I'm self-employed and have been for almost ten years and getting a mortgage shouldn't be a problem as long as you can present financials; most importantly sales, expenses, recurring revenue contracts and forecasts. Can a kid on zero hours do that? Highly doubtful. It's a disgrace! Being self-employed and being on zero hours are two entirely different things. Self-employed means you are in control of your business affairs and can prove a trading history and your business has "goodwill" value. Zero hours employees could be fired tomorrow and your boss controls your hours. Difference scenario altogether. It should be stopped now!
No, but then a kid in a full-time job also can't get a mortgage. First off you need a sizeable deposit, which takes time unless you are uber well paid (and if you are uber well paid then the mortgage isn't a problem either). Even with a full-time job they look at your time in that job and your time in the industry as a whole. You can't just pick up a full-time job, wander into a bank and get a mortgage, trust me, i know.
Yes, I didn't mean to imply that I agree with the practice, it's disgraceful (especially, as you say, for young unskilled workers). Not everyone on zero hour contracts are kids though. Occasionally it's in everyone's interest. But large companies exploiting the young, absolutely no.
Well this was the original theme of my thread. I think it's fair to state that most floor staff on these contracts at Sports Direct are pretty young. I'm quite surprised as how many people don't seem to be bothered by them... it just hands power to the employer. Nothing in these deals is in the interest of the employee.
What are you talking about? They get valuable experience in a retail environment and great insight into the world of work as well as picking up life-long work habits! Journalism is often done for free nowadays. The rise of the intern is also very prevalent. In fact I heard a head honcho at Amazon being interviewed on the radio yesterday because of an announcement of Amazon creating a few thousand jobs. When asked about the quality and conditions of the jobs he actually replied "Well they will be gaining great experience working for a leading company...". I actually wanted to punch him in the face. So that he could gain that great experience. I live in the US but it sounds more and more like the Tories are absolutely trying to destroy the UK what with more and more reliance on "volunteering" and privatisation of anything that is not bolted down. Just a shame that Labour are absolutely no alternative and haven't been for decades. That video, PNP, should be required viewing for all Americans. Bloody idiots are trained from infancy that socialism and wealth redistribution is evil and yet the results of them are basically what they all think is fair. They think that big old evil government is robbing their money whilst they are actually being robbed and exploited by the free market every second of their lives. And it's only big, bad government that could actually help and protect them.
I'm in Northern California. You know one of my favourite non-scandals of recent times (not a scandal cos the papers would rather not treat it that way - too busy with real news) was the way that the actual TAX OFFICES were all sold to a private firm a few years ago. The government now has to pay rent to this company. And guess what? The company that is now the landlord of every single tax office in Britain...is a huge tax avoider and pays zero tax! Brilliant! I do, actually, literally, despair at times.
