Annoyed with JSA...

aj2703 · 23 December 2009 at 12:44PM

Been told i have to attend my 6 month interview which is fair enough. My usual sign on time is 11.25am. They did for me becasue i have children and i have to take them at 9am to school and pick them up at 3pm from school.My origional sign on time was 2.30. I signed on today and she notified me of the 6 month. I said no worries thinking it was going to be at my usual time of 11.25 am, trouble is that it is not it's 15.30. Now i live in shanklin and said it would be very tight to get there in time espically if the kids came out of school late. She basically said tough there is no flexibility in this. The thing is she then said that my sign on time is not at a set time anymore and when i attend this interview i will be given my next sign on time and when i then sign on i will be given a different sign on time etc etc etc. I said to her, well what if the sign on time is 3pm or 9am when i am doing the kids and again basically she said tough. I said hang on there must be something that could be done to which she relied, well you signed the agreement to be avaliable at all times for employment, what would happen with the kids if you got a job tomorrow..?. I said that there is a pre-school and after school club wheich they could attend at very short notice which we used when i was working. I said what i didn't sign up for was a flexibile sign on time while job hunting. How can they expect us to pick up the kids and sign on at the same time. I mean we can't claim childcare costs or tax credits for them while we are unemployed so what are we supposed to do with the kids. She then turned round and said i probably could sign on late using a green card

. Does anyboy know what this is and if she was just being obnoxious and there is some flexibility in the times i can sign on.

daska · 23 December 2009 at 1:22PM

OK so there isn't exactly an overabundance of jobs on the island but logically, if you couldn't get to the interview at a week's notice then maybe she has a point?

aj2703 · 23 December 2009 at 2:09PM

I can get to the interview at a push. That is providing the kids come out on time. They usually don't and you are waiting till 10 past the hour. If that happens it will be very hard to get to ryde from shanklin, park the car and get to the Jobcentre on-time. My real problem lies with the fact that if they turn round and tell me my next sign on time is 3pm, how can i be in shanklin at the same time picking my kids up aswell as with them..?.

applecharlotte · 23 December 2009 at 2:11PM

You mention "we". Do you have a partner who could collect the children?

aj2703 · 23 December 2009 at 2:14PM

Yes she could do it for the 6month. But with the new sign on rules i could one week have to sign on at say 2.45pm, the next sign on could be 3.15 and the next sign on could be 9am, she can't be expected to leave work or arrive late because of my sign on times. She is an accountant and although there is some flexibility it won't strecth to evey other week because of my sign on times.

sjaypink · 23 December 2009 at 2:17PM

But if your partner is working your jsa (cb) claim will end after the 6 month point anyway?

aj2703 · 23 December 2009 at 2:19PM

sjaypink wrote: »

But if your partner is working your jsa (cb) claim will end after the 6 month point anyway?

No you still sign on for NI credits. I HAVE to do this as i currently claim redundancy insurance for a loan and credit cards. You need to show you are looking for work by way of getting forms signed by the jobcentre otherwise your insurance claim will not get paid. You also sign on for NI credits to keep your state pension payments upto date.

sjaypink · 23 December 2009 at 2:24PM

aj2703 wrote: »

No you still sign on for NI credits. I HAVE to do this as i currently claim redundancy insurance for a loan and credit cards. You need to show you are looking for work by way of getting forms signed by the jobcentre otherwise your insurance claim will not get paid. You also sign on for NI credits to keep your state pension payments upto date.

Oh right... In most cases a non working partner (caring for children) does not need to sign on for NI stamps- you are covered for these if you receive child benefit

I know nothing about redundacy insurance and so take your word for it this is necessary, but in most cases, as I say, a switch in Child Benefit will cover NI

aj2703 · 23 December 2009 at 2:26PM

sjaypink wrote: »

Oh right... In most cases a non working partner (caring for children) does not need to sign on for NI stamps- you are covered for these if you receive child benefit

I know nothing about redundacy insurance and so take your word for it this is necessary, but in most cases, as I say, a switch in Child Benefit will cover NI stamp

Yeah it's a real pain, especially as i actually reveive no cash payment either as apparently i never paid enough NI contributions in the previous two tax years while working. But if i want the insurance to pay i have to sign on.

daska · 23 December 2009 at 4:00PM

I can see it's a nuisance but a lot of people manage it. Could you not ask another parent to collect them for you and offer to take theirs on a different day?

terryw · 23 December 2009 at 4:04PM

Why not just amend your jobseekers agreement to show that you are not available at the times when you are taking or picking up the children from school?