Help! No employment history and no NI contributions - JSA?

[Deleted User]

clarebear19 said:

Thanks everyone.  I know that the best solution is to get a job. 
I know that there are criteria to meet about looking for work.  I am trying to give him a kick up the backside about all this, part of me thinks he has it a bit too easy at home but part of me worries about him, his mental health and the future.  
Does anyone know what counts towards work search?   35 hours per week seems a long time for searching for jobs (seem to be the same jobs on multiple sites) and uploading CVs,  coupled with the issue of stone age speed internet where he lives.   Is there anything else he can do that would also count? 

ETA: I didn't think he would be eligible for UC but I will bring this up with him.  Does that give NI contributions?

Hey
My most recent stint unemployed I didn't start to get enthusiastic until I started going to interviews, first couple of weeks I just wanted to wallow after losing my job and then getting a medical diagnosis so your right about the mental health part, when you are home it becomes harder to want to do anything, before you know it days become weeks.
Anyway to get to 35hrs job searching there are lots of things to be done to make up the time - my job centre made me enquire into adult learning, spend real time on job application form filling in to the meeting of recruitment agencies and registering with them...... I even got corrected on the towns and locations I should be looking be looking for work.

My work coach's guidance was don't go to job boards direct, it was to go to a local newspaper site (in my case Suffolk Free Press; click on jobs and basically trawl and fish the ad's that get pulled in from search engines!!) bit backward but I wasn't going to complain.
I had my health condition noted in my claimant commitments so they are loads more understanding. I'm carrying on the adult learning hopefully as got offered an evening induction to do functional maths skills even now I'm back in work so it wasn't wasted time at all. 

calcotti

clarebear19 said:

ETA: I didn't think he would be eligible for UC but I will bring this up with him.  Does that give NI contributions?

UC gives Class 3 NI credits but cannot be claimed if there are savings over £16,000. If savings have dropped below this he can claim. The work search requirements will be the same as for JSA.

clarebear19

John_ said:

You need to be actively looking for work to claim JSA, which he appears unlikely to be doing.

OP, why is he not working in paid employment, and what are his plans for the next thirty five years?

I did ask for no judgement!  If I could get him in paid employment then I would but life isn't that simple.
He did a degree in quite a competitive field, not many jobs (a lot were cut by the govt) and quite a popular subject.  He says that he did try but had no success.  I don't know how hard he tried.  He also says he applies for Xmas jobs each year, I can only take his word for it but he has never mentioned getting interviews.  Obviously he has a long period with no employment so this looks bad on applications and may be why he isn't getting any further.
He did have a period of ill health which is now a chronic condition, but he is fit to work with minor accommodation. 
I don't think he has thought about the future really.  He is quite introverted and possibly anxious/depressed and I can understand that if he is in that state then thinking about the long term can be quite overwhelming. 

Galloglass

Return to work mothers have the same sort of issue where they have been out of the job market for a while; their skills are out of date; and confidence is low. But they do find work as usually there is the strong motivation of looking after the family. So if he can use the skills of the work coach, he should be able to succeed. He should also get some UC income too but that is secondary.

borkid

@clarebear 19 I'd just like to point out not many people get work in their degree subject unless they go into teaching. Many years ago when I graduated there were only a handful of chemists in my year who went on to do chemistry a lot went on to office based work eg accountancy ( more training) HR etc. When my son graduated he worked in a shop, call centre before he worked himself up through the ranks. He also had acute health problems at one point which caused him to refocus and get on with life before it was too late.

My point being take what he can and work to improve whilst in work.

Bogof_OAP

"I am (selfishly) concerned that I will end up supporting him in my old age so am trying to look at alternatives whilst he gets himself sorted out." (from the OP - I haven't figured out how to put a sentence in quotes via [quote] [/quote]).

It might focus his mind if you gently tell him that you won't be in a position to bail him out indefinitely.