Unemployed 20 yr old son - a couple of questions :)

AnxiousMum

My son has been at uni, did two years, and has now either taken a year out, or quit altogether - can't quite get that bit right! As his girlfriend is still at the Uni, he has been living with her, but as her income (student loan) was taken into account, he was deemed ineligible for means tested JSA.
Now his money is running out, and he will be moving back home with us in the next two weeks, and will be seeing his girlfriend on weekends as it's within reasonable distance of home.
When he moves home, he WILL be looking for work - he's been told he will have a full time job looking for work.
I doubt he'll be eligible for any JSA monies when moved back home, but in terms of pension credit, should he be signed on in some way? Not sure how that works, so any advice would be appreciated!

I do think that if he has just taken a 'gap' year, that he wouldn't be eligible for anything at all, but asking the above assuming that he has quit altogether.

[Deleted User]

if it is just a gap year he will still be classed as a full time student

Oldernotwiser

woodbine wrote: »

if it is just a gap year he will still be classed as a full time student

But if he's left university he'll be eligible for JSA.

AnxiousMum

Thanks Woodbine and ONW (don't you wish we could call ourselves 'WiserNotOlder'?)

I do think he has left university - but was more concerned with the pension credit than actually getting any money each week. and also any training assistance, interview coaching etc. that might be available through being registered for JSA.

I wouldn't think he would get any money though - as living with his student girlfriend they take her student loan money into account and with her getting just over £3K per year in student loan, they deem that as too much for them as a couple (even though quite obviously they do not rely on each other financially as he has now run out of money!), so would they not take into account my partners and my income? Doesn't make sense if they didn't.....

healy

AnxiousMum wrote: »

Thanks Woodbine and ONW (don't you wish we could call ourselves 'WiserNotOlder'?)

I do think he has left university - but was more concerned with the pension credit than actually getting any money each week. and also any training assistance, interview coaching etc. that might be available through being registered for JSA.

I wouldn't think he would get any money though - as living with his student girlfriend they take her student loan money into account and with her getting just over £3K per year in student loan, they deem that as too much for them as a couple (even though quite obviously they do not rely on each other financially as he has now run out of money!), so would they not take into account my partners and my income? Doesn't make sense if they didn't.....

No they would not take into account your partners and your income if he lives with you.

AnxiousMum

Thanks Healy - as I said, I'm more interested in him getting the 'back to work' support than 'free' money. He might have more incentive with no money and the only way of getting my boot out of his rear end, getting a job and earning some money. Just find it strange that they will take a girlfriend who happened to live in the same student housing (that's where they met) and say she is financially responsible for him, but not hold his parents responsible? Another !!! backwards thing about benefits!

Good to know though that he will be able to use the services offered in terms of helping him, like any 'into work programs' etc.

Oldernotwiser

He won't be eligible for a lot of help as most of this is geared to people who have been unemployed for at least 6 months.

Of course, the money he would get is to pay for his keep so there would be no reason for him to have this just as pocket money and he might find signing on every fortnight a sufficiently depressing experience to kick start him into the workplace!

Prinzessilein

I do hope that if he gets JSA and lives with you, you will ask for (and be given!) a fair amount of it for his upkeep!

C_Mababejive

Is he having a laugh? First of all it seems like he cant be honest with you. Now he has either jacked in his uni studies altogether or he hasnt,,which one is it?

Why is he moving out of his GFs? Has she had enough of him living off her so she has decided to shunt him back to the nest whilst she actually gets on with her life and progresses?

All this gap year stuff is crap. Gap years usually come after youve been successful at uni and have a break between leaving uni and seeking employment.

If its not too late,he needs to get his !!! back to uni and get his head down,do some work and make some kind of success of it.

Failing that,what is he going to do? hang around in your home like a lost sheep,poncing off you both until you both get so angry and fed up with it that you have a major bust up?

He needs to do something useful NOW or he will be just another drifter.

AnxiousMum

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Is he having a laugh? First of all it seems like he cant be honest with you. Now he has either jacked in his uni studies altogether or he hasnt,,which one is it?

Why is he moving out of his GFs? Has she had enough of him living off her so she has decided to shunt him back to the nest whilst she actually gets on with her life and progresses?

All this gap year stuff is crap. Gap years usually come after youve been successful at uni and have a break between leaving uni and seeking employment.

If its not too late,he needs to get his !!! back to uni and get his head down,do some work and make some kind of success of it.

Failing that,what is he going to do? hang around in your home like a lost sheep,poncing off you both until you both get so angry and fed up with it that you have a major bust up?

He needs to do something useful NOW or he will be just another drifter.

And who the hell are you to judge a situation who know SFA about?
His inability to explain exactly the situation, is due to a condition he has been diagnosed with whilst at university.

As for him moving out from his girlfriend's house, she actually wishes him to remain, and her parents are fully supportive of this as well (as they adore my son, and they know that their daughter is in safe hands so to speak). It is my son's own sense of needing to support himself that is having him move out. By being able to sign on to JSA, he will hopefully have access to some training, into work initiatives etc., he's not looking for a handout, and I'm certainly not looking for handouts for him, nor to provide them myself.

I think if you read through my posts, my goal isn't for him to get 'free money', there's enough of that flying out of the taxpot right now. You will also see that he has been told the conditions are that he treats himself as working full time, looking for employment or getting into training. With four other boys, and strong work ethics held by my partner and myself, I'm not about to encourage one of my children to become the person you describe.
I guess he could do as many others would, go get his own room in a house to rent, claim means tested JSA as he wouldn't be with his girlfriend, claim housing benefits for his room entitlement and also claim Council tax discount - but no, he's not that way inclined. Or, as you say, he could continue living with his girlfriend after his money has run out and be a scrounge - but he also has respect for women and people in general.

Save your ethical judgements for those who deserve it. I'm the first to jump on a scrounger, but sometimes there are legitimate reasons for a situation, that maybe were not related to the question being asked, so there was no need to tell you all the details.

As far as him having to pay a contribution towards room and board, yes most definitely if he is in receipt of anything. We will request probably £20 per week, which I will put into a separate account in my name, and will be given back to him when he is working and needs the money to get to and from work, buy work clothes etc. until his first pay day.

Not all of us are raising scroungers you know - some of us are raising kids with some morals about them.

AnxiousMum

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

He won't be eligible for a lot of help as most of this is geared to people who have been unemployed for at least 6 months.

Of course, the money he would get is to pay for his keep so there would be no reason for him to have this just as pocket money and he might find signing on every fortnight a sufficiently depressing experience to kick start him into the workplace!

Oh he will find it depressing.....unfortunatley our local jobcentre is not a nice environment.....and he won't be pleased having to go in there and join the ranks every two weeks.

Re the 'help'......as he has been in reality, unemployed since finishing university at the end of the spring term, but not signed on - would he still count as having been unemployed? I can't imagine him having to be registered unemployed for six months with me on his case before he can get some assistance in that way.

Unfortunately he's in a town where there are two large universities, and two large colleges - so the battle for work has been very tough - with not very much to choose from. I too have looked at job postings in the area, and there's been nothing in comparison to our own town, where I'm sure he will find work alot quicker.