Universal Credit meeting and annoyed

[Flyingwithoutwingsxxxxx]

I've been to my first universal credit meeting today in over 10 years. I recently made the decision to change careers. I left my previous job in November, signed up to an agency to teach around my access to healthcare course and to lower the cost of my childcare. The agency has been slow and so I've applied for another part time job around my studies.

I received almost a full payment from UC this month, as I obviously didn't work over Christmas and the agency hasn't been as busy. I am trying to rectify this by securing work 3 days a week, around a full time course and a 7y/o daughter. I also had to prove that I wasn't getting financial support toward this course, of which I am not. At the meeting today, I was told my studies don't count and that I still need to look for 35 hours of employment. I stated this isn't possible, as the access course is full time study. This was disregarded.

Whilst at the appointment, I was listening to another staff member talking to a single dad and the attitude was completely different. The advisor was telling him how to claim back money as expenses, telling him about reclaiming fuel costs, that if he gets a winter coat to put that through as expenses and so on. He was having so much financial support and guidance, along with understanding for being a single parent. I was sat there thinking what a difference in attitude there was, in comparison to me being a single mum. It's hard regardless of being a single mum or dad, shouldn't we all be treated with the same respect? I came out feeling really belittled and undermined. I've never relied on UC and have paid my taxes consistently for 18 years. I'm trying to better my circumstances now to avoid having to rely on support later in life. This didn't seem to be a relevant reason for not working full time today however.

@Nickyknackered I think you could do with reading the whole thread.

@Flyingwithoutwingsxxxxx If you had done your research you would have known that your studies don’t count and that you would still need to look for 35 hours of paid employment. How exactly were you treated poorly in comparison to the single dad? Was the advisor rude to you? Not liking the answer you received, doesn’t mean you were poorly treated.
edited- typo

I didn't realise that UC could be claimed if one left a job, I thought there was some form of sanction i.e. you can claim but you will not receive any money for x months i.e. 3 or 6.

I understood a similar sanction exists if you are dismissed from a job ?

@Thewonderfuleveryday as well as avoiding having to depend on government support later in life. I do feel for people who have to claim long term, as it does feel somewhat of a trap. I've had support for a few months and it won't be long term luckily. I'm very fortunate for that.

I've been very lucky and had a great career in education however, it is not the job I went into all those years ago. As a single parent now, I also need to make sure I am paid for the full 12 months of the year, not having my salary cut to pay for teacher holidays. Not only that but all the hours I put in that are unpaid.

Yeah I have thanks!

Ime pot luck what advice you get! First job centre my coach was very supportive.. I moved house and areas and the new one is bloody Bob useless... Told me stuff i know isn't fact.

As a benefits caseworker (non DWP, other organisation) it sounds to me like the other client is self employed so their circumstances are very different to yours and they have to meet different conditions- claiming of expenses is a clue that this was the case. It can be more difficult being SE on UC- I don't think your gender is relevant; your circumstances are different. Your studies will likely be disregarded as you will be considered as expected to find full time work; there can be some room for adjustment of commitments in some exceptional circumstances but am not sure you would meet those.

@ShanghaiDiva I have no idea what some parts of your responses are about. You seem to be projecting a lot of yourself into this thread. Clearly you have had some nerve activated by a single mother noting that in her experience, single dads do actually have a differing attitude towards them in society. I personally think this is unfair, as all single parents should be treated the same. I applaud any single parent, man or woman. It is hard in the same and different ways for all of us. If you don't agree with that, that is your choice however, going on at me doesn't mean I will change my mind. The man dealing with me was rude and extremely unhelpful, luckily I had gone in already well informed. I'm unsure why me not being ok with being treated poorly is such a crime. Very odd that you seem to think anyone should be ok with being treated poorly.

So you quit your job, and didn't have anything else planned to cover the money you need to live, so now you get UC? Sorry that is crazy! I get it should be there when people fall on hard times, but you made the decision to quit your job and retrain

We are fortunate that we can get help in times of need. This is not a time of need, though. It's something you have chosen and are expecting support for. You chose to leave employment to re train. UC is not there for that purpose.

