New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

WantToBeSE

I finally got my phone call from the NEA people!
They said i will be waiting anywhere from 2-5 weeks for a mentor, and gave me some business plan templates in the process and some other info to read through.

FINALLY!!

andyscott

WantToBeSE wrote: »

I finally got my phone call from the NEA people!
They said i will be waiting anywhere from 2-5 weeks for a mentor, and gave me some business plan templates in the process and some other info to read through.

FINALLY!!

Still not good enough if you ask me. How long is it now since ou asked to get onto NEA?

To get a phone call saying you may have to wait 5 weeks is the type of thing to happen when you first apply, not after waiting so long already.

It's not right that you can't get onto NEA after a year on JSA. I know you have been waiting a while for a mentor. Now your been told it might be 5 weeks and I know that the mentors are allowed to take up to 8 weeks from seeing you to starting your business. So that might be another 3 months before you start trading plus the time you have already been waiting.

ELMATHUD

i think i was on the NEA ask for help doing a business plan said it was not my thing and i need help writing it. The only contact i had was three 3 minute phone calls and i always got the impression i was taking up his valuable time . i also made a web site and ask them to check it out as my spelling and grammer as its not my thing they took over a month to get back to me .
What really upsets me is these guys get lots of money off the goverment for doing nothing i am not saying there all like this but it my experiance of them is very negative one .

This_Year

Well as of Friday I hadn't heard anything from Ixion but I'm going to phone them tomorrow and chase it up. I suspect that my adviser didn't fax my referral form over but there'll be no way to prove that and all I'm after is getting started up on my own!

If Ixion haven't heard of me then I can chase it with my new adviser on Tuesday. That will be the 3rd new adviser in 4 weeks.

andyscott

This_Year wrote: »

Well as of Friday I hadn't heard anything from Ixion but I'm going to phone them tomorrow and chase it up. I suspect that my adviser didn't fax my referral form over but there'll be no way to prove that and all I'm after is getting started up on my own!

If Ixion haven't heard of me then I can chase it with my new adviser on Tuesday. That will be the 3rd new adviser in 4 weeks.

Would you consider going self employed without NEA or do you need the loan/mentor?

This_Year

andyscott wrote: »

Would you consider going self employed without NEA or do you need the loan/mentor?

I don't need the loan but I feel that having a mentor could be helpful. If push comes to shove though I will just set out on my own because I'm nearly ready to go.

pinkypoopydoo

This_Year wrote: »

I don't need the loan but I feel that having a mentor could be helpful. If push comes to shove though I will just set out on my own because I'm nearly ready to go.

I have to admit, if I had realised how little input I would get from my mentor, I would have gone self employed by myself a long time ago. The extra NEA payments are useful, but (in my case) I could possibly survive without them - at the moment they are being put straight into the business capital, rather than on household spending.

I genuinely thought that there would be a far greater benefit from having a mentor, but other than one meeting and a couple of phone calls, I've had no back-up from them.

andyscott

Now that I know more about NEA, I would not take NEA for the sole benefit of the payments for 6 months. I dont see how it works out any better this way.

If you were to tell JC that you were only able to work 15 hours per week on your business you can still claim full JSA. Meaning you get more money than NEA payments.

If you were to come off JSA and claim working tax credits, they say a qualifying single person with no kids will get a minimum of £52 per week, which means over the 6 month period you get more in Working Tax Credits that you would NEA payments.


With regards to the mentor, I dont think you really get much help at all from the mentors.

The loan, unless you really need it to get started, I think its like a noose round your neck. Paying back a loan plus interest when your just getting started.

WantToBeSE

Hi all, me again

Does anyone know how the loan works? When i spoke to the lady on Friday, she said that everyone she has put through the loan process has been able to get it, regardless of their credit history.
The only 2 people that were turned down were people who lied about having debt. She has had people who have been bankrupt, on IVAs etc, and they have all been accepted. So i am considering applying for the loan.
Do you have to buy everything first, and then they reimburse you? Or do you just give them a list of what you need and they give you the amount?

WantToBeSE

andyscott wrote: »

Still not good enough if you ask me. How long is it now since ou asked to get onto NEA?

To get a phone call saying you may have to wait 5 weeks is the type of thing to happen when you first apply, not after waiting so long already.

It's not right that you can't get onto NEA after a year on JSA. I know you have been waiting a while for a mentor. Now your been told it might be 5 weeks and I know that the mentors are allowed to take up to 8 weeks from seeing you to starting your business. So that might be another 3 months before you start trading plus the time you have already been waiting.

It's been 9 weeks now, Andy. Too long! But i am thinking positively, and better late than never is my motto at the moment.

My business plan is all ready to go, so i hope than it wont be too long before i am ready to start trading.