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

Mersey_2

In short, you're entitled hence the name contribution-based JSA. This will be paid for 26 weeks. Its paid fortnightly in arrears although it can take up to 5 weeks for new claims to be paid. There's also 7 'waiting days' when JSA is not paid ie effectively you're not paid for the first week.


Fortnightly 'signing' I the norm, although there'll be one extra appointment just to copy ID docs etc at your first appointment.


You'll be entitled a 'permitted period' of 13 weeks to restrict your jobsearch for work in your area of expertise.


It shouldn't be too onerous and hopefully you'll find another position by the time the JSA ends.


You can only claim JSA online these days.

Diary

Absolutely. The clue is in the name 'contribution based' .
You'll need to have nerves of steel though. At the job centre I went to briefly everyone was on daily or in some cases weekly signing for jsa. We'll 95%, I issued an FOI for the exact figures.

FBaby

I have read different attitudes by JCs towards skilled and qualified experienced unemployed people. Some will consider that you know how to look for a job and believe that you truly intend on finding another position. They will tell you that you are ok to focus your search on jobs in your field at your level for a few months and sign on once a fortnight and that only if you are not going anywhere after 3 months+ will they start expecting you to look for anything.

Other JC seem not to differentiate between skills and unskilled people and will expect you to apply to x number of any jobs from the start to qualify.

You have nothing to lose signing on and see how it goes, and sign off if you are not happy with their demands. You will need to consider impact on your NI contribution though.

sammyjammy

FBaby wrote: »

I have read different attitudes by JCs towards skilled and qualified experienced unemployed people. Some will consider that you know how to look for a job and believe that you truly intend on finding another position. They will tell you that you are ok to focus your search on jobs in your field at your level for a few months and sign on once a fortnight and that only if you are not going anywhere after 3 months+ will they start expecting you to look for anything.

Other JC seem not to differentiate between skills and unskilled people and will expect you to apply to x number of any jobs from the start to qualify.

You have nothing to lose signing on and see how it goes, and sign off if you are not happy with their demands. You will need to consider impact on your NI contribution though.

Sadly very true but mostly down to a lack (real lack) of training they are given. Particularly around dealing with difficult situations, I think this is one of the reasons around people finding some Jobcentre staff rude and unhelpful, its such a shame.

mro

Notnewnotold wrote: »

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!

Depends whether you want to put yourself through the likely agony/misfortune dealing with Jobcentre/benefits system, you'll only know once you experience it.

Good luck !

melbury

Notnewnotold wrote: »

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...

Look on it like a challenge, it will undoubtedly be educational;)

Bollotom

You should so that you get stamp credits for your pension. One would hope your good fortune, being wealthy, would continue, but it isn't a given in this modern world where finances are clinging on in most parts of the world. But if you're feeling guilty abut being rich you could make a donation to your local foodbank, or even send me a couple of quid.

ohreally

Gift it to a food bank.

dearlouise

Cheeky? No.
Will it kill your soul setting foot into a building made up of at least 75% of scroungers fortnightly? Most definitely.

SkyeKnight

FBaby wrote: »

Other JC seem not to differentiate between skills and unskilled people and will expect you to apply to x number of any jobs from the start to qualify.

You have nothing to lose signing on and see how it goes, and sign off if you are not happy with their demands. You will need to consider impact on your NI contribution though.

There are loads of unskilled jobs around here that the JobCentre expects you to go and get - even though it doesn't make sense financially getting a job paying minimum wage when with a couple of months effort you can get three times that amount. Then you pay tax on it (20% or 40%) and possibly lose Tax Credits (another 41%) and we ended up with around £25 a week. It made more sense to us to transfer Child Benefit for a child under 12 to the unemployed person to keep NI contributions and just not waste the time claiming. The only annoyance is that doesn't count on the government's unemployment statistics (as I'm sure they intend) when really it should.