Black Market UK Passport

Orianna2000

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My MC has traveled through time unexpectedly and landed in 21st century London, 700 years before she was born. She has no ID, no passport, nothing. For the first week or so, she stays at a homeless shelter, but after that, she needs to pull herself together and start a new life in the 21st century. Right now, I have her using the only money she has to buy a cheap fake passport on the black market, along with an NI number. She then gets a job that's willing to pay under the table and not look too closely at her NI number. Obviously, if they ran the number it would raise red flags, but if anyone asks, they can honestly say, "Yes, she gave us an NI number." This was according to suggestions I got at a Brit-picking forum awhile back.

Question #1: One of my beta-readers thinks it might be more likely for her to get a job first, even without ID, and then buy a fake passport. But neither of us is familiar with how these things work, so we're both sort of shooting in the dark here. Does it seem likely that she'd be able to find a job at a pub with no ID whatsoever? Or would she need to have a fake NI number and passport first?

Question #2: I looked up the price of black market passports in the UK and a good replica is WAY out of her budget. But I'm guessing there are various levels of quality. Does it seem fair to say that she could get a passport and NI number of dubious quality for a hundred pounds? (I can raise that to two hundred quid, if necessary, but I'd rather her get by on as little cash as possible.) It doesn't have to pass muster, in fact she gets found out as soon as someone actually takes a look at her documents.
 

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Not in the UK, and never done this, and, your future setting may change things. I am, however, reliably informed that if you find a small place (not part of a chain, where there's paperwork for head-office) that's run-off-it's-feet busy and present yourself as an experienced waitress, and willing to work under-the-table or for tips, there's a good chance you'll get work, with no questions about papers.
The trick is, you have to know what you're doing, because there's no time to train, and they may ask "How do you do..." or "Have you ever..." as a test, but waitressing tends to be a very fluid field.
If the need for a passport is because she's got an accent, have her say she's only waiting for a train/plane and will be gone soon.

Why doesn't she ask at the homeless shelter, they must have some experience with people with no ID? (Without asking for anything that would trigger a data-base search, of course)
 

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You can get jobs in the UK without ID - but they would probably be low paid and very hard work. Sort of things she could go for might be as a vegetable picker, working a market, that is helping out a stall holder. She could beg - that is sit in the ground with a hat/tin/plate in front of her and wait for people to put money in it. Not asking for money though.

As far as ID I would think that a driving licence might be a better, and possibly, cheaper option.

There are many people in the UK who have no legal right to be here and the Border Control and Immigration cannot keep tabs on all of them or deal with all of them. There is a tv series about the Border Control which shows how potentially easy it is for people to get into the UK without any id at all and then to disappear into the population.
 

Orianna2000

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The trick is, you have to know what you're doing, because there's no time to train, and they may ask "How do you do..." or "Have you ever..." as a test, but waitressing tends to be a very fluid field.
Well, the thing is, she doesn't have any experience with waitressing. She's quick to learn, but she's from a sheep farm, so her experience is limited. I figured with a pub, they could quickly teach her to draw from the tap and then expand her training as needed, as she proves herself.

Why doesn't she ask at the homeless shelter, they must have some experience with people with no ID? (Without asking for anything that would trigger a data-base search, of course)
I'm not sure I understand. Ask them what? She asked around the population to find out where to get an ID, and some homeless person gave her a name and address to go to. But I take you mean ask the employees? How would they be able to help? I have no idea what they'd say.

You can get jobs in the UK without ID - but they would probably be low paid and very hard work. Sort of things she could go for might be as a vegetable picker, working a market, that is helping out a stall holder.
In order for the rest of the story to work, it needs to be within Roehampton, so I think vegetable picking is out. I was previously told that she could probably get a job at a pub, no questions asked. Working long hours serving customers drinks all night.

As far as ID I would think that a driving licence might be a better, and possibly, cheaper option.
Possibly. My research indicated that a passport was more likely to be used as ID, though. (It was awhile back, so I don't remember the details, but there was a reason I chose passport instead of a driver's license.) There's a couple of circumstances that might affect this. First, she doesn't know how to drive, and she's very, very honest. She hates the whole idea of buying a fake ID and she would definitely be uncomfortable with the idea of a fake driver's license if she can't actually drive. Second, she has an American accent, so they're probably going to ask about a passport. If she has a UK passport, she can pretend she got citizenship somehow.
 