I have no problem with people claiming benefits while looking for work or topping up a low income to support children or for illness and disability but re training is a luxury and something that you need to self fund.

Well I don't think you can claim anyway if you're a full time student?

Are there no access courses that are part time? Surely most people switching careers in adulthood with families wouldn't be able to just cease to have a job so they can full time study for several years. And UC isn't there to support that either.

I do as I said up thread think your overheard conversation was to a SE client- different circumstances, they can have strict criteria to meet in different ways to yours. If the work coach they had was generally just nicer, that part is unfortunately just one of those things. DWP may be of the view that your career change was completely out of choice, and the taking on of full-time study. In those circumstances they will be firm about UC entitlement and the commitments they expect. That's not a personal opinion of mine, it is my experience in my day to day work.

@Nickyknackered well that also tells me a lot.

@Wakemeupinapril yes I think you might be right. This man was adamant that I was receiving funding for this course. As it is a college course and not university, along with my income exceeding the amount for student funding, I am not entitled to financial assistance. I even had to get my banking app up to show him I hadn't received anything, as well as the information on the website to prove I wasn't actually entitled to anything. He asked a colleague in the end.

Right I'm off to make tea. Take care all.

Weird that you think the difference is based on sex rather than circumstances. If they say you need to work 35 hours a week to get UC that what you have to do. They are in charge here, not you. You don’t get to simply say ‘that is not possible’ - mad that you think that was acceptable.

Just to clarify. I left full time employment and went onto an agency. I went onto an agency to work around retraining. The course is one day in person and one day online. The agency has since experienced a loss in work, neither mine nor their fault. I am now awaiting an interview with an education company. I am also awaiting my divorce settlement and sale of a 5 bedroom home in Cheshire. Receiving support from UC is not a long term solution for myself. I've claimed it for 4 months in the last 10 years and 2 months before that. That's in over 20 years of employment. Thank you.

It tells you that I disagree with how you've gone about things yes. As do other posters.

I thought my posts were quite clear and factual and am not sure where this ‘projecting a lot of myself on this thread’ means!
in summary: you clearly didn’t research the impact of leaving your job, UC, your course and still having to look for work. You were advised you would still need to look for 35 hours paid employment. You did not like this answer, hence the spurious claim that you were treated unfavourably compared to a singe dad.
if your treatment really was unfair and that you were treated poorly due to your sex, then I imagine the solution is to make a formal complaint.

And you own a 5 bedroom house in Cheshire! Wow!

@ShanghaiDiva @Nickyknackered I think you pair would make a wonderful, dynamite fuelled couple. A bombastic pair if ever there was one. You could both egg each other on smashing your heads into brick walls.

I mean, you're the one who came on here to have a moan that 'it's not fair'.

Think you should probably go and have that cup of tea and calm down.

I was sitting, not was sat.

I am sorry that you had a difficult time at the Job Centre. It sounds as if you are only intending to claim UC for a short period of time and that you would work if the agency were to find you something. Although UC won’t pay for people to retrain, they can reduce someone’s work commitments if the course is part time and improves their employability. I have worked in a Job Centre and I found that some Work Coaches really know their stuff and are great with claimants whilst others seem to go out of their way to make things unpleasant.

Oh, you’re one of those 😂

I wasn’t suggesting self employment permanently, as you have a long term plan for your career. I was suggesting you do it for the next 12 months (if you don’t get the job you’re about to interview for) because then it takes the pressure off.
You won’t have a requirement to look for work, and as it’s your first year of self employment, you won’t have a minimum income you need to earn. So they’ll pay UC based on your actual income - even if that’s only £200 a month from one or two students while you get started.

You do need to attend a meeting every few months, but just show them how you’re getting students and advertising and your plant to get more (even if you are fudging as you don’t actually plan to do it forever). It gives you 12 months with full UC support and you can study and earn on the side through tutoring.

After 12 months, you need to be earning full time minimum wage and even if you don’t, they will only pay you UC as if you are earning full time minimum wage. So at that point, you’d need to get a job.

But it could give you some breathing room to develop your new career, which is a good thing and actually should be supported. They just don’t do that.