JobCentre - Travel to Interview

lufcgirl

I work for a recruitment agency and have a candidate I’m representing and trying to get some advice in regards to the Job Centre and what they can and can’t do.

The candidate in question I have put forward for interview at a place which is a train journey and then bus ride away. The position is full time, permanent and live in (hospitality). Should the candidate be successful at a short interview and work trial they’ll be offered to stay on two weeks on a paid trial and then a full time permanent role at the end upon completion.

The Job Centre however have refused to help with any costs for the £28 train fare and also the £15 return bus fare for the interview. The reason being is that the candidate went for a similar interview last week, except it was a week long work trial, was unsuccessful but because he wasn’t searching for jobs after his twelve hour days they’ve sanctioned his benefit until April. The advisor (when I called to plead his case to help) described him as rude, ungrateful, tempremental, always wants to cause an argument. So on the back of that I got a reference from every past employer who described him as a model employee they’d employ again!

After me speaking to my manager, we’ve paid his train tickets. But the job centre point blank refuse to help with the bus fare, this guy has got a ready made job sitting there for him and they won’t help in the slightest. My question is, do they have some sort of obligation to help with the cost of transport? And if not, are there any companies out there who will help?

duchy

I'd think if you loaned him the bus fare and got him to put in an appeal against the refusal to cover the fares he'd probably win - especially if you backed him up with a letter explaining why you felt he was such a good candidate .

He should also be appealing against the sanction seperately -although slightly dodgier ground as he could have checked newspaper ads for jobs in his breaks rather than refusing to search at all which appears to have got their backs up.

tomtontom

Help with travel costs is discretionary. I can understand why they have refused if he was unsuccessful after a similar trial - did he get any feedback as to why?

Good references don't always mean a good employee - they might be saying that because they're glad to be rid of him. Or it may be that he was lovely at work but is difficult at the Jobcentre?

tomtontom

duchy wrote: »

I'd think if you loaned him the bus fare and got him to put in an appeal against the refusal to cover the fares he'd probably win - especially if you backed him up with a letter explaining why you felt he was such a good candidate .

He should also be appealing against the sanction seperately -although slightly dodgier ground as he could have checked newspaper ads for jobs in his breaks rather than refusing to search at all which appears to have got their backs up.

There is no right of appeal against a ADF decision.

lufcgirl

I think to be more honest I'm more concerned about the JCP Advisors attitude. This candidate seems to have annoyed him for some reason. The poor guy needs a break and we're offering him a great role, the guy went into JCP to speak to him again today and the JCP Advisor point blank refused to even see him. He's fretting now as we've paid the train fare and it's not like we can just transfer £15 to a guy for bus fares.

The way the advisor spoke to me on the phone as well, even when explaining why he needs to look for jobs further afield (he is from a country house hotel background - not many in this area) he just ignored what I had to say and carried on saying how ungrateful the guy was.

lufcgirl

tomtontom wrote: »

Help with travel costs is discretionary. I can understand why they have refused if he was unsuccessful after a similar trial - did he get any feedback as to why?

Good references don't always mean a good employee - they might be saying that because they're glad to be rid of him. Or it may be that he was lovely at work but is difficult at the Jobcentre?

The employer has already advised me, out of the two candidates they have that mine is the strongest and they're really keen to get him started. I wouldn't go to my manager asking for train fares to be paid otherwise unless I was convinced it was the right move. One of his ex employers, I do their recruitment so they definitely would've been honest with me. I've no doubt he was a good employee.

tomtontom

Your client can make a complaint about the advisor if they wish to, but keep in mind that there may be more to this then you are aware. The complaint is likely to get him allocated a new advisor.

asajj

lufcgirl wrote: »

The employer has already advised me, out of the two candidates they have that mine is the strongest and they're really keen to get him started. I wouldn't go to my manager asking for train fares to be paid otherwise unless I was convinced it was the right move. One of his ex employers, I do their recruitment so they definitely would've been honest with me. I've no doubt he was a good employee.

Could it be an option for the employer to provide him the bus fare ? If he definitely gets the job as you seem to be confident, he could pay back?

saterkey

a lot of jobs give expenses for job interviewees. could he not pay for it himself, if you have paid his train could you not pay his bus fare as well? a person like myself looking for work, not on jobseekers and determined to find work myself would just have to pay it myself if I wanted to go and do something like that unless expenses are paid.

[Deleted User]

Where is the job interview?

lufcgirl

If I'd have known he couldn't afford the bus fares (as he had told me yesterday it'd be fine) I'd have added PlusBus on when booking his train tickets. Unfortunately I can't just transfer money to someone to pay for them!

In the end we called the jobcentre again, spoke to a lady who was really helpful and once we explained the situation again to her she had it signed off to pay for the bus fares. Which is fantastic news for us! This guy has to live off food parcels at the moment with JC sanctioning him until April, there's no way he could've paid bus fares.

The working trial will be paid weekly so at least he's going to have some money behind him once he leaves the place if he's not offered a role permanently.