New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

bigboybrother

sovilla wrote: »

Cos we can't all go on and better ourselves after we have been bankrupt can't we.

Unfortunately it is the other way round.

By being made bankrupt you walk away from the majority if not all of your debts. The rest of us have to pick up the pieces and pay a higher price to cover what the creditor has lost! So who then goes on to better themselves? It certainly isn't the ones that are left having to pay higher bank and credit card interest charges! The discharged bankrupt walks away from them all and starts with a fresh slate.

Ziggy_Stardust

Why this dislike of people who have to claim to make ends meet? I know of many professional people who have lost their jobs in the recession and are trying to get back up onto their feet. I'm pleased that your business was a success for you bigboybrother but not everyone was as fortunate as you. As I understand it National Insurance is an insurance to help you should you fall on hard times, if you had a burst pipe at home and it ruined your expensive carpet would you not claim? Perhaps I'm taking a simplistic view of it but that is how I regard it. WTC and NEA is not limitless, you are only allowed to claim NEA for a short period, WTC is on a sliding scale based on a person's income and has a cap on it. I applaud the people here trying to make something out of their lives, yes there are scroungers who milk the benefit system but they are in the minority as could also be said for those high earners who look for loopholes not to pay all their taxes. Everyone deserves a chance and there are many successful companies who were once small cottage industries who's to say we don't have one here, they will be paying back far more than they've claimed supporting themselves and perhaps even creating jobs for others?

bigboybrother

andyscott wrote: »

Seems like we have a couple of anti NEA folk on here now. Up until today I think everyone was really supportive of each other and friendly on this topic. It now seems some tax payers would like to see NEA scrapped. I think most people on this topic have 2 options.

1. Claim NEA work constantly and receive 12 weeks x £65 then 12 weeks x £30 = Total of £1140

Can also decide to apply for loan of £1000 which is paid back with interest which I have been told is 10%

Come of NEA allowance after 6 months and be left to get on with it and pay their own way with rent, school meals etc and also pay tax and national insurance.

2. Keep getting knock backs for jobs and Stay on JSA for 6 months getting 24 x £71 = £1704 then maybe might be on JSA another 6 months getting another £1704. Might even end up depressed and needing Income Support which is even more. Also get free school meals, clothing grants, rent and council tax paid etc

There are a lot of people on JSA a lot longer than a year.

I honestly cant understand why anyone would be against NEA

Hey I am not knocking NEA at all, I think that it is good idea as is the repayable loan.

What I personally object to is people using WTC's to support their income when they are self employed. As an earlier poster has said, you should be free of all benefits after 6 months - which to me means fully independent of all benefits.

Surely the idea of being self employed is to be independent and live off what you can earn.

Working capital is exactly what it says - and doesn't include the likes of me and others to have to keep on propping up a business that isn't making enough for the entrepeneur to live on as well pay their bills.

WTC's are a good idea if you are an employee who is on NMW and cannot increase their income. Being self employed means that you can grow your own income.

WantToBeSE

bigboybrother wrote: »

Hey I am not knocking NEA at all, I think that it is good idea as is the repayable loan.

What I personally object to is people using WTC's to support their income when they are self employed. As an earlier poster has said, you should be free of all benefits after 6 months - which to me means fully independent of all benefits.

Surely the idea of being self employed is to be independent and live off what you can earn.

Working capital is exactly what it says - and doesn't include the likes of me and others to have to keep on propping up a business that isn't making enough for the entrepeneur to live on as well pay their bills.

WTC's are a good idea if you are an employee who is on NMW and cannot increase their income. Being self employed means that you can grow your own income.

As far as I can see, nobody is planning on relying on Tax Credits though, maybe for the 1st month, but not beyond this....which leads to the 2nd bit that I bolded- GROWING a business. Most people (especially those like me who have children, no childcare, no relatives to rely on, and no loans available to them due to bad credit) NEED those tax credits for the first month or so, while they are GROWING their income/client base.

WantToBeSE

Oh...and i just wanted to add that i couldn't give a rodents backside about what random strangers from the internet think about me (or anyone else for that matter), needing Tax Credits.

if i have to rely on Tax Credits, i wont be thinking "oh dear, what will those people that I don't know, on-line, think of me"...i'll be too busy working out how to increase my income.

I am no longer going to be replying to any of these kinds of posts, i will only be engaging in positive, encouraging conversation with other NEA users.

