New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

Truegho

pinkypoopydoo wrote: »

I'm becoming a bit disillusioned with the scheme. I appreciate they are very busy at the Business Gateway, but having to wait days and days for answers to simple, but quite important, questions is becoming soul destroying. I'm beginning to think I should consider signing myself off JSA, and applying for in work credit, as I'm a bit sick of hanging in limbo, between job seeking and self employment, because the people who are meant to be helping are snowed under. I'm not entirely convinced that there is anything that is being given to me just now, helpwise, that is not available with a websearch, other than the low interest loan that becomes possible after the transfer over to NEA.

I can certainly empathise with you here. Isn't this country in a right mess?

BigAl127

Andy2013 wrote: »

So as of today it is 14 weeks since i last heard from my " mentor " a total waste of time and all the promises of help and guidance seem to have got lost in the post, no emails, phone calls or letters so i am all alone on my way to making millions.

This week is the change over from the £65 to £33 allowance rate so i except a balls up somewhere along the line.

On a happy note in april i made a clear profit of £800 and this month i am on target for the big 1K so business is going well, the hours are actually coming down as i stream line things and i am at the moment feeling quite proud so to anyone starting out it is possible but as i said in earlier posts its down to you as an individual to push like crazy and make it work as on the whole the scheme is pretty s*** and the help i have had is very little but that makes my rising income all the sweeter as i made it happen, with a little financial help from Dave.

Well done to evryone who has started the scheme , it can lead to a new freedom in self employment and being self sufficiant is a great feeling , BUT remember no one owes us anything , the government are tight and the menotrs are s**** and if you keep that in mind we may all end up rich, slightly grey but rich!!

Keep posting guys i love reading your comments , back soon for another moan, love ya

First of all, Well Done :T, for making a success of things on your own.

I last heard from my mentor, when he approved my business plan, which was 11 weeks ago today.

I'm now on either week 7 or 8 of my NEA ( depending which date I use, either 25th March my actual start date, or the 2nd April which was the date the Jobcentre gave to NEA, and when I've received my £65 from).

I was told I would be contacted on weeks 6, 11, and 19 by my Jobcentre advisor, to see how the business was doing, and whether it was still viable. As of today, I've not heard a word from anyone, and have done everything on my own so far.

Up to yet, I have only had 3 paying jobs in, and the business is currently running at a loss, i.e. it owes money to me personally, and I've not been able to take a wage as yet. Hopefully with a fresh push on advertising, things will start to pick up sooner rather than later. I Feel like i'm in a catch 22 situation at the moment, as I need money to be able to advertise, but I also need the paying jobs to help fund the advertising.

SO, it's onwards and hopefully upwards, but at a slower pace than I had originally planned.

andyscott

After having to fight with the jobcentre to try and get onto NEA and been point blank knocked back and then put onto Working Programme I have now been told I am been sanctioned for 8 weeks.

At first they said it was for problems with my jobseekers diary and now they are telling me it was because I cancelled a Working Programme meeting even though when I cancelled it I said to them it was for me to attend a job interview.

2 weeks ago when I signed up before been sanctioned I even spoke to the advisor about me starting up a business and working at same time.

I was planning on starting up my business that I had planned with NEA as I could do it with very little funding. I was going to just work 15 hours per week at it allowing me still to claim JSA and look for other work.

That plan is a no go now seen as though I am getting no money for 8 weeks. While I am getting no money, on a weekly basis I have still to

write to 2 employers
phone 2 employers
internet searches
newspaper searches
attend working programme which is over 10 miles away.

I am so annoyed after trying so hard to get onto NEA, I even had business gateway say my idea was good only for JC+ to not allow me on it.

This is only second time I have applied for benefits in 14 years. Every fortnight I have my jobsearch diary completed and there are folk who just walk in everytime and sign on then straight out and you know they are never interested in working.

WantToBeSE

Oh no, Andy (scott). What a nightmare!
Firstly, they should have told you the appeal process for your sanction. I would get onto that straight away.
Also, they will pay your travel expenses to the working programme, so contact them about that too.

I feel your frustration about the system not working as it should.
I hadn't claimed benefits for a while (i did for 3 months, about 5 years ago, but found a job really quickly), and presumed that it was those who don't want to work that would be sanctioned. I see lots of people, beer can and spliff in hand, outside the jobcentre waiting to go in. you know that they dont want a job.
It's infuriating.

i STILL have not heard from my mentor...and another 2 weeks have passed, so now its been a month.


