Issues with new employer requiring personal information

theoretica

My partner isn't keen on sharing with you statements from the account we both use - would you accept a personal reference for this time?

Nicki

I don't believe your partner doesn't have a bank account and asked for his wages to be paid into yours. Sorry. I just don't think it is possible in this day and age, where very few bills can be paid by cash, for any adult not to have one.

For that reason alone even if you show your statements to the new employer I'd think you were lying or that there was something very shady going on.

HappyMJ

Nicki wrote: »

I don't believe your partner doesn't have a bank account and asked for his wages to be paid into yours. Sorry. I just don't think it is possible in this day and age, where very few bills can be paid by cash, for any adult not to have one.

For that reason alone even if you show your statements to the new employer I'd think you were lying or that there was something very shady going on.

That's an easy one...partner pays the bills.

My partner pays the gas/electricity and phone/broadband/mobile and that mobile account has 3 mobiles on it including mine.

I personally have no direct debits to any company in my own name.

Council tax we pay monthly using a credit card and water we pay quarterly by credit card. We don't have TV licence and therefore no Sky/Virgin etc.

Rent I pay manually by bank transfer.

s.jones121

Thanks for all the reply's so far there much appreciated. The job is not a 'super job' but it is a reasonably well paid call centre type job that I need as work where I am is not so easy to come by at the moment.

I did genuinely forget about one of the jobs the other I left off which I now realize was a mistake but at the time thought it was the best thing to do as I walked out of it.

My partner thankfully does have a bank account now but genuinely didn't at the time and its not as rare as you think he wasn't the only person at his place of work who had money paid into a spouses account. There is plenty on there taht I wouldnt want a company to see transaction in different locations, money from parents all of which is too much information and gives much away about my lifestyle.

The company in question also want travel tickets to prove i spent 3 months travelling four years ago is this normal practice.

Any more advice on the best way to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone have anymore info on if they would likely accept references for this period and what kind of references would be required.

HappyMJ

s.jones121 wrote: »

The company in question also want travel tickets to prove i spent 3 months travelling four years ago is this normal practice.

No that is not normal practice.

Seriously for a call centre job I'd tell them to do one and look for another job elsewhere.

You could just say I no longer have the travel tickets for a trip I took 4 years ago. I didn't see any need to keep them so I disposed of them. I'm not a hoarder.

If you "need" this job then you're going to have to provide reasons as to why you can't provide your partners bank statements or your travel tickets. The more reasons which you totally believe are valid and I do agree the more reasons they will have to hire someone else.

Is this job really worth that much to you?

Twopints

Nicki wrote: »

I don't believe your partner doesn't have a bank account and asked for his wages to be paid into yours. Sorry. I just don't think it is possible in this day and age, where very few bills can be paid by cash, for any adult not to have one.

For that reason alone even if you show your statements to the new employer I'd think you were lying or that there was something very shady going on.

I don't believe you. You have just made this up.

nimbo

Nicki wrote: »

I don't believe your partner doesn't have a bank account and asked for his wages to be paid into yours. Sorry. I just don't think it is possible in this day and age, where very few bills can be paid by cash, for any adult not to have one.

For that reason alone even if you show your statements to the new employer I'd think you were lying or that there was something very shady going on.

I'm currently working with a man who is maybe 40 odd. Has no bank account. When his wife went to prison started having his wages paid to a man who lives round the corner rather than fill a form an open an account himself. I too was flabbergasted but it really does happen.

He could open his own account - as in he's never been done for fraud or anything that would stop him - he just never bothered to fill in the forms.

Andypandyboy

I assume they are just trying to ascertain that any gaps in employment are not explained by a prison sentence or sentences! Look at it from their point of view, you have some gaps which they just need to be sure are not suspect.

I would ask them if personal referees would suffice. They would have to be someone unrelated and of good standing in the community.

Have you told them you lived off savings? It can't be that uncommon. Ditto not claiming and living of partners wage.

TBagpuss

Nicki wrote: »

I don't believe your partner doesn't have a bank account and asked for his wages to be paid into yours. Sorry. I just don't think it is possible in this day and age, where very few bills can be paid by cash, for any adult not to have one.

Actually, it's pretty common.
In my professional capacity I look at people's finances a lot, and quite often come across a situation where one half of a couple doesn't have a bank account, or where an adult doesn't have one (It seems to be slightly more common for men, I've come across a fair number of men well into adult life who don't have a bank account of their own and get wages paid into their mum or dad's acccount.

Most bills can still be paid in cash - it's very common for people who have low incomes, especially if they have a pre-payment meter, but even those better off financially do it - I recently did some work wit a woman who has just bought (outright, and mortgage free) a house for £290,000) - he pays all of her household bills in cash. She would have paid my bill in cash had it not been that we have a limit on the amount we accept.
She's not doing anything dodgy, she just prefers dealing with bill payments in person and in cash.

OP have you asked why the checks are needed? explain you don't have much in the way of records and that your bank statements are shared by your partner who doe not wish to disclose them, but that you are happy to give them specific answers to any questions they have.

cadon

At a guess, the call centre has a client that is FCA regulated, so you're being subject to an external screening process which is similar to what accountants and similar frequently go through. From experience, screening companies are inflexible by default - the first time I did one of those background check forms I remember wailing in frustration.

If you can't prove unemployment due to not claiming benefits (were you not eligible for contributions-based JSA?) then your best port of call is the company's HR team and/or the person who made you the job offer. They may be able to override certain parts of the screening process where you have a sensible explanation.