Travel to interview allowance/Suit Allowance

Doshwaster

JustOnce wrote: »

You think? Even during my degrees I worked and paid taxes (apart from the doctorate as I was payed a tax-free grant), plus I served nearly a decade in our armed forces. I'm sure I've payed my dues as a tax-payer and to the taxpayer.

Also the culture of the place where I'm interviewing is extremely conservative, it will be expected I wear a suit etc. I've researched it throughly.

Yes, I think so. I dread to think how much tax I have paid over the year but I wouldn't dream of expecting someone else to buy me a suit. If you have a PhD and military service then you are clearly a very capable person and shouldn't have a problem getting a job regardless of the suit you are wearing.

Besides, if it's a "senior civil service" job where you will be expected to wear an expensive suit every day then are you sure it's the place for you?

Anyway, best wishes. People with military service are very valuable in the workplace as they bring a unique set of skills, experiences and perspectives.

JustOnce

Doshwaster wrote: »

Yes, I think so. I dread to think how much tax I have paid over the year but I wouldn't dream of expecting someone else to buy me a suit.

So forgetting my situation for moment, what would you do if you had an interview where you wanted to avoid giving the impression that you were 'too academic' and can fit in with environment/culture (and research of that environment made you aware that a suit would be expected, in the interview at least)... But found that your suit no longer fitted (primarily, because you had to stop the 8/9 hours of mixed martial arts training you used to do every week, so you could concentrate on writing job applications and finishing off your PhD).

Remember: The interview is a week or so away, so no time to pawn/sell things to raise the cash; and you had decided that in order to get into paid work quicker, you would consider changing industries (and not to mention an academic job you were headhunted for to start in September, fell through and won't be starting until Easter, so when you were living off your savings, you believed you were remaining in your existing environment thus no suit needed).

You say you wouldn't expect others to buy you a suit (though I'm assuming you don't write angry to letters to your M.P. for claiming his clothing allowance, though for the purpose of congruence, I feel you should, as you felt a strong need to announce here this is the case), so what would you do if you found yourself in that situation? I'm genuinely intrigued as to what steps you would take?

Would you just turn up to the interview hoping for best in whatever clothes took your fancy? (and this is an interview where I need demonstrate I'll fit in with the conservative ethos as well as be shit hot as a subject matter expert).

Snakey

How is that "forgetting your situation"? Presumably that's your exact situation.

I bought my last suit from M&S. I forget the precise cost but I remember the jacket was £35 so let's say £60 for the whole thing. And £9 for the blouse. This was for a job (and also for interviews for jobs) paying £80-90k, where client contact was a key part of the role. So I am sure you'll be fine even if you do only get a hundred quid (I have to say, if someone gave me a hundred quid for nothing I wouldn't be saying "only", I'd be saying "thank you very much, you've saved me from having to go to an interview in my jogging bottoms" or whatever your alternative is). And at least any expensive shoes you might have had to go with your old expensive suit will still fit you.

theoretica

Do you have any friends the right size with suits you could borrow?

JustOnce

Snakey wrote: »

How is that "forgetting your situation"? Presumably that's your exact situation.

I bought my last suit from M&S. I forget the precise cost but I remember the jacket was £35 so let's say £60 for the whole thing. And £9 for the blouse. This was for a job (and also for interviews for jobs) paying £80-90k, where client contact was a key part of the role. So I am sure you'll be fine even if you do only get a hundred quid (I have to say, if someone gave me a hundred quid for nothing I wouldn't be saying "only", I'd be saying "thank you very much, you've saved me from having to go to an interview in my jogging bottoms" or whatever your alternative is). And at least any expensive shoes you might have had to go with your old expensive suit will still fit you.

Oh I just wondered if the poster actually had an alternative solution they were keeping secret if it were them and not me, or if the real motivation was she just felt the need to let me know abou these moral principals she would stick to, even if meant sabotaging her chances of landing a job.

Yeah I think its fine, to honest, my main question was "is the suit fund" also from the same pot as the "travel to interview fund" as I funded travel to one interview and it cost me over £100. Which is fine (though I'm bitter that I laid out that money when they were interviewing somebody who had already been working on the project), but with a PhD, I won't find work locally, so I'll need assistance with interview funds (though I have a limited "pot" I saved up to pay for those too, but if that runs out...); and no local manual jobs are interested in somebody with a doctorate (and googling my name brings up my professional/academic pages so they likely know I'll move as soon as I get a suitable job for my background).

