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?

Thanks for that information @StrataZon@StrataZon

Sorry phone posted while I was trying to type. We were aware of some of that so we are hoping that it improves his chances. We approached the council service and basically just got a form to fill in with one of the few questions being about whether he was getting support elsewhere and warning that there is a waiting list. Story of his life really.

We'll fill it in but don't hold any hope. I think there is a much greater chance through other sources.

Given that all the experience to go on is Tesco, it's difficult to know what he needs but you've given great examples of what we could ask for re interviews, asking for the questions in advance would be a good one.

Won't get much done for a couple of days as I don't see much of him when on nightshift. He'll be in bed until dinnertime for a start!

Thanks again. The kindness and helpfulness of posters is appreciated always.

@BinBandit The Environment Agency are having a large recruitment drive over the next 12 months. They are very supportive of neuro diversities so I would keep an eye out there, the recruitment process can take a while but it's worth it. Lots of jobs are WFH or hybrid, most meetings over teams, jobs in IT, data analyst etc.

Thanks for the tip, will definitely keep an eye out. 😊

If he's a computer nerd he can apply for ICT jobs WFH in his bedroom. Most of sons friends are these types. They are not very sociable tbh. The coding jobs he will apply for start from about £35k and very quickly move up to £60k. My son's friends are all mid to late twenties and most work from home possibly going into office once every couple of weeks.

My dd took full loan, put it into ISA then once graduated paid it back. She gained on the interest which was far better when she was a student than now. We paid her uni fees and gave her money for living on as I did not want her jeopardizing her degree classification working in a bar late at night.

Lots of tech employers are recognising the value of neurodiverse workers
auticon.com/uk/careers/

Thank you both and that link looks great, I've not come across them before.

And yes, in the workplace, particularly with a wholly or mainly WFH environment then I think he be fine just as long as someone checks in with him, he'll speak back if asked questions but with generally closed responses but he'd not be guaranteed to approach someone if he was stuck but that's a work in progress.

The issue is that every job, even if it ends up being one where you just sit and crack on by yourself, says it requires excellent communication skills. He can be very articulate in writing so writing reports etc are all good but he might miss the tone or subtlety required with emails sometimes.

Yes this is a good idea

I agree signing up to agency is not a bad idea but he will find it very difficult to get past the first stage of that process at the moment. He was incredibly anxious and stressed with the Tesco situation and his autism assessment, so we are still in the process of getting his mood on an even keel so that he can do as well as he can in the next stage of the process without burning bridges.

It's going to be a long process probably, which is fine. It's better to get right thing in the right way rather than potentially setting him back.

I apologise if this has already been suggested but would he consider finding a career mentor? I am autistic and my workplace stress levels dropped dramatically with 1:1 mentoring. Having someone to talk to helped me to gain a better perspective of how neurotypical people view things.

It’s like having a critical friend, who is on your side and has skills to help navigate workplaces. It would ideally be someone who understands autism or is autistic themselves, who can help with job hunting and with how to manage all of the unspoken social expectations. There are many autistic people working in STEM particularly, so he might be able to find someone who understands the industry he wants to get into well. My mentor was not autistic but had great empathy and spades of industry experience.

This organisation might be able to help. I haven’t used them but this organisation can also provide mentors. I think he would have to pay, but if he can find someone that he can feel reasonably comfortable with, it could be money well spent.

Thank you and thanks for the links. I am glad that you have found a good solution for you in the workplace, it sounds like you have found the best person for you. We are looking at some services that say that they offer individual support so hopefully something works out. It will be important and may take a while for him to get comfortable with people as he even struggles to speak with his friends (from school days) but really enjoys being invited out with them. There is only one person in the world that he feels almost completely comfortable with but even then will never make the first approach, and that is his brother. His brother is living away at Uni though and is a busy lad, trying to get his dissertation sorted and he lives with his girlfriend and generally has a lot going on. He is dyspraxic and organisation etc isn't his strongpoint so he doesn't always remember to drop his brother a message. They do get on well when he is home and both enjoy a trip to the pub together, it will hopefully be a bit more frequent when younger son finishes Uni this year.

Sounds lovely that they have such a good relationship 🥰