Kenn

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British passports are hard to forge. The current price for renewing/ obtaining a genuine one is just under £80, so it is unlikely there is the prospect of acquiring a cheap false one.

Identity should be checked by all employers, but that is not always the case. A NI number means you are eligible for tax and ultimately the system will find out if you are not who you say you are. If you don't have one then you will not be able to do anything other than casual labour. I don't think there is a problem in acquiring a genuine NI number if you can prove you are eligible for residency and have a job. The very grey area here is for EU nationals (the identities of whom are sometimes difficult to confirm).

A more likely route might be for her to go freelancing (effectively offering a service in the black economy). Of course, it is illegal, but so is falsifying an identity.

Note: an American accent is indistinguishable from a Canadian one to most people in Britain (and pleny of Canadians have dual citizenship)
 
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Shakesbear

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Well, there used to be at least one farm in Roehampton! http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8916414.Police_swoop_on_cannabis_farm/

The thing about working in a pub is that the licensee would, possibly, be putting him/herself at risk. Pubs have all sorts of officials in and out all the time - VAT people, health and safety, Environmental officers for food safety and possibly, customs and excise. Most of the publicans I have worked for ask where you have worked before. She would also need to have some knowledge of cocktails, pouring beer, which glasses to use, measurement. Also, working behind a bar is a prominent sort of place. I'd have her go for a job that was out of sight - like a cleaner. Maybe she sees a sign in a pub/club/restaurant that says 'cleaner wanted'. It would have to be a mop and bucket cleaner as some of the cleaning jobs that use electrical cleaners and chemical demand an NVQ level 3 qualification.
 

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She's not going to be able to work anywhere above-board without a passport and NI number. The passport is proof of eligibility to work in the UK (a driving licence is used as a form of ID for buying age-restricted good etc. but is no use to an employer) and the NI number gives the employer information required to sort out you PAYE tax.

That said, I've had several bar jobs in grotty, old-man pubs where I literally walked in and asked if they needed somebody to work on the bar. They put me behind the bar there and then and paid me cash in hand, no questions asked. It's illegal, of course, but you'll find places like that all over the country. It's cheaper for the business owner, because they don't have to match your National Insurance contributions and they don't have to pay minimum wage.

I don't know if you've thought about her housing situation, but she won't be able to rent anywhere through a letting agency without a passport and a bank account due to money laundering laws and certain other things. Saying that, though, when I was really stuck after I left university I worked on a bar (cash in hand) and lived in one of the rooms above the pub. In exchange for a roof and food I worked the bar every night and played guitar and sang two nights a week. It was hard work, and I didn't have much money, but it gave me time to get back on my feet.
 
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Theo81

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My MC has traveled through time unexpectedly and landed in 21st century London, 700 years before she was born. She has no ID, no passport, nothing. For the first week or so, she stays at a homeless shelter, but after that, she needs to pull herself together and start a new life in the 21st century. Right now, I have her using the only money she has to buy a cheap fake passport on the black market, along with an NI number. She then gets a job that's willing to pay under the table and not look too closely at her NI number. Obviously, if they ran the number it would raise red flags, but if anyone asks, they can honestly say, "Yes, she gave us an NI number." This was according to suggestions I got at a Brit-picking forum awhile back.

Question #1: One of my beta-readers thinks it might be more likely for her to get a job first, even without ID, and then buy a fake passport. But neither of us is familiar with how these things work, so we're both sort of shooting in the dark here. Does it seem likely that she'd be able to find a job at a pub with no ID whatsoever? Or would she need to have a fake NI number and passport first?

I have no idea why she'd bother getting a passport unless she was looking to cross borders. There are plenty of people around willing to take on cash-in-hand workers, despite this being illegal. It will be thankless work for less than the minimum wage so think cleaning, washing up, fruit picking (see Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka which may give you some good ideas to thieve about this) and it will be dangerous because somebody exploiting workers won't bother about things like Health and Safety.


Question #2: I looked up the price of black market passports in the UK and a good replica is WAY out of her budget. But I'm guessing there are various levels of quality. Does it seem fair to say that she could get a passport and NI number of dubious quality for a hundred pounds? (I can raise that to two hundred quid, if necessary, but I'd rather her get by on as little cash as possible.) It doesn't have to pass muster, in fact she gets found out as soon as someone actually takes a look at her documents.

