Please please help New deal

tab99_uk

thankyou fran...

Kimberley

Well i'm starting my new job next week. I will still get my income support for a further 4 weeks. I will be receiving a one off payment which is a job grant, and i will be receiving a child maintenance bonus. These extra payments will help me in the first month of employment as i'll be getting paid monthly, so i have to work a month before i get paid..I can now start taking my driving lessons again :T

For anyone who is still on benefit and you have children, i would seriously recommend you get in now and find a part time job and go on this New Deal just in case the Tories win the election, because i have just found out that the Tories are going to scrap the New Deal At least if they do they can't take away existing claims..

Even in employment you still get help with childcare.. :j

dirtbag_2

If you are working under 16 hours per week and still getting a qualifying benefit you may be able to. But it depends on your age and whether you can join New Deal early (e.g you have a disability). There are also many different New Deals: New Deal for Lone Parents, New Deal for Disabled People, New Deal for the over 50's, New Deal for young people, New Deal for over 25's, New Deal for Communities. You really need to see an adviser at your local job centre to find out what you can get.

chinesedeli

Thank you everyone for all of your help with New Deal, I really appreciate it.
I went to my every week meeting with my advisor today. I asked her about the £300 ADF fund and she said that I am entitled to it but have to apply through her. She said what do I need it for and I said clothes etc. She then said that she can only do it when I have definatley got an interview set up which I can prove and then she will give me an invoice to take to Evans or Dorothy Perkins to buy an interview out-fit with. She then changed the subject so I didnt want to bother her with asking for any other money. I was just wandering if anyone on here has been on the New Deal or knows of anyone that has what exactly are you entitled to and any advice on asking for money? See my plan is to just get a job in the next two weeks and I am applying for loads everyday, I am at the point where I do not care if it is part-time or full-time or what job I do. I hate asking for money off the state, but you see I give all my job seekers allowance to my mum as I would hate to 'sponge' off her aswell. I am left woth £10 a week which I buy my food shopping with as I am a vegetarian and can not eat the food my mum buys. I have lost so much confidence with being on job seekers allowance and I am not the person I used to be and want to be again. I need my hair done and I really need new clothes, shoes etc and I do not know how to ask for it. I can not go for a job interview the way I am currently looking and I just want to get out of the 'rut' that I am currently in. Could someone please help me with anything to do with New Deal as I feel that I can not ask my advisor for help. Thank you again.

Fran

chinesedeli,

I know it's different for you to be on JSA but don't let it get you down, remember you have plans (uni etc.) and try to think of useful ways to spend your time while looking for a job. Can't you ask your mum if she will accept less money for a couple of weeks which should give you enough for a decent haircut which will make you feel more positive? Especially as you buy a lot of your own food. I don't expect you look as bad as you feel you do, it's just accepting being on JSA when you want to be doing some work.

Allexie

Hiya again cd

Regarding the Advisers Discretionary Fund....

A friend of mine successfully claimed it for new glasses to the tune of about £175. Might not be of any use to you but.....?

Also.. if you want it for interview clothes it usually applies to many more retailers than just Dorothy Perkins and Evans! On the list that I have (supplied by my local Jobcentre) also included are;

Miss Selfridge
Principles
Racing Green
Topshop
Burtons
Style Union
Great Clothes
Greenham Trading
Slaters
Suits Plus

Also, about 18 months ago, when I was claiming this, I argued that none of the retailers on the list supplied the type of clothing that I would normally wear...and I eventually was re-imbursed for a suit/shirt/shoes and coat from Marks and Spencers.

Another thought...could you get yourself set up with an interview from an employment agency....in order to be able to claim the ADS grant?

I know it's not easy so keeping my fingers crossed for you...and do let us know how you get on....

chinesedeli

Thank you everyone for your kind help, it is really nice that you go out of your way to try and help me. I am really focused to get a job or at least a few interviews in the next two weeks now. I do not wear glasses so I would not be able to claim for that but I am a larger ladie and would love to be able to get some decent interview clothes from Etam as I find Evans to be a bit old fashioned now as they have stopped doing the seven range. Do you think they would let me use the fund to buy from Etams? Also does anyone know how much you get to spend on clothes?
I am feeling better about everything now and am going to work so damn hard so that I can get a job and start living life again! Like I said earlier, none of my family have ever been on job seekers before and they all work hard. I would not pay my mum any less than £30 a week because she works hard to keep the house running etc and I would just feel that I am taking advantage of her thats why I do not have any money, but that is my choice.
Thanks again everyone, it has really helped reading all of your comments and suggestions. Nunite

MommaCC

I work for a training provider and am a Training Adviser for the Gateway 2 Work 2 week mandatory course for ND 18-24. I would like to urge any jobseeker, who is serious about finding work, to attend this course with an open mind.

G2W is a motivational, confidence building course providing the opportunity for intensive jobsearch and professional support. Being on New Deal will, usually, mean that you have been looking for work for a minimum of 6 months (18-25 clients) or 18 months (25+ clients), and at this time motivational levels have usually taken a pummelling (nobody likes to be rejected, but in recruitment this will happen to the best of us). For any of you out there in receipt of benefits, you will also agree that looking for work is an expensive and time-consuming business. We provide the facilities needed to ensure that this is no longer a barrier i.e. internet access, telephone, newspapers, directories as well as liasing with local employers enabling us to promote their current vacancies. We assist all clients in creating or updating their CV if required, completing application forms, letter writing and also cover telephone and interview techniques. We also look at the varied practises that employers may use to assess suitability of candidates: panel interviews, group exercises, psychological/aptitude tests, group discussions, problem solving project etc.

I receive positive feedback from the majority of my clients, who have either entered the work place or moved on to further training (also mandatory on New Deal).

MommaCC

ADVISERS DISCRETIONARY FUND

This is, as titled, available at your adviser’s discretion – not an entitlement.

This fund is meant to cover any needs that the adviser believes will help to secure employment. IE. clothing for interview/work, tools, steel toe capped boots. It cannot be given freely, only if there is an interview (which you must attend) or a start date of a job. Many of my clients have been able to use this fund for clothes, tools and PPE.

Don’t forget other help available including travel to interview scheme, subsidised employment and work trials.

Allexie

chinesedeli wrote:

Also does anyone know how much you get to spend on clothes?

How it works is..... you go to the shop and choose what you would like then make a note of the price of each item. Give that info to your adviser who, if it is approved, will issue you with a voucher for you to take back to the shop to purchase the items. Make sure you claim as much as possible, (suit, blouse, shoes, bag, topcoat for e.g.)...everyone else does!

Good luck!