Unemployed but not entitled to any benefits

[BinBandit]

I've struggled to find out any info online so wondered if anyone can help with this.

My DS has recently graduated and struggling to get any work (that's a whole other thread!). As he's never worked he isn't entitled to job Seekers. He has too much in savings to qualify for Universal Credit. We supported him through Uni but he did take the loans and saved them so this would give him a start when he graduated. He's a quiet lad so didn't spend much.

Anyway, he's expected to live of those which is fair enough. Benefits are there for those who need them and he has savings. The assumption is that we will continue to However, I can't seem to find out any info about whether he and/or how he can register as unemployed and get some help with looking for a job or whether he would get NI credits by registering somewhere.

We believe that he probably has ASD issues (Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder?) which we are now looking to get a private assessment for and this is obviously not helping with the job hunting so we think he may be looking for work for a while. We'd all like him to have more independence but whilst he has no income, he can't really commit to using his savings for that as originally intended, as what will happen when those run out?

My DS got a job in a warehouse really easily, just turn up for an induction, no interview, show your right to work, take a drugs test and he was in work the next day. He worked with graduates who were vastly overqualified but were looking for work. It was really easy and gave him massive confidence.

He can claim as soon as he's under £16k savings. They just take off £1 in £250 for the amount you haves saved over £6k.

Don't wait til he's at £6k!!

Can he use his savings on private therapy and some coaching and career sessions?

Not many therapists will accept people who can't communicate, its madness. My DD19 has a specialist NHS therapist who was willing to talk to her, even though she couldn't reply, this went on for about 3 months then we were told it was likely to mean all treatment was withdrawn - luckily now they do speak on zoom. The previous private therapist we had would not take part in counselling under those conditions and removed us from her books.

Ah, fuck off. Read the posts properly. He has difficlutues and barriers to getting into employment. God forbid one of your loved ones ever come across the same problem. Have some compassion ffs

How has he never worked?? I’m shocked a person who has a degree hasn’t ever had a job! First class degree doesn’t count for anything if no work ethic!

@BinBandit this might not be helpful until he has a diagnosis but are you aware of the disability confident scheme? www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign
It might be worth looking for jobs with disability confident employers as they might be more accommodating of your son's needs. I know if you search on this job site disability confident employers are flagged findajob.dwp.gov.uk/

Thanks to those who have read the posts and provided suggestions and support. Truly appreciate it. As for others, I hope you manage to find some happiness in your life beyond just trying to be nasty or trolling.

On top of all that, it's disappointing how many people are just unable to walk in another's shoes and see what on the face of it looks easy to them but is just beyond the capabilities of others. This is all what makes life even more difficult for people who find life tough at times. Just because you or your DC find it easy to walk into jobs, doesn't mean it's the same for everyone, I'm really glad that people are able to find jobs and wish all our young people all the success in the world.

I'm bowing out but rest assured I will use all useful information, positive or negative. Peace and love.

OP this really needed to be on SEN boards or something like that; if your son has difficulties to this extent its likely that he will be diagnosed with ASD or similar, and then you have to ask what does the future hold. In the meantime, why not use one of the helplines here where you'd be able to talk it through in detail with someone experienced in supporting parents in your position, to get help? All you're going to get on MN is outrage about benefits etc - I think your son's issues will go beyond the immediate problem:

www.anxietyuk.org.uk
www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/

Great, now the OP has left. Nice work @Beachbreak2411 - happier?

I think the university careers service has a reciprocal arrangement, so the nearest one might be able to help? That info might be out of date but a quick Google or phone call would check. I found them very helpful in the past.

Hi OP, sadly he's unlikely to get much in the way of help from the job centre, most of the additional support they used to offer has been outsourced to third party providers and the funding has been cut massively (I work for one of these providers in England). In Scotland there is a really good programme called Fair Start that anyone can join and get up to 12 months of support to find work, they really tailor what they do to the individual so it can be training courses or coaching or just sitting with someone while they complete an application form, anything like that. But they are supposed to have a particular focus on helping people with disabilities or health conditions that cause a barrier to work. You can find your local provider on the government website - www.mygov.scot/help-find-job they might be able to support your son in the way he needs

I came on here to suggest Fair Start too.

Also some information here:

opportunities.youngpersonsguarantee.scot/

Sorry to hear your sons having these problems.

Skills development Scotland may be able to help, particularly if he gets a diagnosis and can be classed as having a disability.

There are also advisors at Jobcentre who deal with people who have additional needs so he should register with them to get on their books and get help even if he's not entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance.

Could he spend some money on a work/life coach who can lead him through the steps he needs to take.

Keep an eye on your local council job pages. I'm in West Lothian and they advertise internships across various depts (IT is one) for local people who 1 year after graduation are not working in their field.