She asked around the population to find out where to get an ID, and some homeless person gave her a name and address to go to.

Seriously? She stands on Embankment, asking people where to get an ID? If she knows enough about life 700 years before she was born, perhaps she could know she can get onto the internet for free in a Library and the Citizens Advice and Government both have useful interweb pages listing this very information.
And I don't think many British people could tell you where to get an NI. It arrives automatically.

You don't have to have ID to exist in the UK. Not having one can make life difficult, but only when you attempt to do certain things. If she got accosted by the Rozzers and asked for her ID and she didn't have any, as long as she wasn't being arrested or formally cautioned, it wouldn't matter (even section 8 doesn't oblige you to give your details, although the Rozzers try to pretend it does sometimes). The only exception to this, that I know of, is if you were pulled over driving and didn't have your license - then you would be required to take it to the station within howevermany days, although if you didn't they aren't likely to come after you, it will just be there for if you run into trouble later.

If she gets a cash in hand job and can find somewhere to stay, she has no need of ID. Getting a cash in hand job involves going somewhere and asking for one (but it will be at less than minumum wage in an expensive city for long and inclement hours).
 

Orianna2000

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She would also need to have some knowledge of cocktails, pouring beer, which glasses to use, measurement. Also, working behind a bar is a prominent sort of place. I'd have her go for a job that was out of sight - like a cleaner. Maybe she sees a sign in a pub/club/restaurant that says 'cleaner wanted'. It would have to be a mop and bucket cleaner as some of the cleaning jobs that use electrical cleaners and chemical demand an NVQ level 3 qualification.
She isn't trying to hide, unless simply being seen would cause someone to ask about her ID? She's just trying to survive in a world that's very different from her own. I could, perhaps, have her start as a cleaner at the pub, then she sees how things are done, they get short a worker on a busy night, so she offers to help, and they promote her. Is that feasible?

I don't know if you've thought about her housing situation, but she won't be able to rent anywhere through a letting agency without a passport and a bank account due to money laundering laws and certain other things.
As it stands now, she finds a couple of students working their way through university and rents a room at their place. They accept cash and don't ask for references. Later, this comes back to haunt her, because someone comes around investigating and so they kick her out on the street, realizing she might be illegal.

Seriously? She stands on Embankment, asking people where to get an ID? If she knows enough about life 700 years before she was born, perhaps she could know she can get onto the internet for free in a Library and the Citizens Advice and Government both have useful interweb pages listing this very information.
And I don't think many British people could tell you where to get an NI. It arrives automatically.
She has no clue how to use the internet. And she's not looking for real ID, she needs false ID, since she's from another century. Going to a government office and trying to get a real passport is going to raise red flags all over the place, I would imagine.

If she gets a cash in hand job and can find somewhere to stay, she has no need of ID. Getting a cash in hand job involves going somewhere and asking for one (but it will be at less than minumum wage in an expensive city for long and inclement hours).
I could be remembering wrong, but I could swear that I was told she'd need a passport even for a cash-under-the-table job. That the boss would want something to look at, so if they got busted later, they could at least claim they'd looked at her ID and didn't realize it was fake. But if she really doesn't need any ID to get a job, then I can take that part out.

This is all very confusing for me, since I've never tried to get a job in a foreign country without ID. I wouldn't have the first clue how to go about getting a fake ID, or how to ask for an illegal job, or any of this. I just need her to be able to survive for a few months, until she catches the attention of London's Extraterrestrial Home Office. They'll give her refugee status, a real passport, a job, a place to live, and everything she needs. But until they notice her, she's on her own.

I could just have them find her living on the street a few weeks after she time-travels, but then they'd be rescuing her, and I'm trying to avoid the whole "damsel in distress" element. I want her to survive on her own for awhile, to prove that she's capable of making it without their help, to show that she's got some character, that she's strong and clever, rather than a meek princess waiting to be rescued.
 

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People chat to the person behind the bar - and they can be very curious about new staff. At least, in my experience they can!

