Eligibility for JSA after studying

SomersetSaver

Hi
I have searched the forums and haven't been able to find the answer - but apologies if it is there somewhere.

I am currently studying full time and will finish in June this year. I am hoping to get work lined up for when I finish but may not, so need to find out if I qualify for JSA or not.

I was made redundant in May 2011 and went back into full-time education in September 2011, and will have completed 2 x 1 year courses in June. I have not had paid employment much since then (deciding to concentrate on my studies, which are very intensive) and have not had to pay tax on them as it would be under the threshold.

Given I last paid tax in June 2011, will I be entitled to any JSA? Or will I be scuppered as it will be just around the 2 year mark of no contributions when I am available for work? I paid tax/NI for many years before that, being a very mature student!

[Note - I mean contribution-based JSA not means-tested JSA]

Many thanks in advance for any information
SS

tygr

Hmm, possibly not. Sounds like you have the same qualifying tax years as I do. I was made redundant in January 2011 and went back to uni. I've had some part time paid work since then, again being made redundant but not enough to hit the NI threshold.

I was advised on here that until the first Sunday in January 2013, DWP were using the qualifying tax years 09/10 and 10/11, for which we would both qualify. Now, they are looking at 10/11 and 11/12, for which we wouldn't.

I put a JSA claim in on 30 December 2012 and am still waiting to hear if I'm getting contribs based. Fingers crossed.

Sorry that that isn't good news. Always best to check with them rather than relying on MSE peeps. I'm hoping I was correctly advised! Also, I hope you get a job straight after graduation.

SomersetSaver

tygr wrote: »

Hmm, possibly not. Sounds like you have the same qualifying tax years as I do. I was made redundant in January 2011 and went back to uni. I've had some part time paid work since then, again being made redundant but not enough to hit the NI threshold.

I was advised on here that until the first Sunday in January 2013, DWP were using the qualifying tax years 09/10 and 10/11, for which we would both qualify. Now, they are looking at 10/11 and 11/12, for which we wouldn't.

I put a JSA claim in on 30 December 2012 and am still waiting to hear if I'm getting contribs based. Fingers crossed.

Sorry that that isn't good news. Always best to check with them rather than relying on MSE peeps. I'm hoping I was correctly advised! Also, I hope you get a job straight after graduation.

Sorry for the delayed reply and thanks so much for answering my question.
I suspected as much and really wish I'd realised when I was made redundant as I would have made more effort to get ANY work of any kind for the time before my course started, rather than concentrating on looking for unpaid work experience in the new field I am moving into....hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Good luck with your plans too - and hope you have better news too regarding your JSA.

SS