Is it really cheeky to claim contribution JSA when you're already well off?

Notnewnotold

So my situation - I'll be out of work through redundancy as of next week, but I was in an extremely well paid job, am getting a very substantial redundancy package, have lots of savings/investments and a partner that is also in a very well paid job.


I will be actively looking for a new job, which may well take a while given the state of my industry. And as far as I'm aware, I can claim contribution based JSA for up to 6 months, because that is not in any way means tested. Plus get my stamp paid!


So I'm not sure if anyone on these boards has been in a similar situation, but I'm wondering:


1) Am I likely to get a really hard time from Job Centre staff for daring to claim benefits in my situation? Or would they not even know/care about my financial circumstances given that the JSA I'm applying for isn't means tested?
2) Given that 'actively looking for work' in my industry/at my level, really means a lot of fairly informal meetings, coffees, networking lunches etc, rather than the more typical filling in of job applications and sending around CVs, is there going to be any issue there?
3) Typically, how often would I actually need to go to a Job Centre? I'll be brutally honest, I've never been in one in my life and I don't think there's one within half an hours drive of where I live, so it could legitimately be a case of it not being worth the petrol if I had to go along several times a week.


The reality here is that I really do not anticipate any constructive help from a JC in finding work, at least not that which fits my professional experience. That's what my ex-employers outplacement service is there for. Sorry if that makes me sound like an arrogant t*sspot!

nannytone_2

they wont care how much money you do.dont have.
as long as you've paid your NI contributions in the correct tax years ( 12/13 and 13/14) they wont ask how much money you have.

you will be expected to comply with the terms of your jobseekers agreement just the same as any other jobseeker must

zagfles

You've paid your NI, and probably loads of tax, so claim it! Would you feel bad about claiming on an insurance policy just because you can afford not to? That's the whole point (supposedly) of NI.

weedave111

Give a donation out of it to charity maybe?

Notnewnotold

zagfles wrote: »

You've paid your NI, and probably loads of tax, so claim it! Would you feel bad about claiming on an insurance policy just because you can afford not to? That's the whole point (supposedly) of NI.

Well my thought exactly, and I happily claimed the family allowance (or whatever it's called now) prior to it being means tested. Likewise I took the full childcare vouchers amount, maxed out my pension tax relief etc etc, so I have no ethical issues with taking what I'm legally entitled to.

I probably didn't title my thread all that well, perhaps I should have said 'will it be perceived as cheeky to claim...' - I have no qualms about going to a JC to claim provided no one is going to try and make my life a misery for doing so.

Notnewnotold

weedave111 wrote: »

Give a donation out of it to charity maybe?

It was a thought in my mind yes, especially as I can gift aid it with the tax I've already paid this year!

weedave111

Fair play to you!

Notnewnotold wrote: »

It was a thought in my mind yes, especially as I can gift aid it with the tax I've already paid this year!

cattermole

I guess it depends on whether you want to go through the process of having to go and sign on every two weeks plus see an Adviser and be interviewed on the other week, you don't sign on.

You will have to agree a Job-seekers agreement as already stated and keep to it, they do not necessarily go on number of job applications, however there will be a target, which if you fail to keep you can be sanctioned. And you will need to keep detailed records of all your efforts to seek employment.

So in answer to your question you would probably need to go to the Job Centre weekly/every 10 days depending on staff availability.

Most certainly you cannot miss signing on day which will be fortnightly.

Notnewnotold

cattermole wrote: »

I guess it depends on whether you want to go through the process of having to go and sign on every two weeks plus see an Adviser and be interviewed on the other week, you don't sign on.

You will have to agree a Job-seekers agreement as already stated and keep to it, they do not necessarily go on number of job applications, however there will be a target, which if you fail to keep you can be sanctioned. And you will need to keep detailed records of all your efforts to seek employment.

So in answer to your question you would probably need to go to the Job Centre weekly/every 10 days depending on staff availability.

Most certainly you cannot miss signing on day which will be fortnightly.

Well this is all about me getting an education of what's really involved here. If we're talking about an hour every week to either sign on or demonstrate my job hunting, then no problem from my perspective...

Nada666

Why not? Plenty of disabled people claim benefits they do not need as do the parents of large families. Seventy-one quid a week for six months is nothing compared to the un-needed thousands others claim for years on end.

northerntwo1

You sign on once a fortnight and it takes 15 mins and you just show them what jobs you applied for. It's not much of an inconvenience until after a while.