Universal Credit - 35 hours a week - Legal Requirement?

[Deleted User]

Can you look at places with known high staff turnover - the company I just left would recruit for someone starting every two weeks. I picked up they just didn't mind people retrying till they got lucky as it were, so don't be put off with the pestering.

35 hours could include interview practise and application review I'd imagine. Make up a few spread sheets etc to track applications as great practise too but I doubt you would get any grief if you are on best behaviour and cooperating as you can so wouldn't worry.

johnsmithy

theoretica wrote: »

If you are currently living with your parents, could you move anywhere in the country for a good job? That should broaden the search enough to take more than 35 hours.

There's no way I could do, unfortunately, as I don't have that type of resource available to me right now which would make such a situation possible, sadly.

johnsmithy

Deleted%20User wrote: »

Can you look at places with known high staff turnover - the company I just left would recruit for someone starting every two weeks. I picked up they just didn't mind people retrying till they got lucky as it were, so don't be put off with the pestering.

35 hours could include interview practise and application review I'd imagine. Make up a few spread sheets etc to track applications as great practise too but I doubt you would get any grief if you are on best behaviour and cooperating as you can so wouldn't worry.

Hi

Thanks - I am following everything that is written on my action plan. I am being a little inventive with some things as I prefer to search job sites other than UJM as I find them more user friendly and as someone else pointed out, the jobs on the vast majority of websites will be the same, so I don't think it really matters where you look.

Everything else I am following to a tee. I make sure that I am doing quite a few applications a day and eventually, you will exhaust all the jobs that are available possibly in my subject area, being Data Entry/IT.

Some job sites I prefer to others, if I am being honest. I normally use Indeed/CV Library. They are most user friendly though I do check others occasionally if there are jobs listed on Indeed through these sites.

As far as I am concerned, as long as I am applying for jobs, which I am (I don't necessarily spend up to 2 hours a day looking - I normally scour each one to do with data entry/admin/IT and if it matches my CV, I will use this as a guideline as to which jobs I will apply for.) and following the guidelines given to me by my adviser and applying for work, I can't see an issue.

Even when I was on JSA, I was told I was doing everything I possibly could to find work and having done hundreds of applications since I've been searching, I don't really feel I've let myself down and my friend recently told me about work he'd recently undertaken and that they are looking for people so I am going to apply for this position as well and hopefully, fingers crossed.

elsien

johnsmithy wrote: »

Everything else I am following to a tee. I make sure that I am doing quite a few applications a day and eventually, you will exhaust all the jobs that are available possibly in my subject area, Data Entry...
.......- I normally scour each one to do with data entry/admin/IT and if it matches my CV, I will use this as a guideline as to which jobs I will apply for.)
.

And this is what will get you sanctioned. You need to be applying for other jobs as well, entry level at MacDonald, or whatever.
I was made redundant from a management role and was told that I had 3 months to apply for equivalent roles then I would be expected to apply for anything I feasibly could do, however much lower the role and the pay.
You need different CVs for different roles - there were some jobs I'd miss my management qualifications off as I knew it would get binned otherwise.
It may not be the job of your dreams, but it's still better than a life on benefits.

takman

It sounds like you are being too picky when it comes to looking for a job and don't really want to work!. You should be going to your local town/city and go into every single place that hires people no matter what the job is and ask if they have any jobs available.
In my experience this can take hours and hours!. By the time you have gone into an employers, asked to speak to someone who is responsible for hiring, waiting for them to be available, then speaking to them about jobs, getting all the forms to apply, filling out the forms then walking to the next place.

You may think you can just apply online but as soon as they see you have been long term unemployed you will get nowhere, so going in and speaking to them goes a long way.
Also you should definitely do some volunteer work if you have lots of spare time after applying for jobs. This shows that you actually want to work and can turn up regularly to a job.

DCFC79

takman wrote: »

It sounds like you are being too picky when it comes to looking for a job and don't really want to work!. You should be going to your local town/city and go into every single place that hires people no matter what the job is and ask if they have any jobs available.
In my experience this can take hours and hours!. By the time you have gone into an employers, asked to speak to someone who is responsible for hiring, waiting for them to be available, then speaking to them about jobs, getting all the forms to apply, filling out the forms then walking to the next place.

You may think you can just apply online but as soon as they see you have been long term unemployed you will get nowhere, so going in and speaking to them goes a long way.
Also you should definitely do some volunteer work if you have lots of spare time after applying for jobs. This shows that you actually want to work and can turn up regularly to a job.

Won't work with all employers but it could work with the smaller employers/the one man bands who don't have the finances for a website.


OP a tip for you, are there any new developments/shop units being converted near to you ? Are they close to being finished, they might be starting recruitment.

xapprenticex

How much experience do you have and when was the last time you was employed doing data entry/ admin?

The answer determines how realistic it is to be waiting for a data entry/admin role.

theoretica

johnsmithy wrote: »

There's no way I could do, unfortunately, as I don't have that type of resource available to me right now which would make such a situation possible, sadly.

It takes very little resource for anywhere you have friends or relatives who would let you use the couch until your first pay cheque. I have colleagues who did this when they moved here for the job.

Mersey_2

johnsmithy wrote: »

It still doesn't say if its a legal requirement. It says its 'expected.' Even so, its going to be hard to make up to 35 hours a week for that.

Looking at an example jobseeker's guide for 5 days a week, adding all that up, that's not going to be anywhere near 35 hours, so its a poor guide to work from, for a start.

Its ludicrous to think this will take 35 hours and I don't have the time or money in order to travel etc. unless I get support from my parents and they have their own jobs. This is why I am a bit stuck.

To answer your specific question - it depends what is deemed reasonable by a Decision Maker, until the Upper Tier Tribunal hears a case appealing a sanction for refusal to comply with this element of the Claimant Commitment of JSA/UC.


'Look OR PREPARE FOR' is the crucial element.


The First Tier Tribunal have heard a few appeals. That as well as the DWP Decision Makers' Guide provide guidance as to what is acceptable.


Research, attending conferences all count towards the 35 hours per week (as does updating the UJM IT system with your narrative and travelling to the library or JCP - which a lot of claimants forget).


So yes, 35 hours is almost impossible just for pure jobsearch activities - indeed the JCP staff would struggle to list what activities they do for 35 hours per week.


But when you tot up: perusing online publications, as well as physical papers in your area of work, as well as the nationals; speculative applications; updating CV, covering letter and so on you should be able to fill the text required.


Some applications themselves may take you hours truthfully as they won't accept a mere CV, but want you to give examples of a, b, c, etc.

Sharon87

From what has been said I would say widen your job search to anything. I was long term unemployed a fair few years ago - 8 months or so after uni - with only a couple days here and there with agency work. I know what it's like, I did apply for the career I wanted, but also had retail and office admin CVs as well. I bit the bullet and took a job at a cinema.

For the 35 hours - this can include, job searching, applying for jobs, travelling to/from and attending interviews, going into town to look for jobs, interview prep, researching the company you're applying for, updating your CV - or customising it to a job you have found. I always customise a cover letter and sometimes even a CV for certain jobs. A specific CV and cover letter is a lot better than a generic CV.

So you can fill the 35 hour gap, it is a bit annoying and a shock for those who have never had to do it. I had signed on in the last few months (but found a job within a week or so of being on JSA/UC). So I embellished a few timings because it doesn't take me long to apply for jobs - I'm very experienced in writing cover letters now!