Jobcentre punishing me because THEY lost my claim

j0annepsi

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

You could consider going back to Ireland and write off the whole thing as a bad experience?

And why should I do that? Because some jobsworth - who accused me of benefits tourism - in the jobcentre who was put out when I had to tell her how to do her job (I showed her the E303 info on the DWP website on my iphone) more than likely had her nose put out of joint by this and decided to conveniently leave my claim forms in a desk drawer for three weeks?

The fact that you don't know that the staff at local job centres no longer process claims directly and - correct me if i'm wrong - haven't done so since the formation of "Jobcentre plus" and centralised claims processing centres were established would lead me to believe you don't work in a jobcentre/DWP or haven't done so in a long time.

I am a British citizen, I was born here and lived here until I was a teenager. I am perfectly entitled to live in the UK and claim, for 13 weeks, benefits that I am 100% entitled to having paid social insurance and the higher rate of tax at home in Ireland for the past ten years. So please don't suggest I go home.

j0annepsi

NASA wrote: »

I dont think there is much help that I can offer but have you tried calling the International Pension Centre? If not then this number (+44 191 218 7652) might be of some use. Its the number for JSA claims being dealt with by the IPC.

As for the 'target' date - its not actually a legal time limit - its an aspirational time limit. There are no convictions or civil lawsuits that result.

Thanks so much for that number. I will call them in the morning.
As for the target date, I understand I can't take legal action against them if they miss it, but it's confusing to be told '12 working days' and then '28 working days' by someone else.

dmg24

To be fair to Mr Falling Star, I agree that it would be more logical to jobseek from Ireland. With the frequency and low cost of flights nowadays it would be much more economical than moving here, especially if things do not work out. I was able to secure a job in NI (which I then didn't take) without moving over there, I just flew out on the morning of the interviews and back that night.

Mr_Falling_Star

j0annepsi wrote: »

And why should I do that? Because some jobsworth - who accused me of benefits tourism - in the jobcentre who was put out when I had to tell her how to do her job (I showed her the E303 info on the DWP website on my iphone) more than likely had her nose put out of joint by this and decided to conveniently leave my claim forms in a desk drawer for three weeks?

The fact that you don't know that the staff at local job centres no longer process claims directly and - correct me if i'm wrong - haven't done so since the formation of "Jobcentre plus" and centralised claims processing centres were established would lead me to believe you don't work in a jobcentre/DWP or haven't done so in a long time.

I am a British citizen, I was born here and lived here until I was a teenager. I am perfectly entitled to live in the UK and claim, for 13 weeks, benefits that I am 100% entitled to having paid social insurance and the higher rate of tax at home in Ireland for the past ten years. So please don't suggest I go home.

I am very sorry for trying to help but if you are having problems receiving benefits here due to the incompetence of Jobcentre plus ONE solution to your probelm would be to return to Ireland, get some resources together and try again?

j0annepsi

dmg24 wrote: »

To be fair to Mr Falling Star, I agree that it would be more logical to jobseek from Ireland. With the frequency and low cost of flights nowadays it would be much more economical than moving here, especially if things do not work out. I was able to secure a job in NI (which I then didn't take) without moving over there, I just flew out on the morning of the interviews and back that night.

Trust me, it's not. I had to turn down several interviews in London because they wanted to see me that same week and it would have cost a lot to get a flight at the last minute. I did do it twice and it cost me around £150 each time which is a lot of money considering I was on benefits at the time (have been since the beginning of this year) and that's without factoring in getting to the airport (I was not living close to Dublin airport).

The whole point of the E303 transport of benefits scheme is to allow people to jobseek in another EU country. I'm not going to give up and go home because someone in a jobcentre screwed up my claim.

Mr_Falling_Star

dmg24 wrote: »

To be fair to Mr Falling Star, I agree that it would be more logical to jobseek from Ireland. With the frequency and low cost of flights nowadays it would be much more economical than moving here, especially if things do not work out. I was able to secure a job in NI (which I then didn't take) without moving over there, I just flew out on the morning of the interviews and back that night.

Thank you, its not that outlandish a suggestion. In Ireland you would get Contributory Benefits a lot longer than in the UK anyway

j0annepsi

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

I am very sorry for trying to help but if you are having problems receiving benefits here due to the incompetence of Jobcentre plus ONE solution to your probelm would be to return to Ireland, get some resources together and try again?

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post as telling me to "go home!". I'm feeling very angry and frustrated about being messed about by the Job Centre.

Going home is a last resort for me. I have interviews lined up next week and I don't want to just give up that easily. In addition, considering how badly the jobcentre have screwed up thus far, can you imagine how difficult it would be to get the necessary paperwork to enable me to transport my non-existent UK benefits BACK to Ireland? And even then I may not be able to resume claiming benefits back home and would still have to wait for probably a month before my payments resumed.

It's just not an option.

Mr_Falling_Star

Well I hope it works out for you

ellie101

dmg24 wrote: »

To be fair to Mr Falling Star, I agree that it would be more logical to jobseek from Ireland. With the frequency and low cost of flights nowadays it would be much more economical than moving here, especially if things do not work out. I was able to secure a job in NI (which I then didn't take) without moving over there, I just flew out on the morning of the interviews and back that night.

I live up north and jobseek in London. It is difficult to be easily available for work (though to a certain extent it can be easier for permanent jobs) if you are in a different town. When I go for contract jobs, I stay at a relative's house in London, usually for a few days/week in a row. The OP may well be doing something similar to start with. Permanent roles are often easier to line-up in advance but not always.

It's too costly and makes little sense to go back and forth for the OP if she has several interviews on the go. Yes, you can get cheap flights/fares sometimes, but some employers are really inflexible about when they'll see you (luckily, a good proportion are fine with me, but not for contracts). Last minute train fares on the line I'm on in the rush hour are £120 a time, so I'd imagine flights are comparable if booked late.

dmg24

ellie101 wrote: »

I live up north and jobseek in London. It is difficult to be easily available for work (though to a certain extent it can be easier for permanent jobs) if you are in a different town. When I go for contract jobs, I stay at a relative's house in London, usually for a few days/week in a row. The OP may well be doing something similar to start with. Permanent roles are often easier to line-up in advance but not always.

It's too costly and makes little sense to go back and forth for the OP if she has several interviews on the go. Yes, you can get cheap flights/fares sometimes, but some employers are really inflexible about when they'll see you (luckily, a good proportion are fine with me, but not for contracts). Last minute train fares on the line I'm on in the rush hour are £120 a time, so I'd imagine flights are comparable if booked late.

I've done the long distance jobseeking thing - if you want the job, travel should not be a problem. Plus if the employer really wants you, they'll pay for travel!