New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

D4VE

Another update from me.

My last message finished :

15/4 - First day of trading - although I can't yet, until VAT & bank are sorted out, but can get everything prepared.

Since then :

16/4 Received call from MetroBank saying my account was open. Popped in to collect card etc. Very efficient.
22/4 Emailed NEA to ask how loan was progressing. They replied that JCP still have me as being signed-on.
22/4 Received P45 in post from JCP, so told NEA of this and they are now chasing JCP again.

Still waiting for details from HMRC to be able to set up VAT, PAYE etc.

Hopefully, when I check later, my last JCP payment will have been paid, else I'll be making a trip to their office and I KNOW they definitely won't be pleased to see me, having thought they'd got rid of me ! lol

ggg1

Update from my adventure.

So I went to the seminar about the NEA on 10/4. During the seminar we were told, that we won't have to search and apply for jobs, because writing business plan, etc will be our jobsearch activity. After the seminar we all had very short one-on-one chats and signed some forms. The mentor (or whoever that person giving the presentation was) from Ixion told me that they're gonna call next week.
Since then I had another meeting with my JCP advisor on 14/4 where I told her that I'm now writing business plan and that I'm not looking for work. My advisor wasn't sure if I still need to look and apply for jobs. I told her that it wouldn't make much sense to be writing a business plan and applying for random jobs at the same time. She kinda agreed and said she will find that out, but I haven't heard anything.
I didn't receive any calls from NEA, so last Thursday (last working day of the week they were supposed to call me) I went to my JCP advisor and asked her if I can get some contact of the NEA people. She said that it's now 'a waiting game' and that I should wait a week more and only if I don't hear by then, my advisor will try to contact them for me.
Today I went to JCP for my regular sign on. My advisor wasn't there (she's never available on the day I have to sign on), so I was directed to another advisor. I showed my 7 page draft of the business plan, but got told that I'm just signing on today and I should show that plan either to my advisor or to NEA people. Got asked for the jobsearches and explained that writing business plan was my jobsearching activity. Advisor didn't like that and told that because I haven't done my jobsearching, I am being refered to someone called 'decission maker' and my JS allowance is now withheld. All my protests were not listened, because she's not my advisor and I was told that I now need to wait for the 'decission makers' to contact me, because it's not possible to meet them and explain my situation.
I was never told that I still need to do jobsearches and I feel that I've really spent more than the required hours writing the business plan, but, because I don't even get the chance now to give my story, I will probably get sanctioned. I'm not gonna leave it at that and going to appeal/complain or even go to the tribunal if necessary, but I understand that it all will take time.
At the moment the most important question for me is whether being sanctioned will affect me being on the NEA? Last thing I want now is to get my NEA programme suspended until the decission about my benefit is made. Also is there any way to contact these 'decission makers' about my case or if there is any way to complain about being refered to them in the first place.

D4VE

ggg1 - During the seminar we were told, that we won't have to search and apply for jobs, because writing business plan, etc will be our jobsearch activity.

Yes, you do still have to do your job search while writing your business plan (BP) as your agreement with JCP is to be actively seeking emplyoment and your BP is only one of these 'searches'.

Even after my BP and loan application had been approved, I still put down the usual 6 job applications on my search form. Seems pointless really, but there you go.

IF I had got an interview with any of these companies, I doubt I'd have attended unless the job was underworked/overpaid )

Suarez

D4VE wrote: »

Another update from me.

Still waiting for details from HMRC to be able to set up VAT, PAYE etc.

Why are you voluntarily registering for VAT?

Andy2013

Yes, you do still have to do your job search while writing your business plan (BP) as your agreement with JCP is to be actively seeking emplyoment and your BP is only one of these 'searches'.

Again things may have changed or more possible JC don't have a clue but when I started NEA in Dec 2012 I had an almighty barney with JC as NEA told us on the induction (which happened to also be s signing on day for me ) that once you started the business plan we no longer had to job search and all of our energies was to be put in researching and preparing to go self employed.

This makes total sense , you need time to prepare!!

My JC advisor also attempted to claim I was in the wrong when during lunch break I went to sign on over the road from my induction and I then happily battered him into the ground with my "startling revelation" that in fact I did not have to carry on job search .

Followed up by a phone call from NEA he backed off and I carried onto NEA the next week.

The simple fact is so few JC workers actually know the truth or facts and training seems to be very poor not to mention they still like there little power trip by making us look bad, but it does feel real good to get one over these little weasels whom treat those on JSA with such contempt.

To make it even funnier the day I signed of JSA onto NEA my hopeless advisor even asked me then if I had done my job search .................. needless to say we don't send Christmas cards !!!

Things do change, they probably have but it is worth ringing NEA to get clarity because JC know **** *** about anything.

pinkypoopydoo

I had to continue with my job search UNTIL I had had a one-to-one meeting with my NEA mentor, and they had decided that there was a plan worth working on - that's maybe where the misunderstanding has come about?

At the initial meeting (in front of me), my mentor emailed by JC advisor, letting them know that I had been given 6 weeks to work on my business plan, and that my agreement was to be altered to show that I was required to prove I was working on the business plan, rather than looking for work.

Andy2013

I NEVER had a one to one meeting with my mentor so maybe I should still be doing job search 18 months into business ???? :rotfl:

Anyone with sense will "start " before they are given the nod because its in your own interest to get this going asap , the NEA process is slow and cumbersome with way to much red tape and hurdles ,and way to many jobs worths .

pinkypoopydoo

One of the main problems (in my humble opinion!) is that there doesn;t seem to be any continuity - each area manages NEA in different ways.

If things were done on a national, rather than regional, basis, then it might actually be managed properly, and we all might have a better idea of what was going on.

Andy2013

Fully agree , there does not seem to be a blue print as to how it should be done, if everyone sang the same song I think it would be a lot more positive, instead no one person ever agrees with another.

Lack of training and knowledge is a big part I feel.

chopperlamb

is anyone or has anyone struggled with filling out the online loan application. my application is to gle enterprise loans. they have already turned down my certified documents as not being correct and so has cashplus for my business account.
I really have no clue about uploading or downloading and there doesnt seem to be an option for them to post you an application form.
As I stated before I couldn't even open the folder with the business plan to fill that out. my mentor said he would do it for me and unless I get paper copies I'm screwed cause I don't know how to get stuff online to their application process.
All I want to do is sell hot dogs, this computer stuff is way beyond my understanding.
E2A don't own a printer and wouldn't know how it works anyway