »

I'd be thinking twice about getting a job in a bank tbh! Trust me! Unless you're a ruthless salesperson who likes working under immense pressure to hit targets for little above minimum wage.

Depends on the role itself. Some banks expect you to sell, others don't and you're just there as a cashier. OP didn't disclose what role s/he is working in.

Daedalus

denla wrote: »

Depends on the role itself. Some banks expect you to sell, others don't and you're just there as a cashier. OP didn't disclose what role s/he is working in.

Cashiers have started trying to sell me stuff every time I am in.