I do actually think even £100 is plenty (I'm grateful that there's actually a lot of help available to get people into work; maybe not so much for people who assistance gaining training etc, but there is help beyond just the fortnightly benefit payment).

To be honest, the jacket still fits, so I might be able to get away with matching/near matching trousers. (and you're right, I do have expensive shoes I was given as a gift years ago that should set things off).

So I am grateful, the main thing is I want to avoid attending the interview looking like an academic (which all my clothes atm!), as I really need to let them know I can function in an applied environment too. I Skyped a guy in the US this weekend as research for the role. Apparently he once interviewed a PhD grad,but didn't hire him because failed to wear a suit. The guy was wearing a tie, but apparently in this guys words "he couldn't be bothered to buy a matching jacket for this trousers". May not agree with this line of thinking, but when I'm looking for the job, I need to dance to the interviewers tune

Though just a shame the stuff has to be bought new! I do have expensive tastes/clothes, but all of my wardrobe has still come from eBay/charity shops based in exclusive parts of London (so I pay Primark prices for GQ style clothes)

JustOnce

theoretica wrote: »

Do you have any friends the right size with suits you could borrow?

Sadly, nope. I'm six foot two, and weigh 15 stone atm, and most people I know are shorter than me, let alone as broad shouldered, neck as wide etc (that would have been my first option).

topaztiger1983

My Brother-In-Law got a "suit allowance" last year, he got a voucher of £90 for Matalan

Poppie68

They may give you vouchers... most areas seem to favour Matalan, they usually only give enough to cover shirt,tie,trousers and maybe shoes.. it also seems the amount of time of the claim is a factor.
To get the correct advice for your area ring them first thing in the morning, if your advisor isn't available ask someone else...If you are insistent on needing a suit it does seem this will have to be funded by yourself one way or another...

Doshwaster

JustOnce wrote: »

So forgetting my situation for moment, what would you do if you had an interview where you wanted to avoid giving the impression that you were 'too academic' and can fit in with environment/culture (and research of that environment made you aware that a suit would be expected, in the interview at least)... But found that your suit no longer fitted (primarily, because you had to stop the 8/9 hours of mixed martial arts training you used to do every week, so you could concentrate on writing job applications and finishing off your PhD).

I can relate to some of that. I once did try to write up a PhD (until I ran out of money and realised I had no results so got a job instead) and I can understand the trouble of moving from academia into the "real world". I have no experience of martial arts training though...

In that situation where I really needed a new suit and I couldn't make do or borrow one then I'd stick it on a credit card. If you get the job then you are going to need several of them anyway. As I said, I certainly wouldn't expect the job centre to give me the money for one - and if they did then I don't see why it should cover more than the most basic suit from Asda/Tesco which I don't think you'd be happy with.

JustOnce

Doshwaster wrote: »

I can relate to some of that. I once did try to write up a PhD (until I ran out of money and realised I had no results so got a job instead) and I can understand the trouble of moving from academia into the "real world". I have no experience of martial arts training though...

In that situation where I really needed a new suit and I couldn't make do or borrow one then I'd stick it on a credit card. If you get the job then you are going to need several of them anyway. As I said, I certainly wouldn't expect the job centre to give me the money for one - and if they did then I don't see why it should cover more than the most basic suit from Asda/Tesco which I don't think you'd be happy with.

Writing up a PhD and creating something that uniquely contributes to human knowledge is where the magic of becoming a doctor happens. I mean, a research assistant without as much as a GCSE can collect data, and draw a salary for three years, the talent is spinning it into a story which furthers human understanding of a particular topic.

I see the credit card argument, but having seen some friends take up to 12 months to get a job after their PhD, I don't think going down the credit card route is particularly responsible and has a highly probable chance of going wrong. I'm lucky getting an interview for a job where I'll have the chance the draw a good salary, as well directly change UK policy on certain matter, but as I've already seen one certain thing fall through (an academic job I was supposed to start in September) I'm not willing to consider anything a certainty until the money is being paid directly into my bank account. I certainly don't think it's responsible to start racking up credit card debt whilst drawing JSA.

That's an interesting point about me not being satisfied with a basic suit. Not anywhere on this thread has I said I'd be unhappy with a certain amount, thats people jumping to conclusions and believing what they want to believe. Biases are an interesting thing. Personally, I think most people just wanted to jump on someone who happens to be claiming benefits. If I said rather than asking the job centre to fund a suit, I went to one of the veterans charities to ask for assistance (where the money is still likely to have come from tax payers) I doubt people would have made such a fuss.