WantToBeSE

So, i went back into the JC today and met with my advisor and signed all the necessary paperwork!
He said that the business mentor would be in touch with me reasonably quickly-early next week was his estimate!
So, pinky and all those interested, i dont think that it actually takes very long for the business mentoring to start, once you sign on the dotted line.

i will be seeing the business mentor for about 6-8 weeks ( I THINK weekly, but not too sure, as it all depends of their availablility -they run their own businesses too, as well as being an adviser), and then starting to trade

Neelienew

bigboybrother wrote: »

I presume that your post was directed at me as you have failed to indicate the poster by name.

First of all I don't 'hate' anybody and certainly don't go round trying to incite people with hatred.

Jealous, of what? I developed a very successful business from scratch without the need to ask the taxpayers of this country to support me. Yes I too have paid a fortune in taxes & NIC, but that still doesn't entitle me to any more than someone who has never worked in their lives.
Developing the business was a challenge, especially knowing that every penny I had saved and the thousands that I had borrowed meant that it had to succeed - there was no plan B or any form of cushion or backup. That is why I was so determined to make it work.
After 12 years it became to big for one person to run and as I don't particularly like business partnerships, I put it up for sale and made a damn good profit out of it. It enabled me to move my family from the North of England to the countryside of Kent, as take 5 years off relaxing before deciding what I wanted to do next.
I don't read the Daily Mail, in fact I'm not interested in anything that goes on around me other than what my family are doing.

I don't work and have no intention of working again. I set a goal to retire at 60 which I did 4 years ago. Nearly 40 years of work and paying into the system was enough for me.

I thought you were claiming benefits and wanted to reform you band.

bigboybrother wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I can't find anything anywhere on the web that gives me an answer to my problem.

OK, I claim ESA for both physical and mental conditions. I have just had a re-assessment without going for a medical and have been told that my Support Group status is continue.

I also have DLA high mobility & mid care for the same conditions and the difficulties and needs that I have.

Now I am bored with just sitting around doing nothing at home, been like this for the past 4 years.

Many years ago I used to be a semi pro musician, mainly working in cabaret clubs backing well known artistes. I have toured twice in Europe and back in the late 60's we had a No1 record.

I gave up music as it did not provide a steady reasonable income for my new family. Now it's just the two of us again, the old band minus one (who now lives in Eire after winning the Euro millions!!) wants to get back together on a semi permanent basis.

I am more than capable of playing again (thankfully I have a stool (throne) to sit on) as none of my problems or needs are related.

My wife is a little frightened that if I am seen back on stage (certainly in the local area) problems might arise with the DWP.

How do I convince the DWP, both for ESA & DLA that playing in a band on stage does not in any way affect why I am claiming ESA and DLA? I would sooner they give me a piece of paper to prove to anyone that asks that the DWP are allowing me to do this work.

Obviously money will be involved but we can lose that in buying new equipment etc.

andyscott

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Oh...and i just wanted to add that i couldn't give a rodents backside about what random strangers from the internet think about me (or anyone else for that matter), needing Tax Credits.

if i have to rely on Tax Credits, i wont be thinking "oh dear, what will those people that I don't know, on-line, think of me"...i'll be too busy working out how to increase my income.

I am no longer going to be replying to any of these kinds of posts, i will only be engaging in positive, encouraging conversation with other NEA users.

Well said.

People like to slate others who claim benefits from the government but when they are slating you they seem to forget about all the tax and national insurance that you have previosuly paid and will pay in the future.

pinkypoopydoo

WantToBeSE wrote: »

So, i went back into the JC today and met with my advisor and signed all the necessary paperwork!
He said that the business mentor would be in touch with me reasonably quickly-early next week was his estimate!
So, pinky and all those interested, i dont think that it actually takes very long for the business mentoring to start, once you sign on the dotted line.

i will be seeing the business mentor for about 6-8 weeks ( I THINK weekly, but not too sure, as it all depends of their availablility -they run their own businesses too, as well as being an adviser), and then starting to trade

I have been working on my business plan all week, have been looking through advice for advertising and marketing, and am hopeful that my meeting with BG on Monday will be a positive one. I'm not entirely clear as to what happens - my JC advisor said that she was under the impression that if the BG thought it was a sound idea, I would be sent away to produce a final business plan, so my conditions for claiming JSA would be relaxed, to enable me to work full time on the launch, for 6-8 weeks, before a final sign-off from BG, onto NEA. Can anyone confirm that this is the case?

I would actually like to be able to be signed off JSA sooner, now that my business plan has been worked on and built up over the last week or so, so I would hope that the 6-8 week deadline would be shortened if possible.

WantToBeSE

Pinky, i was told that the 6-8 week wait would be considerably shortened if the business plan was almost/totally finished by the time you started seeing your business mentor.
Have you actually been put on the NEA scheme officially yet?
Yes, i was also told that job seeking requirements for signing on would be relaxed a bit in those 6-8 weeks.