The promotion sounds good - but cleaners are not usually around when the pub is open. If she is there in the morning and a member of the staff phones in sick she might be asked if she would help out with collecting glasses and bottling up - making sure the bottled drinks and chilled cabinets are kept full. She could then say how much she enjoyed being there when the pub is full and she is then asked to 'cover' for the sick colleague. She would certainly be surviving as bar work is hard work. I don't think that if you are paid cash in hand you need a passport.

Something that has just occurred to me - the pub would have to be a free house, that is it does not belong to a brewery but to the licensee/publican. That would give the licensee/publican far more freedom when employing staff.
 

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She isn't trying to hide, unless simply being seen would cause someone to ask about her ID? She's just trying to survive in a world that's very different from her own. I could, perhaps, have her start as a cleaner at the pub, then she sees how things are done, they get short a worker on a busy night, so she offers to help, and they promote her. Is that feasible?

What Shakesbear said re cleaners being on in the morning, but also, she is from 700 years in the future. If you were presented with the average cleaning kit of the 1311 house, how would you get on with it? Is she going to know about basic stuff like wringing a mop out before you slop the water onto the floor? How about plugging in a vacuum cleaner?


As it stands now, she finds a couple of students working their way through university and rents a room at their place. They accept cash and don't ask for references. Later, this comes back to haunt her, because someone comes around investigating and so they kick her out on the street, realizing she might be illegal.

When I was a student 10 years ago (cringe), it was the standard in a student house that the rooms were rented individually from the landlord. In a student house, each bedroom usually has a lock on the door to prevent this situation (students subletting the house and not telling the landlord). Also, the students are unlikely to take her in because of the council tax issue (I say unlikely, but it depends on your students, if they are able to sublet the place and they don't tell anybody she is there, they'd get away with it, but it's a pretty unlikely thing unless they were desperate for some money instantly, but even if they were, there are better ways to get hold of it, hardship loans etc. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying you run the risk of having things being oddly convenient. Especially as they later kick her out for being illegal - it's nothing to do with them, her being illegal.). Plus, she'd need to pay her bond and rent in advance. Will she have that money?
Nobody ever checks up on references so it would be perfectly fine for her to provide a fake one.




She has no clue how to use the internet. And she's not looking for real ID, she needs false ID, since she's from another century. Going to a government office and trying to get a real passport is going to raise red flags all over the place, I would imagine.

Her main problem would be that, according to them, she wouldn't exist. I don't know what would happen in that case. They couldn't necessarily deport her because they couldn't prove she was American either. She might end up in an asylum centre, but equally she might just end up somewhere safe until somebody can work out what her rights are.

I could be remembering wrong, but I could swear that I was told she'd need a passport even for a cash-under-the-table job. That the boss would want something to look at, so if they got busted later, they could at least claim they'd looked at her ID and didn't realize it was fake. But if she really doesn't need any ID to get a job, then I can take that part out.

Not a chance. I have never, ever had to show ID either for cash-in-hand or "proper" work. In the UK, you don't have to have an ID (and there was much fuss in recent years over efforts to make having one compulsory). If you don't have a passport or a Driving licence, it doesn't matter. They don't need to check if she can work because if she can, she'll have an NI. If they don't want an NI, they probably won't care if she's legal as she's sporting an American accent.

This is all very confusing for me, since I've never tried to get a job in a foreign country without ID. I wouldn't have the first clue how to go about getting a fake ID, or how to ask for an illegal job, or any of this. I just need her to be able to survive for a few months, until she catches the attention of London's Extraterrestrial Home Office. They'll give her refugee status, a real passport, a job, a place to live, and everything she needs. But until they notice her, she's on her own.

Which would make her vulnerable to getting picked up by a gang master who would probably sell her into prostitution, especially if she's naively going around trying to get hold of a fake ID.
As for getting a job, as said upthread, looking for signs in newsagents' windows, shop windows. Plenty of people advertise cleaners positions or ironing positions in those places and, to be honest, if she turns up looking presentable, she'll probably get the job (unless she's going to be left in the house alone to do it, then they'd run some checks).


I could just have them find her living on the street a few weeks after she time-travels, but then they'd be rescuing her, and I'm trying to avoid the whole "damsel in distress" element. I want her to survive on her own for awhile, to prove that she's capable of making it without their help, to show that she's got some character, that she's strong and clever, rather than a meek princess waiting to be rescued.


