Job Center rang friend concerning me

silaslang

A friend rang me last night and said that the job centre or someone along them lines rang him asking if Id ever been employed by him or would he employ me.

Its completely baffled me as I am a full time university student and I am wondering were this has all come about from? I think before I started university I enquired to teh job centre for advice and I think i mentioned I could ask my friend who had a business if he had any work available but this was almost 8 months ago.

I recently made an application for income support under special circumstances as we are struglling financially. Could this be the reason for the call? Also my partner does voluntary work at a local school but was offered 9 hours a wekk employemt, could this have anything to do with it?

The whole thing just worried me in case some one was trying to claim in my name etc as for soem reason it all seems dubious to me (I have a paranoid personality disorder so this may all seem normal to other people though )

Any advice?

LittleVoice

Don't worry.

It looks as though your application for income support has prompted the enquiry.

Full-time at Uni does still allows time for work as well. If you had mentioned your friend as a possible source of work then they would want to know whether you had actually gone down that route. If you have been open about all your sources of income, I don't think you need worry.

silaslang

Thanks Littlevoice. I actualy rang them after posting to see what was going on. Turns out they had no knowledge of the call but the good news was my claim was successful, however they are only backdating it to January when I made my second claim as I made a claim in September but was wrongly told by them I was not entitled. It was advice from student welfare that prompted me to reapply in January which has now proved successful.

clairec79

Have you applied for a job at all and put the friend down as a reference, it sounds more like that sort of a call

LittleVoice

If you do put your friend down as a referee remember to get their permission to use their name and contact details. And let them know what you have applied for (name of company and job title) so they know what to say if they get a call.

perrioli12

Silaslang, re your claim in September that was turned down. You should send a letter requesting backdating to this date in Sept when you claimed stating your request is due to incorrect advice given by an officer at the jobcentre. I can't remember the exact regulation but it's somewhere in claims and payments regulations 19. I can't find out trhe regulation if you want. I stongly advise you to write this letter.

clairec79

Just realised what they have done. When you mentioned that you were going to apply they put in what's called a speculative job submission. Basically you are only meant to do them if you (the jc staff) are really involved ie they've told you about the job/arranged an interview)

It's near the end of the year, noones hit their tagets (esp if they've gone up like they did a few years ago just before I left when they nearly doubled them) and the computer system is slowed by all the unfilled answers so they are trying to catch up.

If your friend had said you had done a shift for him they would have claimed responsibility for you getting that job

ukdickie31

It's near the end of the year, noones hit their tagets (esp if they've gone up like they did a few years ago just before I left when they nearly doubled them) and the computer system is slowed by all the unfilled answers so they are trying to catch up.

Possibly, but Jobcentre's are not 'following up' to find outcomes as in previous years. Job starts are counted via Inland revenue Tax Registrations (Via an automatic computer matching system) so the targets are counted in a totally different manner than in pervious years. No adviser has job targets any more because information from the Inland Revenue based targets for outcomes cannot be attributed to individuals.

silaslang

I was also told back in september by the job centre that because I am a student they wouldnt be dealing with me as I wasnt entitled to jobseekers and would basicly to them have fell out of the system somewhat, any work I wanted to find basicly had to be off my own back.

It does appear to me that they are trying to meet targets as suggested by clairec79 . Ive never been employed by my friend but at one point when told id have to find work myself back in september I think I may have mentioned my friends business and I could possibly ask him if theres any work available.

@perrioli12 , Thank you I have put it into writing to them. If they refuse me I will contact you to get the regulation if you wouldnt mind. Cheers.

Thanks to everyone for there advice and help.