Jobseeker’s Allowance

[Lentilcakes]

Are any of your DCs (recent grads mainly) applying for JSA? He doesn’t qualify for UC currently, but I know it’s more of a palaver getting JSA as in having to apply for ‘any old job’.

He is making an effort to apply but there’s only so many grad/starter jobs on the market, I know he doesn’t want to start applying for retails/hospitality yet, he’s done it before although he’d prob do a couple of shifts a week to keep him afloat financially and mentally (although he hated working in the last pub he was in).

Well regardless of what he wants to do, he needs to suck it up and apply for non grad jobs and earn his own money like all the rest of us did! Do you really believe JSA is preferable? It’s not there to support him landing his dream job it’s there so people with no job and no fridge full of food at mum’s house can eat and have lights on. 18 months I was at a fast food joint after graduating in the last recession. It didn’t cross my mind to sponge off the state - and parents were dead so no support there either.

The job market isn’t hospitality/bar or graduate jobs…

so why can’t be look for a different job?

JSA was incorporated into UC so unless its new style JSA he's claiming he wouldn't be eligible.
New style JSA depends on his ni record.

What excludes him from claiming UC?

Not all mum's have the money to support an extra adult in the house or have a fridge full of food.

I think I would encourage him to get any job at the moment. Employers do seem far more favourable towards people who are already employed rather than those claiming benefits.

It much be hard him not having a Graduate Job yet but he does need to work to show that he has a good work ethic.

Im assuming he’s been applying for Graduate jobs since last September when lots get released. How far is he getting on in the process? Is he applying then not hearing anything or applying, getting interviews and then not being successful?

Which is why he should be applying for everything he can.

Personally I would let him claim. It’s only a few hundred quid a month, but unless it’s changed since I last had to claim it, he has to prove he’s looking for work anyway. If anything, the hassle from the job centre should be enough encouragement to get a job? Cos if he’s not seeking, they’ll sanction him and he won’t get his “free” money anyway

And has anyone else got Jobseeker by Sleaford Mods going through their head now?

he has to have paid NI in tax years 23-4 and 24-5 to be paid new style JSA. So that shows work ethic. They may let him claim credits only (no money but cover for pension) but he’d still have full job search.

If the reason that he can’t claim UC is being a full time student the same applies to JSA. If it is having more than £16,000 presumably he can live on that and have more choice in what he applies for. The only other UC thing could be immigration.

Oh give it a rest, he'll have to work until he's 90 for no state pension to pay off his student loan because he didn't get a free degree.

I think he should claim whilst also job hunting, he'll probably have a job before any 'free' money kicks in then spend the rest of his life being a contributor.

Just come back to this! He has savings over the threshold so can’t apply for UC. He is living on them atm and he doesn’t want ‘any old job’ as he worked hard for his degree.

I claimed unemployment benefit as soon as I graduated in 1993 but I suppose it was a different world then.

If he’s entitled to JSA I cant see the issue of applying. He’s a jobseeker, not a scrounger. He’s def paid tax as he’s worked p/t on and off and got a rebate for the last tax year recently. He worked in all uni holidays but not in term time.

He’s also volunteering so no sitting on his backside for all you judgy pants people. Also did a shift for his old boss but there’s no regular work currently for him.

I believe job seekers is no longer a thing and if he dosent qualify for UC he will just have to spend his savings until they’re below 16k

So people are right that to claim new style jsa it depends on his national insurance payments over the last few years not the amount of tax he has paid. His savings will be ignored and it can only be claimed for 6 months. I’m not sure if his employment history will entitle him the best option is to claim and let Dpw check. The job seeking requirements will be the same for jsa or uc and he will be expected to apply for any job he is able to do. Hope that helps.

Fuck me he doesn’t want ‘any old job’ so would rather claim benefits. What an absolute tool you have raised.

Well if he's seeking work he's perfectly entitled to claim jsa. But of course it's not a long term alternative to actual work. He'll be expected to apply for anything. Not just graduate roles. Which frankly he should be doing regardless of whether he's claiming or not.

It's nowhere near enough to survive on. Let alone fund a normal life like contributing to bills, paying rent etc.

You are expected to job seek full time on USA and no you can’t wait for the perfect job but they cut you some slack for about 6 weeks I found, they also helped with cv presentation and any courses that were helpful eg I took food hygiene, got a dbs etc

Why would the state be handing money to someone with healthy savings?
Isn’t the idea a safety net for those with nothing?! The benefit system needs to be urgently sorted. This is not sustainable.

JSA is regarded as an insurance rather than a benefit/safety net.
IF you have paid enough into the system then you are able to then get help if you need it. It's not just financial but opens up help to find work.
It is a short term.
I think this is far better than not offering any support to people just because they have savings. They run them down and only THEN support to find work kicks in.

During a recent spell of unemployment when I found I was unable to receive JSA (self employed, haven't made T1 contributions), I was treated like work-shy, lazy scum at the Job Centre. And because I wasn't eligible to claim they wouldn't help me anyway.

If you have over £16k in savings of course you should be using your own money not claiming JSA.

Well you don't make the rules. Thankfully.
I am not a new graduate so my situation is somewhat different, but like hell I was going to claim JSA if I could have.
The £94 a week may well have helped me support my home and family for just a little bit longer while I was looking for work (yes ANY work). Also, it may have helped me feel a little less worthless. After 30 years of paying my tax and NI, to know I was able to get a little support (£ and from the job centre) may have made me feel less awful.
Don't worry though, I wasn't eligible. Leaving this thread though.....it's not about me!

Just to be clear, the post of yours I quoted read like a general comment, I wasn’t specifically having a go at you. I don’t agree that JSA is there for ‘insurance’ though and anyone with £16k in the bank should absolutely be using it.

There really are some disgruntled people around, I appreciate life is tough and some of us may feel aggrieved, but why wish others to suffer similarly.

I am going to swim against the tide. My advice would depend on what his degree was and whether it qualifies him for specific roles and also what his aspirations are. It is unfortunately very possible and increasingly likely for a lot of young graduates to find themselves type cast when they accept working in roles that require little to no qualifications and experience in low waged work. And there is often no way back from this.

Who knows what “any old job” could lead to? My adult DC after PhD was looking to move to a European country to join fiancée. Unfortunately, she broke off the engagement, DC returned to hometown and worked in a shop. Turns out was the best year! Shop staff really supportive, got tutoring work through word of mouth (customer), started tweaking the spreadsheets and got asked to do stock control and the spreadsheets every month as extra work. Also managed to store many boxes at the shop, met many new friends and the owner helped DC move when they did find a graduate job in another city.