How a 19-year-old lives on £50 a week in UK

by mudricky | April 24, 2009 at 02:31 am

862 views | 58 Recommendations | 11 comments

Suada Hamidi recording her video diary for the BBC

The BBC have a video diary from 19-year-old Suada Hamidi who is currently out of work.

She has been out of work for 5 months and receives jobseekers allowance of £50.95 - CAD$90.76, US$74.38.

She lives alone and in the video she explains that she has to pay power, arrears for housing, local council tax, public transport for job hunting and food, all from the money she gets from the government.

In the video she tells of a job offer but seems unsure if she can accept it.

On state payout they pay her local council tax and nearly all of her housing rent, but taking the job means she would lose that.

The job will pay her the minimum wage for her age group of £4.77 - CAD$7.68, US$6.32, and with the job offer not being full time and only 30 hours, she would be out of pocket by a fair amount.

Video is here

Suada Hamidi is 19-years-old. She left home at 15 and has been living independently since then. She lost her job five months ago and has been looking for work ever since.
After trying to manage on savings and borrowing money from friends and family, she signed on and is now in receipt of jobseekers allowance. Because Suada is under 25 she gets just £50.95, the lowest rate.

She has both rent arrears and council tax arrears that have to be paid off each week, and must repay family members who have helped her out.

After paying bills, arrears and setting aside £6 to travel to Tonbridge to sign on Suada is left with around £5 for the week, to feed and clothe herself and find work.

And when there is the possibility of work it can mean having to survive on even less - because rates of pay are low and the hours offered do not equal full-time employment.

While making the video diary Suada was offered a job waitressing - but only 30 hours a month, at the minimum wage for under-21s, £4.77. This would have meant losing her council tax benefit and some, if not all of her housing benefit, leaving her considerably out of pocket.

Given that the margins on JSA are tight, this made it a very hard decision to make. She asked for time to think about it but when she called back to take the job the manager had given it to someone else.

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Rob Walker

at 03:21 on April 24th, 2009

This is pretty interesting, I also like how it shows that accepting a job offer may not be the best thing, you don't want to end up in a worse position than before you started.

mudricky

at 03:33 on April 24th, 2009

Yeah it is Rob.

Right now low skilled workers under 22 - there really isn't any reason to go out and work so what is the point - there really are better off not working in the UK.

We in the UK are lucky to have all this help that when you aren't working they give you cash, pay for your housing and locals taxes and your health care is always free.

But it does seem that sometimes that kind of help isn't always a good thing.

gerrypopplestone

at 03:24 on April 24th, 2009

This is a really good post, Mudricky! It's details like this that we all need to digest. Many thanks.

mudricky

at 03:32 on April 24th, 2009

Your welcome Jerry, I feel it points out something most people wouldn't think off.

It is an issue that needs to be addressed in the UK.

What are the current rates of the national minimum wage?

There are three levels of minimum wage, and the rates from 1 October 2008 are:

£5.73 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older

A development rate of £4.77 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive

£3.53 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age

mudricky

at 03:33 on April 24th, 2009

albertacowpoke

at 04:39 on April 24th, 2009

Mudricky, this is a good post. This is a recurring problem with social programs also here in Canada. The government makes it more rewarding not to work. I don.t understand why some kind of minimum wage can.t be established to reward people to find and take a job. We all know it takes a job to find a better one.

Adelee

at 04:41 on April 24th, 2009

That was a difficult thing to go through. In this case, you really have to be wise in making a decision since you have to weigh things properly. That is one of the best features in western countries they do take care of job seekers too. Here in my country, there are no funds for that.Job seekers ask their allowance from their parents.

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jazzyzazzy

at 06:11 on April 24th, 2009

Well done Mudricky good story and true in so many cases here in the U.K. It is to me a way for the goverment to keep the masses down. Sadly there are so many young people trying to live on benefits and hand outs. Then the Goverment announces this great news and that great news,every one gets a tad excited,only to find the words from the politicians are in many cases Hollow. That is why so many young women and men turn to DRUGS PROSTITUTION AND CRIME. All they do is have talks on talks that go on for years,to do what ! create yet more Illusions.While their kids are wrapped up in cotton wool in luxury appartments,while attending University.We will never hear of an Oxford Student going without.

Fred Miller

at 06:41 on April 24th, 2009

This is as astonishing as saying there is no Health assistance in the USA for those without a Coverage plan.

Amy Judd

at 08:01 on April 24th, 2009

Yeah, I say don't take the job, that's terrible. I don't know how anyone could live on just this much...

Roy C

at 08:38 on April 24th, 2009

30 Days on Minimum Wage from the guy who brought us the video documentary about living on McDonald's food for 30 days and the havoc wrought by that.

Same problem. Also, an excellent book, according to its fans, at least, Nickel and Dimed in America.

Strange how people cannot get this.

selltzer (not verified)

at 08:33 on April 26th, 2009

having been homeless myself in the past in the uk n still in receipt of income support which is much the same as jsa,i would suggest begging where u can earn 400 pounds on a good day tax free