Part-Time student, am I able to claim job seekers allowance?

Chris_Glover

Hi, new to this forum but I was just wondering am i able to claim job seekers allowance when i study a part time degree, it's only 2 days a week and i have been living off my student grant and loan since my HND course finished in june, and i was hoping i would have a job by now myself without claiming anything, as i live at home with my parents etc but of course thats not the case.

Also could anyone let me know anything about the job centre hows it run and stuff, i've only stepped foot in the place once a few years ago and dont know what im in for! thanks

MrsManda

Are you actively seeking work?
Are you willing to attend job interviews even if it means missing classes?
Are you willing/able to rearrange your study hours to fit around a job?

If the answer is yes to all of the above then yes, you may be able to claim JSA depending on your other circumstances such as income/age etc...

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10034876

You can fill out an application form online, over the phone or get a paper copy. If you are eligible for JSA you'll have to attend the jobcentre once a fortnight and be required to search for work. You'll sign a Jobseekers Agreement which will state what you need to do in terms of job hunting at your initial appointment after discussing your options with your advisor

HTH

oldmotherreilly

When you say that you are studying two days a week and that is part time-does the educational establishment you are attending list the course as full or part time? If it is listed in their prospectus as full time, you would not be entitled to JSA but if it is listed as part time, you could put in a claim for JSA, as long as you are actively seeking and available for full time employment. However, if you not entitled to JSA Contributions Based (if you have not worked at least part time over the last two complete tax years, you are unlikely to qualify for this) and have to apply for JSA Income Based, your Student grant and loan would be taken into account and this would wipe out any underlying entitlement you may have.
In order to claim you need to phone the 0800 number that is listed on the directgov website or apply online. They will take a lot of details over the phone and then book you an interview at your local Jobcentre, where they will go through everything with you. At this stage, you would have to provide details of your course and they would need to see you Learning Agreement to confirm that the course is part time. If they have any doubts about your entitlement, they may suspend your claim at this stage, until all the information has been looked at by a Decision Maker.
Hope that helps.

Chris_Glover

Thanks, yeah i was wondering how it works my course is listed as part-time by the college, Im 20 and havent had a job before so i wouldnt come into that category of contributions based but if there is some money in my bank account from the grant and loan would they reject the claim? if it does would i be safer taking the money out then applying for a claim?

Also when you sign on every 2 weeks is there a pacific day for everyone, like every 2nd monday say? or is there different sign on days throughout the week?

KxMx

If you have money in the bank can you not use that now to live? You will need proof of income and a bank statement shoiwng you've taken the money out isn't going to help.
And sign-on days are determined by your NI munber I believe.

MrsManda

Chris_Glover wrote: »

but if there is some money in my bank account from the grant and loan would they reject the claim? if it does would i be safer taking the money out then applying for a claim?

This wouldn't work (or rather if it did you'd be committing fraud), they're not judging the money in your account, they assessing your income so you need to tell them what income you have which includes your loan and grants.

(they do technically assess what's in your account but that's from a savings point of view, if you have £6000 in savings your entitlement is reduced)

Chris_Glover wrote: »

Also when you sign on every 2 weeks is there a pacific day for everyone, like every 2nd monday say? or is there different sign on days throughout the week?

You will sign on at the same time on the same day once a fortnight.

Chris_Glover

Ok it's i just thought if i had some money in the bank which i'm living off now they could say no to the claim, but that isn't going to last forever, as its the money i got from my full-time HND course (finshed in June last year) before starting this part-time degree in September (they don't offer it full-time at the college) so i wasn't entitled to any finical help because its part-time, and i've been applying for jobs myself since then and haven't heard anything from anyone

Thanks for all the information so far

oldmotherreilly

Sorry, I thought from your post that the grant was from the course you are on now. It will depend on how much you have in your bank as to whether it will affect JSA(IB). I take it its not that much? Your signing on day is determined by your National Insurance number, so if it clashes with your course it might be that you have to book a late signing appointment every fortnight but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
As your course is probably not funded by the Learning and Skills Council, the question of whether you are entitled to JSA availability wise will probably have to be decided by the Decision Maker. This would mean that your claim would be suspended until all the information is collated and a decision made by them. You just need to keep signing on until they make a decision and then, if its allowed, all the JSA would be backdated to when you first made the claim.

Oldernotwiser

Why are you still getting a grant and loan for a course you finished last year?

cassieB57

Chris_Glover wrote: »

Thanks, yeah i was wondering how it works my course is listed as part-time by the college, Im 20 and havent had a job before so i wouldnt come into that category of contributions based but if there is some money in my bank account from the grant and loan would they reject the claim? if it does would i be safer taking the money out then applying for a claim?

Also when you sign on every 2 weeks is there a pacific day for everyone, like every 2nd monday say? or is there different sign on days throughout the week?

If your course is deemed part time, and is not more than 16 hours a week you may claim but your student loan income from a previous course will not be taken into account. If you have over £6000 saved this may affect how much you can get.

You will be asked to sign on a SPECIFIC ('pacific'=calm, tranquil)
day which is determined by your Ni number, but it can be a different day if your normal signing day is a day you attend college.

StrongWork

Chris_Glover wrote: »

Also when you sign on every 2 weeks is there a pacific day for everyone

Literally LOLing.