Well done to Andy (2013)! Sounds like you are really moving forward, and enjoying it! Thanks for the tips too

I am off to the 1st of the 'intro to Enterprise' workshops from Outset tomorrow, and looking forward to it.

pinkypoopydoo

I feel a bit guilty about my news now, having just read the last couple of posts...

My newly juggled cashflows have been accepted by BG, I have a couple of little tweeks to make to my business plan, then my mentor says she'll be emailing the job centre, to get me signed off JSA and onto NEA. :D

WantToBeSE

Well done Pinky, that fab news!! I bet you can't wait to get signed off and start working! It'll be interesting to see how smooth the transition is for you.
How many hours work have you already got lined up? Is it over 16 hours? I hope you dont mind me asking. I am just really concerned about not finding enough hours to start with.

BigAl127

Andy, have you thought about contacting your MP, or even your local press? I'm sure one or the other might be interested in your story.

pinkypoopydoo

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Well done Pinky, that fab news!! I bet you can't wait to get signed off and start working! It'll be interesting to see how smooth the transition is for you.
How many hours work have you already got lined up? Is it over 16 hours? I hope you dont mind me asking. I am just really concerned about not finding enough hours to start with.

I've got 10 hours a week (2 hours a morning, 5 days a week, at a really decent hourly rate!) lined up initially, with another client at 1 hour a month ready to start around August time. I can easily then fill my afternoons with marketing etc, so will be looking at, at least, a 25 hour week initially. If I do a good job (which, of course I will... ) then my 10 hours will be increasing to 15-20 hours a week in September. The first couple of months are going to be a stretch, financially, because of the whole loan thing, but we'll just have to manage.

If it wasn't for this client, I might have struggled to make the cash projections work quite as well as they now do, but, as my friends keep telling me, maybe it's worked because it's now my time to start doing ok.

Andy2013

Andy (scott) your the prime example of why i had to get of JSA and into self employment as people are just numbers and signitures in a job centre, feel for you mate, bloody nightmare!!

I was thinking of contacting my local MP whom happens to be one David Cameron as i live in witney and when hes not cocking up the country he has a good go here, just to give my opinions on NEA after my first few months on it but i fear i may get hung so have as yet not popped round his for cup of tea.

(pinkypoopydoo) your flying ,slowly but surely was my logic and although its hard financially at the start you do gradually see an increase and that is such a motivation that you cant help but work longer and harder , well done to you.

A few people have talked about the hours they work, a difficult thing to project but something that only you really know and that is an important thing when it comes to getting WTC which help alot.

Its not hard to acumilate enough hours to get WTC and although its based on the previous years tax figure if you come of JSA after i believe one year you get the full basic element of WTC and then if you work over 30 hours you get the 30+element which increases payments by £790 per year, so if your working 20 hours then by doing another 10 will give you this added cash and honestly no one checks how many hours you work as like i said only you truly know yourself, tick the box it wont hurt.

If you add every hour that you work from anything financial to getting stock ,advertising etc you will surprise yourself how many hours you do actaully cover each week, for myself its around 40 hours as i structure a day to ensure i dont over work as self employment does run away with you and making money is addictive stuff.

Hope that helps, im not saying screw the system but just play the game, the government play us so lets play them.

sun_shine_2

What is it with those that work at the JC?? Do they not know how to smile?? This is the first time I have been unemployed in 27yrs!! And I can honestly say the experience I have had at my local JC is a disgrace!

I was referred onto the NEA a few weeks ago and this week I met with my mentor for the first time and everything went really well, he looked at my spreadsheets and he has my business plan and everything looks promising but 2 weeks ago when I signed on a dragon at the JC must of put on her computer I was self employed! So now they have stopped my money!! and this week another horrible woman had a go at me because I didn't have my job search, I was told because I was working on my business plan etc I didn't need to look so thoroughly but apparently I do, so I just wish they were all singing from the same song sheet!! They all tell you different things. :mad:

Now this week I went for an interview for a job I actually applied for at the beginning of March! I will know next week if I have the job! So now I have a dilemma, I feel like I should come off JSA anyway, even if I don’t get the job I am thinking about just going ahead with my business without the help from NEA.