Relocating and JSA - advice needed!

ConfusedKitty

Hi guys!

I could really do with some advice… I’m sorry for the length of this, it’s very long but quite complicated!

Up until the end of June, I was a full time student. I had been working part time throughout my entire degree, almost 4 years with the same employer that I left in February as I needed to focus upon my dissertation.

Once that was done with my dissertation, I looked for and was offered another job, it was a temporary measure as my student lease was ending on the 4th of July. I was with them for nine weeks, before I came down with a tummy bug and a few other nasties and was signed off by my doctor for two weeks.

As I hadn’t been with the company for 12 weeks, they refused to pay sick pay. So, aside from statutory I wasn’t getting paid. Also, as a new starter, I wasn’t “entitled to any time off sick”, to quote them – and I was receiving daily phone calls, whilst signed off sick, demanding that I return to work.

Throughout all of this, my other half with whom I live (not a student) had been signed off on long term sick leave from his employer – he’d been off by this point for about 4 months, and his doctor and Occupational Health had been advising him to look for other work. At this point, his wages had been significantly reduced due to the amount of time he’d been off, he was about to have his company sick pay stopped. He’d been applying both where we were based, and back in my home town which is where I’d planned on returning to once my course had finished.

After four months of applying for jobs, he was offered one – full time, a good wage (higher than he was currently on), but it was back home. We had been looking for places to live both in our current town and back home, as our tenancy was coming to an end very shortly and we would therefor be sort of homeless, but we were finding it difficult given he was currently off work and I was only working part time - every private landlord we approached turned us down due to our employment circumstance. He was offered this job three weeks before our tenancy was due to end, for an almost immediate start. It was about this time that I got poorly and was signed off sick.

So, at the time, our finances were tight. I was earning maybe £400 a month, he was earning not much more with his sick pay, which would shortly be significantly reduced even further. We could barely afford our rent and we were in a bit of a hole, not sure what to do. With the prospect of his company sick pay being stopped, I would not be able to support us both on my part time wage. There was no possibility of going full time.

So, the only sensible option we could see was for him to accept the full time job and for us to relocate, which we did in mid-June. I had planned to stay on with my part time job until the end of tenancy forced me to leave, but then I was signed off sick and started receiving daily threatening phone calls.

I handed in my notice (as I had worked for them under 12 weeks, there was no notice period) on the day our old tenancy ended, and I moved down.

I too had been looking for other full time jobs for a while, as I was soon to be a recent graduate, but other than interviewing for half a dozen, hadn’t been successful. I’ve been applying for on average, three jobs a day, seven days a week since we moved… it’s become my full time job. I have two interviews upcoming at the end of August, but other than that it’s been tough.

My partners wage pretty much covers rent, council tax, bills and his transport to work. There isn’t much left for food, and we’ve been struggling. So, given I was actively looking for work and had been making NI contributions for the last god knows how many years, I claimed contribution based Job Seekers Allowance, based upon the guidance of my Student Advice Centre, in the hope that this would help with living whilst I’m looking for a job. We don’t live extravagantly, but I need money to get to interviews, put food on the table etc.

I applied three weeks ago, and received a letter today stating that there was a doubt about my claim as I had left my job voluntarily and that they were reviewing this.

I had no idea that this would be the case, I’ve never claimed benefits before, nor has anyone I know. Is there a chance that I won’t be able to claim? I would understand completely if I had just packed in my job without good reason and then signed on, but our situation is quite complex.

As it was 1) we didn’t have a home to move to in our old city, and would soon be homeless if we stayed there, thus making staying at my job extremely problematic - I would have had a job, but no where to live 2) If we could find somewhere to live (we had been looking for months), I could not support my other half and myself on my part time wages – my wages didn’t even cover the rent, let alone living expenses, and certainly not whilst my wages had been cut due to me being poorly.

I’m so confused and worried. Though he is being paid much more than our previous combined income, things are still very very tight financially.

Has anyone had any experience of this? What do I do now? Wait for a judgement? I know I could well be in the wrong here, I have no experience with this sort of thing, so equally, please let me know if this is the case!

pmlindyloo

You have to show 'good reason' for leaving a job to avoid being sanctioned.

No one can tell you whether the reasons you have will constitute 'good reason'. This will be determined by a decision maker.

The guidance for this is outlined here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296129/dmgch34.pdf

34426 onwards.

You need to set out the facts of why you left - keeping it factual and to the point.

Some of the things you need to include

Lease on rented accommodation ended. Possible homeless situation.
Partner's offer of a job elsewhere.
Existing on SSP at a job that you had recently started - harassment by employers (except you should have raised a grievance)
Trying to find a job in your new location.

If you can provide evidence of any of these that would help. (tenancy agreement/job applications/fit notes from doctor etc etc.)

Good luck!