Benefits and jobs

ankspon

A relative was employed as a teaching assistant for children with difficulties,over the past few weeks she has been treat as a dogsbody with teachers and headteacher telling her to clean up after them and make them coffee,even leaving post it notes telling her what to do.This is not in her contract,she is actually a qualified counsellor but took this job as there was no other work and she felt she was helping the children.Things got so bad she handed in her resignation,would this mean she is sanctioned for benefits.She really was a valued member of staff but they now treat her as there personal skivvy and her role now is nothing to do with being a teaching assistant.

BigAunty

Perhaps she should have joined a union, sought legal or professional advice, escalated this internally, etc?

People with good reasons to quit their job can prevent sanctions with their JSA and even those sanctioned can claim a lesser hardship sum. Hopefully another poster can give fuller info on this and how to prepare a defence.

Housing benefit/council tax, tax credits, etc, is based on income and doesn't carry sanctions, just JSA and the sanction is up to 6 months.

ankspon

I think she just had enough of being treat so badly

mrs_motivated

Had she spoken to a manager or anything about the situation. There could be a case for constructive dismissal, the wont want to risk tribunal and will usually reach a compromise agreement. At least this would provide her with some compensation.

However, this is hard to predict without full details. I would speak to acas or a solicitor specialising in these matters

ankspon

She was treat fine until she had 3 months off to care for her terminally ill mum,after mum passed she returned and the situation became worse.

pmlindyloo

I am afraid that if you resign from your job, as other posters have said, you may be sanctioned as far as benefits are concerned.

The problem is that whilst we all look at individual cases and their reasons for leaving their job, Job Centre Plus have to have 'rules' in place to prevent all and sundry leaving jobs whenever they fancy and claiming benefits.

There are procedures in place to protect employees to be treated in the way you describe and your relative should have followed them.

She had a contract which, no doubt, specified her role and she should have started with a quiet word with the Headteacher explaining her unhappiness, and then followed up with a written grievance, etc etc.

At the very least she should have been looking for another job to go to before she left that one.

I think the fact that she had time off to look after her mother has no relevance - rather an attempt from her to maybe explain the way she was treated.

I also wonder if she had stuck it out things might have changed. After all it is the beginning of term and perhaps the staff needed time to sort out her role/timetable etc etc and as an employee she was expected to 'muck in' with everyone.

ankspon

The other staff were given timetables,classes,years etc,she wasn't and was told numerous times she would be put here or there at the last minute.She went to see the head as to why she had no rota and was told she is now classed as a floater,this does not explain why teachers used her as there personal dogsbody.When she finally handed her notice in the head said we are going to lose an exceptional TA and in the same breath said who is going to run about for me now.That was enough,cleaning up after pupils and classes was the norm but after the teachers expected her to clean there mess up and supply them with tea and coffee while they were sat chatting along with no please or thankyou was just too much.

xmen2

ankspon wrote: »

A relative was employed as a teaching assistant for children with difficulties,over the past few weeks she has been treat as a dogsbody with teachers and headteacher telling her to clean up after them and make them coffee,even leaving post it notes telling her what to do.This is not in her contract,she is actually a qualified counsellor but took this job as there was no other work and she felt she was helping the children.Things got so bad she handed in her resignation,would this mean she is sanctioned for benefits.She really was a valued member of staff but they now treat her as there personal skivvy and her role now is nothing to do with being a teaching assistant.

You will have your benefits reduced by 50% if you claim Jobseekers Allowance for a period of 26 weeks unless you have reasonable grounds, which though what you say seems valid will not be so with a DWP decision maker.

It may also be worth claiming Council Tax benefits and possibly Housing Benefits if you rent as your income will be extremely low.

I would strongly advise you consult impartial advice at your local CAB (if it's still open because of cuts) or use many online tools such as turn2us or entitled to where you can input your circumstances and it advises on what you can claim.

Good luck!