Employers no longer offering interview expenses, Travel to Interview scheme ended

Vibez_2

This is so frustrating, I've had 3 job interview offers in the past two weeks all for London, and I live in Scotland. There is no way I could afford to travel at the moment, I've used the travel to interview scheme once and it was very helpful as it paid the £100 cost of train tickets.

Surely there can be some sort of agreement made between national rail and jobseekers, i don't see why job centres should dish out full price for train tickets when they are over-priced as it is anyway.

I'm really going to struggle finding work without help to travel.

[Deleted User]

Humphrey10 wrote: »

I've never understood why employers would bother offering interview expenses, usually there will be plenty of people either local to the job or able to afford to travel to the interview. Unless it was a really specialist job where they were short of applicants, I don't see what benefit it has to the employer.

But the jobcentre should pay imo, how do they expect someone on JSA to afford bus/train fares?

Example. I've got an interview for a job based in Cardiff (near to me) but interview is in London. Train fare - up to £170.

Googlewhacker

in all fairness to the job centre, with a limited budget what is more worthwhile to them

10 people with costs of £10 each or 1 person with costs of £100?

Harsh but the maths make it obvious why long distant job interviews are not given much credance.

DCFC79

If anyone isnt aware you need to tell them before you have the interview and you have to have a meet n advisor about the expenses, maybe i was told(cant remember) about this but i dont recall having to do this process, so im a little peed off, does it matter if its dont before or after the interview

dugdale_2

TIS cannot be paid retrospectively so all claims must be registered before the date of interview.

DCFC79

dugdale wrote: »

TIS cannot be paid retrospectively so all claims must be registered before the date of interview.

yes i guess so, i did try to call and ask an advisor about it but everytime i called all advisors were busy, my fault for not trying to call more times

Hammyman

wantsajob wrote: »

I seem to be experiencing many employers saying they no longer offer interview travel expenses,

Since I left school in 1987, I have never come across any employer who pays travel to interview expenses.

Hammyman

Vibez wrote: »

This is so frustrating, I've had 3 job interview offers in the past two weeks all for London, and I live in Scotland. There is no way I could afford to travel at the moment, I've used the travel to interview scheme once and it was very helpful as it paid the £100 cost of train tickets.

Surely there can be some sort of agreement made between national rail and jobseekers, i don't see why job centres should dish out full price for train tickets when they are over-priced as it is anyway.

I'm really going to struggle finding work without help to travel.

Your fault for looking for jobs 800+ miles from where you live. An employer in London will have plenty of applicants suitable for the job within 60 miles so they have no reason to be bothered about the travelling costs of an applicant from Scotland.

I would actually go as far as saying it would HARM your application asking for travel expenses for interview because it shows a lack of enthusiasm, an "I'll come to the interview but only if you pay me" attitude.

WPN

Sues48 wrote: »

TIS and ADF have been replaced by a new Flexible Fund which has a set budget, rather than the bottomless pit that it replaced, it is up to the Jobcentre managers as to how it can be spent, in my office it has been used to fund interview costs etc but it is not "advertised", you have to ask and each claim is looked at on it's individual merits.

Partially true. ADF were assigned budgets - one was per person and also an implied limit per Jobcentre (i.e. Jobseekers were denied access if they deemed too many people were claiming. This depended on the jobcentre of course just like sanction targets as managers made them up).

WPN

Vibez wrote: »

This is so frustrating, I've had 3 job interview offers in the past two weeks all for London, and I live in Scotland. There is no way I could afford to travel at the moment, I've used the travel to interview scheme once and it was very helpful as it paid the £100 cost of train tickets.

Surely there can be some sort of agreement made between national rail and jobseekers, i don't see why job centres should dish out full price for train tickets when they are over-priced as it is anyway.

I'm really going to struggle finding work without help to travel.

Although it will takes ages there are other transport methods than train.

Keep it quiet - although not a job offer, if Jobcentre Plus found out you turned down 3 interview offers you will be sanctioned.

I have to specify that you cannot rely on your Jobseekers Agreement (JSAg) as a defence - it doesn't apply when you have IGNORED your limits and been given an interview offer or job offer. You could not use distance as a defence. They will claim you were NOT Available for Work (AfW).