Supply Teaching and JSA/WTC

Lady_Jane_Cakebread

My husband is a newly qualified teacher and is actively seeking full time permanent work but to no avail. He is currently doing cover/supply work but these hours are very irregular and come the end of July we have no money coming in. At present he is getting an average 18 hours per week and I am a full-time carer for our daughter and am getting carers allowance, we don't get any family tax credit for her as she is over 19 and in university but living at home. He gets a small amount of WTC.

During the past week he has applied for four jobs, I really do pray that one of these turn up trumps for him but he has applied for so many and not had any joy. This is not because he is not capable but because at the moment there is a shortage of teaching jobs. If he did get a job now it would be a September start so this leaves us with no income from the end of July until early September.

I am wondering if he qualifies for JSA or does he just have to continue with the small amount of WTC? I have searched the government websites for this information but can't seem to find it. It would be helpful if we knew where to find this information as last time he signed on for JSA the job center were not very helpful and each person he saw told him something different, my thoughts are that if he can get something official in black and white they can't argue with that.

Thanks for your time in reading .

beecher2

Get your husband to post on the TES forums, or read here
http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/471670.aspx?PageIndex=1

Lady_Jane_Cakebread

Thanks Beecher2, I check TES several times a day for vacancies but didn't know they had a forum, I've emailed him the link .

MX5huggy

Lady_Jane_Cakebread wrote: »

my thoughts are that if he can get something official in black and white they can't argue with that.

Thanks for your time in reading .

But he won't get anything in black and white, anyone customer facing in a job centre is not really benefit trained. Only a decision maker in a Benefit delivery centre can tell you after assessing his claim.

The advice is claim and see.

sue1976

Your husband should get holiday pay from his supply teaching, and as a result of this, would not be entitled to JSA.

Oldernotwiser

darthspecialous wrote: »

.I too was a supply teacher and was always able to claim JSA through any of the school holidays especially the summer.

You don't say how long ago this was but it may well have changed as there's been a major tightening up of allowing people to claim JSA when they work seasonally.

I used to be a sessional FE Lecturer and could not only claim JSA for the holiday weeks but also for the days I wasn't actually working, but that hasn't been the case for many years.

sunnyone

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You don't say how long ago this was but it may well have changed as there's been a major tightening up of allowing people to claim JSA when they work seasonally.

I used to be a sessional FE Lecturer and could not only claim JSA for the holiday weeks but also for the days I wasn't actually working, but that hasn't been the case for many years.

At least it a post not spamming benefitsandwork unlike their other posts, hopefully others will have pressed the spam button to get them all removed (12 out of 15 posts are spam)