It's difficult to suggest things because I don't know where she's from or what it's like there. If she's pretty and clever and confident, you could have her doing some light grifting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_confidence_tricks#Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams - scroll down to other confidence tricks and schemes. Stuff like Empty Car Lot would work. Or the Stranded Traveler Scam. This would get her some money to solve the immediate problems such as having the readies for a bed for the night. At the moment, I don't even know if she's familiar with basic stuff like how to use a telephone.
.
 

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How old does she look? If she could plausibly claim to be 15, she could apply for the sort of jobs 15 year olds do in their spare time. They don't have NI numbers yet. Not sure quite when they show up, but my daughter was 15 in June and no sign of hers.

This same 15 year old was offered a job in a sports shop a couple of weeks ago. They didn't even know how old she was, let alone if she had ID. (She was helping a fellow customer choose a tennis racquet for his younger daughter, apparently, and the manager noticed her doing a good job :) ) If your character's helpful and personable, you could do something like that.

I don't see why an employer would check an employee was legal...and then break the law seven ways from Sunday with a cash under the table arrangement.
 

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Skylark I think NI numbers are sent out to kids when they are 16 - school leaving age. I am not sure if youc an get one earlier if you want to do a Saturday job.
 

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Supermarkets are a good place to check for cleaning jobs. A lot of of under the table jobs can be found there, like cleaning houses and doing gardening. Supermarkets, especially in suburban areas, have what they call a 'community board' where people put cards with things for sale, requests for jobs or community events.
 

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I don't think you can - at least, if you can it's new. I had a part time job before I had an NI number.
 

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You can get a job in a fair few places with just an NI number
(my main job for instance, that was all I needed to give)

Now, depending on how long she;s going to be around/how big the business is she's going into, if you know the format you could probably make one up. Cash in hand - unlikely they'll ask, but they may to try to make sure you're not illegal. But then paying people cash in hand ...For some sorts of business (small ones mostly), they're doing it illegally too - not reporting the cash earned that they pay you out of - so they won't look too closely.


The bigger the business (ie they have a head office or similar) the more likely you'll need some ID, and an NI number.

A cleaner, for the right sort of place, sounds like your best bet tbh. Even some of the smaller cleaning agencies do cash in hand on the side (they make too, because they don't declare the earnings and so don't pay tax). Or even cleaning for people at their houses - they might very well just pay cash and not worry about legalities etc. Also, if she's from 700 years into the future, I'm not sure her English would be good enough for a bar job, at least to start.

Main problem though? The lack of bank account would be a problem for anyone not paying in cash, and for that you're limited to cash in hand work, or a few other jobs (labouring etc often pays in cash, even if you're paying tax all above board. Almost everything else pays straight into your bank.) And for a bank account you normally need good, legit ID (or at least proof you are a legal alien)
 

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Many supermarkets now refuse to put up job advertisements. I ran into this a while back when my dad needed a cleaner.

I seem to remember you get your NI number when you turn 16. They write and ask you what name you want it issued under because the name can't be changed later. You need that number to pay tax. If she goes into a job with no P45 or P60 (these are irreplaceable pieces of paper from the govt about your tax status) she'll be given an Emergency Tax code. This is because there are different tax statuses here, and you get a code that tells you what your allowance is (the amount you can earn before you need to pay tax). No code, no allowance. If you overpay, they will refund you, in time.

Honestly, the tax system here atm is way behind on just about everything. My husband's received two refunds in the last year and a half because they didn't adjust his tax rate in a timely fashion when he changed jobs. It would probably take them a while to realise that the name and NI number didn't match, or that the NI number wasn't one that had ever been issued, or however the fake works. Best for your character would be a number stolen off someone who's been issued one but isn't economically active yet--like an A-level student (16-18 education). The major obstacle for her however is she won't have a clue about any of those aspects of contemporary life.

There has been something of a clampdown on providing ID here in recent years. You need it to open a bank account, frex, and many employers do pay your salary straight into your account. Often they want a mix of ID, eg a driving licence, a utility bill with an address that matches the address you live at, and with *your* name on, and something else like a passport. They'll always want photo ID. If you never do anything much, however, you can go for months without needing to prove who you are to anyone. I think the last time I needed ID was to wrench a parcel from the loving arms of the Post Office.
 