What about IT role in the charity sector on voluntary basis to start with, may lead to offer of employment when they see his skills.

Can his university advise on companies where the IT jobs are skills based interviews?

Good luck to your DS

My brother sounds very similar to your son to be honest. After he graduated he was unemployed for about 6 years - a little bit of agency work as a waiter, a year doing a master's, and the rest sitting in his bedroom filling in application forms ( I remember mum having to drive him to the job centre once because they'd asked to see proof he'd applied, and he couldn't carry the three sacks of applications and rejections down himself.) Voluntary work was the key for him. He started volunteering at a couple of different charities, they could see his capabilities and recommended him to a sister company for a part time paid job, which in turn led to a ft job and he's worked full time ever since.

I'm sorry for some of the nastiness you have had.
I may be out of date but it used to be possible to sign unemployed for national insurance credits even if you didn't qualify for benefit. That gave access to job search advisers.
I doubt they could help him find a graduate role but they might be able to help with a temporary job.

My DS graduated in 2019. Came home to live and look for work while applying for grad schemes. It took him 5 months to get a job in a supermarket. Lots and lots of rejections.
He eventually got offered two grad schemes and started in 2020.

So your son is looking for two different kinds of jobs and as others have said he might need two CVs. My advice is keep applying. Be prepared for lots of rejections but don't give up. This is the time of year for Christmas jobs. Try M&S, Aldi etc.

He is over qualified for certain jobs.
When I was unemployed (2 degrees) I had 2 x CVs...one without degrees on as I was desperate and applying for everything. Might be worth a shot :)

I wasn't entitled to any benefits either, neither was OH when he was unemployed, so can't help with that. Our NI was paid from the job centre, but that's all we got.

If you're in/near a big city look for hospitality companies/agencies which will likely be looking for people in the run up to Christmas, and often don't need references or experience. They're the kind of companies that provide staff for bar work at concert/sports venues, big parties or seasonal and corporate events. It's usually minimum wage and zero hours contracts, but at least a way to get some work experience, and also useful if he's doing other things like volunteering or further study, as they mostly just need people for weekends and/or evenings.

It's frustrating when everyone says 'there's work out there' but you see young people applying for so many jobs and hearing nothing back. Especially hard for the more introverted youngsters who don't have the self-promotional skills.

Maybe his uni careers service can help with things like interview skills, CV writing and work placements relevant to his degree.

I don't have any advice on the jobs front but I understand completely what you mean about the type of degree he has done. My son is currently in the same position. He is doing computer science and is an absolute genius at computers, but is holed up alone most of the time, working away on his own. He is a quiet lad anyway and I really worry how he will cope with interviews, working with colleagues etc when he eventually has to find a job.

I work in a very data heavy department in a university with lots of people who sound like your son. People with first class computer science degrees are a dream come true - assuming it was a hardcore programming/ very maths based degree. Could he go back to his old university and see if they have a data science dept or clinical trials unit where he could intern/temp and therefore avoid an interview until he is more comfortable. We’ve found people this way before. The university should have been able to place him with a dept for the masters. That sounds very poor. They all have schemes though for recent graduate and he needs to be persistent. Feel free to DM me if you like

Unfortunately, by supporting him financially, he has had no motivation to look for any work and is now 21+ yrs old with no work experience.
Parental support comes in many guises - support to find part time work would have been useful.

OP, I have a friend with a DD who sounds similar to your DS. Went through Uni, got a great degree, lived at home, never worked. She had 1 year after Uni whilst my friend kind of left her to it for fear of alienating her. Then she decided enough was enough and actively ‘helped’ her DD to find work. She withdrew financial support, stopped paying for her car etc. The motivation for her DD to find was VERY high! Her DD eventually found an apprentice job in a field she wanted to work in anyway. She has more motivation and seems to have her mojo back after the horror of Uni through lockdown. Tough love can be hard.

Tough love can be hard.

It's also going to do fuck all for OP son who may be autistic. Support is what he needs. Tough love

Not sure if you’ll see this but I had a lack of understanding from certain family members about my struggles to gain work after graduation and stumbling blocks I encountered while doing a post-grad diploma. When you’re trying hard it’s not nice for people to judge you and disparage you for your lack of success. I was diagnosed as ND just after I turned 30.

well done to your son for working hard and gaining a first class. I’m sure he will find something paid eventually. You said you’re from Scotland - I recommend your son speak to adopt an intern which are a Scottish based internship company. And also consider applying for entry level IT roles within the Scottish government who I feel are an inclusive employer. Also since he has a decent amount of savings, consider looking for a short term unpaid internship somewhere even if it’s not nearby. Eg. Aberdeen or London. He could pay for a month or so accommodation with his savings.