Help with JSA

JTBX

I'm really in need of some assistance. I'm 20 and finished college in July 2011 and was going to University, but I took a gap year and am going this year. I have good GCSEs, A in Maths A in Physics and so on, Bs and one C and AAB at A level in History Politics etc.

For the time being I have been desperately looking for work and signed up for JSA a few months back in January for need of income. My appointments began on a Wednesday at 10:40.

I have no employment experience apart from two volunteering positions in 2011 from about January to May in Tenovus and British Heart Foundation, both charities and on the same road. When it comes to references even more of a joke because I don't know the managers surnames, only nicknames.

Immediately after my first appointment I met my advisor (lets call him Bob) who put up the things I have to do from 6 a fortnight to 12 and printed off a new agreement for me. I didn't know much of JSA at the time and sort of just went along with it. My 12 things included the usual such as looking for work, applying etc.

Well, after the first appointment he printed off 4-5 jobs for me which I had no idea it was compulsory to apply for, I applied for all apart from one and was honest to him, even though I did 12 things including applying I just couldn’t apply to this ONE placement and at the next appointment I stated I had no time to fill in the form (it was a recruitment sales consultant position). They took a decision and didn’t pay me for 2 weeks (£106).

At about two appointments later and after putting me on a ridiculous two day course where you learn to write a CV and so on that I had to go to or my payment would be stopped, he says I need to bring feedback of two of my applications to the places I have applied to and to register Personally to two recruitment agencies.

He booked a specific appointment on the 12 April Thursday instead of Wednesday where I met with a different advisor. She told me I had to bring in EVIDENCE of feedback. Which is strange because I cannot exactly phone someone I have applied to while at JSA and give him the phone lol. I admit, I messed up here as I did not have time and lied about two recruitment agencies (though I have signed up with dozens online, I guess they wanted me to go to one personally in the actual agency and sign up). I actually went to a few recruitment agencies in the city centre area after that and was rejected from all of them because I had no previous experience.

So in her mind, I have signed up to agencies but not brought in the feedback. She said they would take a decision and I haven’t had any payments since, and booked an appointment for me to come in Wednesday 18th Yesterday at 3:32, which will now be my regular sign in day apparently though not with my regular advisor Bob, and to see Bob Thursday (today at 10:30 which I am going to now). I am worried that these will be regular appointments because I do not know if they are compulsory or what.

Having kept up with news online and having come across this
(I am not allowed to post links for new user so go here without spaces: refusewp. com) - this page states that advisor appointments are not mandatory-
I was wondering if they are treating me fairly and what rights I have? The fact that I have to wonder in tired to these appointments and sign in forms and application 9-5 every day is a job in itself and sucking the life out of me, I would rather research and read in my spare time for University where I will be studying History. I would rather be stacking shelves somewhere than this.

So I'm basically wondering what to do and if it is possible to sign off and sign back on a later date, like taking a break from it, or who to call discussing any issues like changing my advisor and so on.

HappyMJ

You are welcome to sign off at any point. You can sign on at a later date if you wish. If they are asking you to participate in the work programme then to receive further benefit you should co-operate. The more you co-operate the friendlier they tend to be. If you are finding it difficult to do 12 things a fortnight to find work then negotiate with them to change it....However, I don't think that doing at least one thing per day is too much to ask.

You can appeal any decision to sanction your benefit and I think your reason that you applied for 4 out the 5 jobs and didn't think the 5th was appropriate should be good enough for an appeal to win. However, saying that you registered with an agency when you did not does not help.

and a bit of personal advice....always get the full names of managers and/or the colleagues that you work with. Ask them for a reference. The charity that you did work for counts as experience. Its very valuable. You do not need to paid for it to count. If you can afford to sign off then do a few weeks charity work again and then get full names and try again.

JTBX

Thanks for the reply. I was 5 mins late for my appointment today and met with a more pleasant women than my usual guy, and I told her about all this. She seemed surprised I was doing 12 as online she showed me it was only meant to be 6. And believe me it is a lot to do 12 because looking online, registering, and so on. Can take up a whole day just doing a few, like I mentioned this is a job in itself. She said she would talk to my usual advisor and that when I see him next I should confirm all this.

I told the truth about the employment agencies, how I had visited most of them and been rejected but applied to a few via email.

Additionally the fact that on wednesday I sign on every two weeks and thursday have an appointment is now regualr, which is strange. Why can I not have them on the same day as they used to be?

dookar

The law states you must take no fewer than 3 steps per week to find work and so would not support the 6 they are demanding (it is 6 per week, JSA is a weekly benefit and ASE is a weekly condition, it's nonsense for them to talk in fortnights)

Regarding the 4-5 jobs, they should have told you it was compulsory to apply, but each is considered separately, so the fact that you applied for some has no relevance in the consideration of a sanction for the one you did not apply to. A 2 week sanction is very leniant