to think that to claim jobseekers benefits I shouldn't have to actually SEEK a job?

[lollipopshoes]

brief history:

dp at university - works part time but basically brings no income in.

I have been offered a job (yay!) but can't start for a month or so while we wait for a new CRB check.

So have just rang benefits place to see if we can claim something for the interim period to be told "no - you have to be actively seeking work, which you're not so you don't qualify"

there's nothing else we can claim. It's only for a month or so. Am a bit cross.

Have been looking for a job to do in the meantime, but I don't want to mess anyone around by only being there a few weeks

btw - am not a benefit scrounger, just a little unclear on how we're supposed to manage on £135.00 a week to feed all five of us, pay the rent and bills etc.

ring back and fib. Other job may go tits up or anything.

How have you been managing up to now? While you were looking for a job previously were you not claiming JSA when you WERE actively looking?

Claim anyway. You are actively seeking work until your new job starts.

Can you temp?

I was at home with the kids.

He has now started uni so can't work. The plan was that he would go to uni and I would go back to work now the kids are at school, which kind of worked out perfectly except for the having to wait a month or so before I start work thing...

blackwell - good point!

Not sure what I could temp as though - anything child-related (what I'm trained for) would presumably need to wait for yet another CRB and it's been yeeeeeeears since I did anything secretarial (before dd1 was born and she's 16 now!)

Sometimes it doesn't pay to be honest.

Is there any agency/temp work going? In fact. if you look for temping then aren't you job seeking? Is it a matter of semantics?

secretlemonadedrinker - they asked for my nat ins number before they spoke to me, so will now have it on record so can't really fib!

Just ring back and say you are seeking work. You will have to sign on and show evidence of applying for jobs, like bringing in adverts or just saying you have applied.

You won't get any money for about 2 or 3 weeks anyway though.

Secretlemonadedrinker speaks sense.

senua - good point, I will be job seeking won't I???

Say your circs have changed and now you are seeking work.

Temp nannying or nursery work? Often they let you temp in nurseries whilst a CRB is being processed.

You could do reception and answering the phone, even if your experience is old. Would be quicker money than lying to the jobseeker people

Is he getting a student loan?

I am a low wage earner and DD needed childcare if I worked so we found the only way to make finances add up was for me to not work, claim HB and CTB and TaxC and use DPs student loan to cover the rest.

I'd rather have been at work though.

he's supposed to be getting a bursary but we have no idea when it's going to arrive!

I think that it will cover us for a little while if it does appear in the bank at any point this week.

Just a bit peeved that income-wise we're eligible but they've said no because even though I'm not working I still have a job.

I worked for the job centre taking claims for the LONGEST most soul destroying year of my life, aside from leading to depression and self harm there were a few things I would always tell people claiming in your postion.

Untill the DAY you are employed in your new job, you ARE looking for work, you can be as specific as you want to even limit what you are looking for if you only want to claim for a week or so!

So my suggestion would be to ring back, hope you don't get the same person and ANYTIME ANYONE ASKS "Are you currently looking for work" you reply "Yes i am"

(Although DO expect someone to screw up your payment at some point and be without benefit for a week..)

I have a feeling his bursary came in December - ooh try the hardship fund at his uni! They give to student parents as a priority.

You will have to give them a breakdown of your expenses and how much shortfall you have.

A week NerdyFace? They've not paid me mine for 6 weeks.

Claim it, look for temp work. They don't need you to actually succeed in finding any, just to prove you've been looking.

nerdyface - thank you, good advice!

laweaselmys - December!!!! I'll stop expecting it this week then!

Will tell him to go and beg at uni

Skyrg
It is ALWAYS someone at your local jobcentre's fault, they either don't update evidence or the little hitlers put a block on some benefits normally always completely wrong, I cannot even remeber the amount of shouting matches I got into with Job Centres..

can't you get inc support?

I am so angry with them, we quite literally have no money and can't pay rent. Our housing benefit depends on the Jobcentre claim, so we can't get that either. I think it might be 7 weeks now actually... I've phoned them again and again... I always get 'the claim hasn't been processed'. It's the decision maker people.

I have been very polite with the Jobcentre staff though, they've all tried to be helpful and it's not their fault.

Op is right though, none of their stupid systems make sense. My partner was forced to claim and seek work for the 2 weeks before he started at uni. He didn't even want to claim, but he was forced to because I was. How the hell does that work?

Sorry, thread hijack! :)

PSC - no, because I either need to be a single parent (I'm not) or either me or dp or one of the kids has to have one of a very long list of disabilities/health issues/general issues which we don't.

skryg - hijack away mate, I've ranted which was what I wanted to do, fill yer boots

Temping agencies are your friend.

D

Well, if you are prepared to work for 2-3 weeks, then you are seeking work.

Call them back, get the paperwork sorted. Say if anything came up, you'd take it.

Temp agencies are also a good idea, a friend of mine got a fortnight's work feeding old paperwork into a scanner (which she was shown how to use) then shredding it from a company changing it's storage arrangements.