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Orianna2000

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How old does she look? If she could plausibly claim to be 15, she could apply for the sort of jobs 15 year olds do in their spare time. They don't have NI numbers yet.
Unfortunately, she's in her mid-twenties. Now if she was like me, there'd be no problem. I'm 32 and I still get asked if I'm in school. (Apparently I look 17 or 18.) I wasn't planning on giving her that particular gift, so that probably wouldn't work. Thanks, though.

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying you run the risk of having things being oddly convenient. Especially as they later kick her out for being illegal - it's nothing to do with them, her being illegal.). Plus, she'd need to pay her bond and rent in advance. Will she have that money?
I chose students needing a flatmate because it did seem convenient, and the most likely way for her to get a place to stay that's not dangerous. Can you suggest an alternative? She needs to get kicked out eventually, as part of a major plot point. (I'd like to keep the current reasoning, if possible. Her boss goes to investigate these students who are so willing to accept a flatmate who's paying cash and has fake ID. They freak out, decide she must be doing something illegal, and kick her out.)

I wasn't thinking official student housing, but a couple of independent students who need extra cash and have a spare bedroom to let.

I have never, ever had to show ID either for cash-in-hand or "proper" work. In the UK, you don't have to have an ID (and there was much fuss in recent years over efforts to make having one compulsory). If you don't have a passport or a Driving licence, it doesn't matter.
Okay, so I can have her get a job without an ID. I'll do that, then.

Which would make her vulnerable to getting picked up by a gang master who would probably sell her into prostitution, especially if she's naively going around trying to get hold of a fake ID.
This would be very Bad. Might make for an interesting story . . . just not the one I'm trying to tell. We'll skip the fake passport then, at least until she's had a chance to get established. Maybe the students she's living with can hook her up with something.


It's difficult to suggest things because I don't know where she's from or what it's like there. If she's pretty and clever and confident, you could have her doing some light grifting (. . . ) At the moment, I don't even know if she's familiar with basic stuff like how to use a telephone.
She's from a small village of very conservative, religious folks. At the beginning of the story, she's very honest and would never dream of doing anything illegal. She was considering a fake ID only because she (I) thought she needed one to get a job and an apartment, in other words, to survive.

Where she comes from they're very primitive, comparatively speaking. They use electricity, but only for lights and heat. They do their laundry by hand, their cooking with a gas stove, and they shun all kinds of “modern” technology. No telephones, no computers, no internet, no automobiles. She's seen them, heard of them in school, but never used them.

What irks me is that all of this stuff isn't even for a scene. It's just for a casual mention, later on, to explain how she survived six months until she gets discovered by the Extraterrestrial Home Office. I need to establish how she managed, and that she's capable of taking care of herself, if given the right circumstances. But if the small details aren't right, no one's going to believe the big details, so it's important that I make this plausible.
 

melnve

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Last time I worked in the UK was more than ten years ago, so it might be really different now...

I worked in a backpacker hostel, and although I was legal (I had a working holiday visa) nobody asked to see it. I didn't even have an NI number for months. We had at least one illegal working on the front desk who would just run and get me if anyone official came to check on us (happened once in a while!) because her accent made it obvious she wasn't legal whereas London is full of working Aussies. Our cleaners were even more illegal generally, and we all worked for cash and paid no taxes. They had a few hostels under the same ownership in and around London, including the biggest one (at the time) in the city, and the staff were all manner of illegal (many had to leave every six months to renew their tourist visas).

It was also the easiest job ever to get. I was literally just hanging around in reception one day, had made a couple of friends after being in London for a week or two and one of the staff said they needed a receptionist. He introduced me to the boss and I started a few days later. I'd never done any reception work in my life!
 

melnve

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In theory, they've clamped down a bit since then.

I would hope so, but things take time to change. The legal age to work was raised here at least five years ago, but many employers choose to look the other way and hire cheap underage workers. It might not be stretching credibility for people to still take the risk to save a few quid.
 

mirandashell

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These days, most employers will want to see a passport to prove you are not illegal. The penalties for employing illegals are pretty harsh now.

But..... if you can find a boss who is slightly outside society, you can get away with it.
 

Orianna2000

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All right, I think I can create a plausible scenario now. As I said, it's just a few lines of backstory, but I wanted to be sure it made sense and would work. Thanks everyone!