JSA - experience and commitment

Happyalways

Hello, I’m new to JSA and finding the whole thing a bit of a challenge. 

1. Twice my appointments have been changed with less than 24 hours notice. But each time I’ve been told I must attend. Is this normal?
2. My work coach told me I’m not allowed to leave the town (I went to London to see my aunt for a few days). The work coach said I cannot go anywhere without letting her know in advance.
3. I was a senior in my field before being made redundant. I’ve explained to the work coach that it can take a couple of months in my field to get an equivalent job. She told me I must take any job which my skills match and I’m not allowed to wait, so for example if an entry level job comes up I must take that. I explained that would be career suicide but she refused to accept this. 

It just all seems very heavy handed and not designed to help people looking for work. I understand there must be people who abuse the system but I’ve worked non stop for 17 years and only left because my job was made redundant. I feel like a bit of a criminal for going in to the job centre at all.

More practically I wanted to find out the following:

1. what happens if I don’t attend appointments or refuse to apply for a job I’m too qualified for. I understand the payments get sanctioned (ie I reduced or stopped). That’s ok but how long before the entire case gets closed or does that just run until the earlier of 6 months (non income based) or the date I get a job? I’m asking because I have income protection insurance and my insurer is saying my commitment agreement must remain in place else my insurance would also not pay out. I have to follow a regime for applications for the insurance too but they are more reasonable than the jobseeker centre and understand the nuance.
2. Can future employers see the benefit sanctions? 
3. Can we go on holiday during the 6 month JSA period? I had booked a summer break  before redundancy happened. 

Thanks v much 

sammyjammy

I think you need to make a complaint to the manager of the Jobcentre.  Not only heavy handed but not true. You get a period of time to look for a job in your field/level only, if you refused such a job with no good reason then yes you would be sanctioned.  Of course you can leave the town as long as you are still available for interview/jobs.

Employers cannot see sanctions.

If the summer break is abroad you can go but wouldn't get JSA during your absence, if its in the UK and you are willing to return if offered an interview/job to start during that period you can still receive JSA.

You do need to attend all appts, do you know why they were changed at a late stage?  Their view would be that you are available for work and hence meetings at jobcentre. 

Good luck with job search

elsien

You have to be available for job hunting, It’s complete cobblers that you need to stay in the same town. Given the most job hunting is online nowadays anyway, there’s no reason why you can’t be somewhere else and make applications and get back for an interview if you need to.

huckster

There is something called permitted period where you can be selective and search for specific job type or salary of £xxxxxx. But the period is only 4 weeks from date of claim. And after 4 weeks it would be a more general work search.

It would not be career suicide to take a temporary job. Actually it shows you remain motivated.

At the moment the employment market is weak. It is taking on average 3 to 4 months to land permanent jobs. And for senior roles it imight take 6 months. It is much quicker to find temporary work via agencies.

I would suggest contacting leading agencies in your field of expertise to talk about the current employment market. Hopefully they will provide an honest insight.

elsien

It’s also very easy to make sure an entry level job doesn’t accept you. In most cases, if your CV shows a higher level or professional qualifications, they won’t look at you anyway because they don’t  expect you to stay.
Voice of experience talking.

I would smile nicely at the coach in that respect and simply make sure that no entry level jobs wanted me, unless I got desperate. At least for the first couple of months while I continued  trying to get an equivalent role to the one I was made redundant from.

Space_Captain

Happyalways said:

Hello, I’m new to JSA and finding the whole thing a bit of a challenge. 

1. Twice my appointments have been changed with less than 24 hours notice. But each time I’ve been told I must attend. Is this normal?
2. My work coach told me I’m not allowed to leave the town (I went to London to see my aunt for a few days). The work coach said I cannot go anywhere without letting her know in advance.
3. I was a senior in my field before being made redundant. I’ve explained to the work coach that it can take a couple of months in my field to get an equivalent job. She told me I must take any job which my skills match and I’m not allowed to wait, so for example if an entry level job comes up I must take that. I explained that would be career suicide but she refused to accept this. 

It just all seems very heavy handed and not designed to help people looking for work. I understand there must be people who abuse the system but I’ve worked non stop for 17 years and only left because my job was made redundant. I feel like a bit of a criminal for going in to the job centre at all.

More practically I wanted to find out the following:

1. what happens if I don’t attend appointments or refuse to apply for a job I’m too qualified for. I understand the payments get sanctioned (ie I reduced or stopped). That’s ok but how long before the entire case gets closed or does that just run until the earlier of 6 months (non income based) or the date I get a job? I’m asking because I have income protection insurance and my insurer is saying my commitment agreement must remain in place else my insurance would also not pay out. I have to follow a regime for applications for the insurance too but they are more reasonable than the jobseeker centre and understand the nuance.
2. Can future employers see the benefit sanctions? 
3. Can we go on holiday during the 6 month JSA period? I had booked a summer break  before redundancy happened. 

Thanks v much 

After 25 happy years in my last job I'm suddenly in the same situation. 

I left a few weeks before making my JSA claim as I understood it could be backdated and I was spending that time looking for a new job but they wrote to me saying it won't be backdated. I can appeal this and will try that on Monday. 

They also had a map showing areas within 90 minutes commutable distance and said I need to include these towns in my job search. It's ridiculous as it can take 60 minutes to go just a few miles where I live in rush hour. 

My redundancy payout takes me over the 16k savings limit so cannot apply for universal credit. 

It's been many years success I stepped foot in the job centre and I felt there was a sense of superiority amongst the staff I encountered. They weren't particularly pleasant. 

huckster

Backdating is extremely rare in regard to most benefit payments, as Government by legislation  restrict public servants in being able to backdate benefit money. They might backdate the period they apply the credits for state pension purposes for up to 3 months, but not benefit money.

The only reasons for backdating benefit payments I believe are:
- Government online systems and phone lines not working for long period of time, so claim could not have been made earlier.
- Late notification previous benefit type has been closed, therefore this delayed you making ealier claim.
- For health related benefit such as ESA, if health conditions restricted ability to have claimed earlier.

Grumpy_chap

Space_Captain said:

My redundancy payout takes me over the 16k savings limit so cannot apply for universal credit. 

If you have any debts, you can use the redundancy payout to pay down debts and that is not deprivation of capital.