18 year old on low income - need advice!!

[Trying not to panic!!]

Hi,

 

I have an 18 year old daughter who works supposedly as a working student at an equestrian centre, but seems more like slave labour to me. She is given a caravan and food and receives a whole £40 a week for working 7.30am - 6pm every day, often longer. She doesnt receive proper training, but does receive regular riding lessons. However, she teaches most of the riding school clients apart from the really advanced level.

 

If she moved out of the caravan I think she will be entitled to housing and council tax benefit, but my main question is:- why isnt she entitled to working tax credit? From my investigation, if she was 25 years old she would get it, but not at aged 18 - surely this cant be right - how unfair is that! She cant manage on £40 a week, she has special clothing to buy (riding boots, jodphurs, yard boots etc etc) and I am continually having to help her out, but can ill afford it myself, being a single parent.

 

Am I right in assuming that she is not entitled? Surely there must be some help somewhere for her!!

 

Any advice would be very gratefully received.

[honeybee13]

Hello there. I don't know the answers to your benefit and tax credit questions, sorry, but someone will.

 

How does your daughter's job tie in with the minumum wage please? I guess having food and accommodation complicates it.

 

As well as the benefit issues, you might need to look at her contract or terms of employment, assuming she has some. What does she have in writing? If you need to, post those questions on the Employment forum here.

 

It sounds like exploitation to me, for what it's worth.

 

HB

[PriorityOne]

You say she's a "working student"... what does she get in terms of qualifications at the end of this?

 

Does it have an end date?

[Trying not to panic!!]

Hi Honeybee and Priority,

 

Thanks for your replies. It certainly is exploitation in my eyes! In terms of qualifications, when she joined this place she already had her BHS (British Horse Society) Stages I and III and was 3/4 of the way through an NVQ Level II. At this place, she is meant to be studying towards her Preliminary Teaching Certificate, but apart from riding lessons, which are sometimes regular and sometimes hit and miss, she is getting practically no other tuition, no theory etc etc. They also told her that the NVQ is a waste of time!

 

Basically a 'working student' should mean that she works part of her time on the yard to pay for her riding and tuition. However, in practice, the students and especially my daughter, seem to run the whole yard. She is the most qualified and experienced person there apart from the boss and her daughter and spends 95% of her time working and teaching clients.

 

She has no contract or terms of employment and is treated like dirt. The accomodation is appalling, a lot of the time in winter she had no heating and no hot water.

 

We have reported the place to the minimum wage hotline, who said that as she didnt have a contract, either educational or working, then she should be treated as a normal full time employee and be paid the minimum wage. They plan on doing a spot check and asking to see everyones contract of employment, but said it could take months as they have a list a mile long to work through. Its been three months so far.

 

I am desperate for her to leave, but she has a boyfriend and social life based there which she doesnt want to leave. I feel so helpless and frustrated that I cant do anything to make her life better. At 18 she shouldnt be struggling like this. She works so hard and is just taken advantage of.

[Trying not to panic!!]

Oh - no there is no end date to achieve any more qualifications!

[honeybee13]

Thanks for the reply. I can see how you feel about this. Can the BHS help with this at all? I wondered if they gave any guidance to student people.

 

I like the sound of the spot check .

 

HB x

[PriorityOne]

It does sound like exploitation and I can understand your frustration.... but if your daughter doesn't actually want to leave, there's not a lot you can do apart from what you're already doing.

 

This may be a life lesson that your daughter needs to learn on her own...