help with interview costs

TeaBoy_2

i'm unemployed at the min and just started sending out CVs around the country. I think i'm correct in thinking i can ask for help from jobseekers with travels costs and even accommodation if essential. Has anyone done this and is there any kind of limit?
i mean i could be going to 20,30,40 interviews from edinburgh to london to dublin. would they cover all my costs if they r genuine interviews?
of course i'll go in the dole office and ask but my job seekers interview isn't for another week and i'm curious.

LittleVoice

You would need to discuss this with a Jobcentre personal adviser and provide evidence of the interview beforehand. They would also have the right to contact the prospective employer to ensure you had attended the interview.

I haven't heard of anyone having so many long-distance trips allowed. Do you think you are so unlikely to get a job that you will need that many?

Bunnie1982

Without meaning to sound horrible but Jobseekers Allowance does what it says on the tin....it is an allowance to aid jobseekers find employment by funding things like printing of CV's, postage costs, interview travel costs etc.

I know most people don't think like that though.

Some companies may refund you for travelling a long way or having accommodation costs, I know the councils do.

Horace

Bunnie1982 wrote: »

Without meaning to sound horrible but Jobseekers Allowance does what it says on the tin....it is an allowance to aid jobseekers find employment by funding things like printing of CV's, postage costs, interview travel costs etc.

I know most people don't think like that though.

Some companies may refund you for travelling a long way or having accommodation costs, I know the councils do.

The JobSeekers Allowance covers you for your living costs really whilst you are looking for a job. However, you can speak to your advisor at the Jobcentre as they will sometimes make a payment to you for clothing for interviews as well as travelling expenses. I think that its referred to as the Advisor Discretionary Fund - you can get £100, however, if you present a good case they may pay more. I know from my own experience as I am in the process of setting up my own business that I had to submit a business plan to make a good case as to why I should receive £520 for the course I want to do (I cannot pay it myself because I have zero money). I am guessing that Bunnie would disagree with that. I do know that the jobcentres work with their local chambers of commerce to support people claiming JSA into becoming self-employed, plus as part of a government scheme that the individual wanting to become self-employed whilst claiming JSA can test-trade for 6 months and still get their benefits - any money made by the business is put into an account, after 6 months test-trading the claimant is expected to stop claiming JSA and are then launched as a self-trader. Personally, I think that this is a valuable commodity and helps people like me get a job even if it is self-employment.

Good Luck Teaboy - also if you cannot meet with an advisor trying ringing them up.

Bunnie1982

For me personally, when I was unemployed I used jobseekers allowance as a means of funding me to find a job, ok so this may not apply to other people but as I said before it was my personal opinion...sorry if I offended anyone

Your remark about me Horace was very presumptuous and not needed, however I do accept that there have been a lot of trolls lately, I am emphatically not one of them :mad:

Anyway, as far as becoming self employed is concerned I think you can also get grants from the Princes Trust, but I think this is limited to a certain age range, not sure why this is though as surely people of any age have the capabilities to set up their own business.

I personally had a course funded for me when I was on New Deal, this course has been valuable to my career and I wouldn't have been able to fund it otherwise.

The advisor discretionary fund is a great idea, however in my area they are very strict with it, for example if you need clothes for an interview they will give you vouchers for a specific shop. I know as well with money for interviews they contact the employer to make sure you have attended.

It must be extremely frustrating for some though as their advisors are not as helpful, from days when I worked for a private jobcentre funded company I witnessed advisors just pushing jobseekers from pillar to post without any real answers to their questions....alot of them just care about the targets and the true help gets lost.

As I said before a lot of companies will reimburse for transport costs, especially if you have to travel a long way.

Teaboy, are you looking for a specific type of work that would require to apply on a wider area? or are you looking to relocate?

Again many companies offer relocation packages.

As said previously, best to check with your advisor, good luck with your job hunt.

ukdickie31

Ask about TIS - Travel to Interview costs.

There is guidance here

http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/jcp/Customers/Programmesandservices/015154.xml.html

sjaypink

Bunnie1982 wrote: »

Some companies may refund you for travelling a long way or having accommodation costs, I know the councils do.

yep bunnie1982 is right, i think most big companies and councils will pay you at least a mileage allowance for you to attend the interviews.

it is up to the jobcentre what they will pay you in terms of expenses. dont think they have any kind of criteria, you just have to charm them! i know someone who got new car tyres paid for in order to get to an interview..........

debsy42

I can confirm that they will pay travel costs if you have evidence that you have an interview, they funded £100 towards my interview in London and then a further £60 for a further interview with the same company. They did say that they will provide money towards interview clothes but only when you've been unemployed for 6 months and over.

To be honest they don't advertise the fact they will fund expenses, I found out from a friend otherwise I'd have been none the wiser. I got the job in London so was a success story and it only cost them just over 3 weeks JSA so now I was back paying into the system instead of taking out......

TeaBoy_2

thanks for the replies and well wishes. i'm n.yorkshire at min and looking for an IT graduate position which are thin on the ground round here.
want to get out of the area anyway and applied for a couple of jobs in london, with one interview lined up already. I'll need a suit so i'll ask about that too as i really can't afford to splurge too much cash at the mo.

ankyonline007

mos of the employers refrain to pay it .. best way is first apply jobs locally or apply for number of jobs in same city so that once you located in that city you can attend multiple interviews without travelling again and again

dmg24

Horrid bit of spam there (and bad advice!) from ankyonline007!