I've been asked to show roughly 35 hours/week time going into jobsearching

poppasmurf_bewdley

SurviveTomorrow wrote: »

I lost my job last month and just got onto UC, and they're requested this of me. Now I want a job, I really do, and I'm putting a lot of time and effort into finding one, but am I alone in thinking 35 hours a week is an extremely unrealistic request?

Job searching is a horrible, daunting, draining task. It's weeks, maybe months, of rejection and being ignored. It's repetitively checking the same job boards, seeing the same postings that start to look more and more like scams and/or people taking advantage of the desperate.

I probably put 70 hours into job searching in the first week. I probably put in 10 hours the 4th week. Why? Because I've already done most of the stuff I need to do, I've updated my CV, I've researched local opportunities, I've registered and expressed my interests on several company websites. Now all I have to do is check for NEW job postings, the vast majority of which are just automated repeats of posts I've already applied for and been ignored from.

I've already created several tweaked CVs and cover letters to apply to various types of jobs.

Sadly, my job searching has become... Efficient. It takes me an hour a day at most to find and apply for every single relevant new job posting in my area on the 5 major job boards I currently use. I'm not slacking. This is 5-10 new positions applied for every day. Maybe throw another couple hours a week researching and applying to the rapidly shrinking pool of companies that don't have job adverts on the boards. An hour chasing up the companies that ignored me. Then what? Is there really any way I can spend an additional 25 hours a week that isn't just wasting my time?

Sorry for the rant, any advice though? I don't want to fib about my job searching, but is it normal to... Stretch the truth? Pretend I'm not so efficient and it takes me hours to create a cover letter for each job? Please consider my position before judging! (Any job searching advice also heavily appreciated. I'm from Gateshead, I have an admin background but eager for any job opportunity right now, if you have any local advice or leads.)

Thanks!

northerntwo1 wrote: »

I think 35 hours is excessive personally.

konark wrote: »

Just lie to them , everybody else will do , except those that tell the truth and get sanctioned!

Purely as a matter of interest, if you don't spend 35 hours searching for a job, what will you be doing with that time?

sxcizme3010

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Purely as a matter of interest, if you don't spend 35 hours searching for a job, what will you be doing with that time?

Does it matter? Do you want an itinerary? What do you spend 35 hours a week doing.... FTMOG

HappyMJ

gayleygoo wrote: »

If they really expect you to do 35 hours work a week, then why isn't JSA the equivalent of 35 hours minimum wage? If you only get £60-ish, then surely you should only need to do about 8-9 hours work

Don't forget all the other benefits. The housing benefit, the council tax reduction, the free prescriptions, eye tests, dental visits, warm home rebate etc...over 35's get full rent paid for a 1 bedroom property.

I was only supposed to apply for 3 jobs a week....so that's all I showed to them. I actually applied for more but didn't mention all of them. I only showed them the ones I had no chance of actually getting.

HappyMJ

sxcizme3010 wrote: »

Does it matter? Do you want an itinerary? What do you spend 35 hours a week doing.... FTMOG

Get up about 11am (after 9 hours sleep), get coffee, have some brekkie, have a shower, look at the jobsites on internet (10 minutes), browse MSE, more coffee, read emails, check Facebook, do some housework (optional), have some lunch, apply for a job (20 minutes), do some work for friends in return for beer (not for money and less than 16 hours in week!!!), watch a bit of telly, have some dinner at another friends house which I've done work for in past, go pub to get those beers, see friends, come home late, have more beers, watch movie, go sleep...repeat...or is that just me.

I also used to fit in go bank (withdraw benefits), go to council (pay council tax instalment), pay rent, pay credit card instalment, pay for gas top-up, pay for electricity top-up, pay weekly tv licence instalment, go shopping, visit bookies and signing on depending on what day it was. It was a quite busy schedule I found it difficult just doing a few hours searching let alone 35 hours a week.

northerntwo1

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Purely as a matter of interest, if you don't spend 35 hours searching for a job, what will you be doing with that time?

Don't know but 35 hours isn't practical. I support community workfare so I suspect something like that or workfare would make up the difference but 35 a week isn't practical at all in my opinion.

sxcizme3010

Its nobody's business what you do in your time... Why do people feel the need to judge you and interfere. Its ridiculous how because you claim help from social security you somehow need to justify what you spend your money on and what you do in your time... Ridiculous

poppasmurf_bewdley

sxcizme3010 wrote: »

Does it matter? Do you want an itinerary? What do you spend 35 hours a week doing.... FTMOG

I think it does. I'm not being paid a Job Seeker's Allowance to look for a job. The clue is in the title of the benefit.
Job SEEKERS Allowance.

sxcizme3010 wrote: »

Its nobody's business what you do in your time... Why do people feel the need to judge you and interfere. Its ridiculous how because you claim help from social security you somehow need to justify what you spend your money on and what you do in your time... Ridiculous

I beg to differ. If you are being paid an allowance to look for a job, that is what you should be doing. If the condition of getting that allowance means you have to spend 35 hours a week looking for a job, then that is what you should be doing. If you don't want to do it, then don't claim the allowance. Nobody that I can see has mentioned what people spend their JSA on - that's just in your imagination.

sxcizme3010

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

I think it does. I'm not being paid a Job Seeker's Allowance to look for a job. The clue is in the title of the benefit.
Job SEEKERS Allowance.



I beg to differ. If you are being paid an allowance to look for a job, that is what you should be doing. If the condition of getting that allowance means you have to spend 35 hours a week looking for a job, then that is what you should be doing. If you don't want to do it, then don't claim the allowance. Nobody that I can see has mentioned what people spend their JSA on - that's just in your imagination.

As long as he can prove he has looked for work then that's enough not 35 hours.... Its excessive. If they said 16 hours a week then that only 2 hours a day that's fine but 35 hours is ridiculous and there is no way you can possibly monitor job seekers to check they are anyway. I was referring to other threads when I mentioned spending money (not directed at you)

pmlindyloo

sxcizme3010 wrote: »

As long as he can prove he has looked for work then that's enough not 35 hours.... Its excessive. If they said 16 hours a week then that only 2 hours a day that's fine but 35 hours is ridiculous and there is no way you can possibly monitor job seekers to check they are anyway. I was referring to other threads when I mentioned spending money (not directed at you)

No matter what you personally believe it doesn't help the OP.

He is receiving Universal Credit and as such he has signed a Claimant's Commitment setting out his responsibilities in order to receive his UC.

There are severe penalties if the OP does not meet his/her responsibilities.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404215/uc-and-your-claimant-commitment.pdf

Posters on here have tried to help by suggesting various ways he can meet those responsibilities.

BoJangles_2

gayleygoo wrote: »

If they really expect you to do 35 hours work a week, then why isn't JSA the equivalent of 35 hours minimum wage? If you only get £60-ish, then surely you should only need to do about 8-9 hours work

Great idea, no need to get a job then either.