Should I attend an interview mainly to meet Jobseeker's Allowance requirements?

[user1471867483]

Should I go for a job interview even if I'm not fully interested in the role or its location, just to gain interview experience and comply with job seekers allowance requirements? I've been unemployed since November 2025 after being made redundant without a financial settlement due to departmental restructuring. I was on a zero hours contract. I am claiming job seekers allowance, which requires me to apply for various jobs. I have an interview next week for a full-time position in central London, while I prefer a 30-hour week. I used to work on the outskirts of London for 11 years 30 hours a week. Should I proceed with the interview to keep the job centre satisfied, despite my lack of enthusiasm for the role and location whilst also providing interview experience? I'm 55.

Yes.

Isn't this a scene in trainspotting?

You seem slightly casual about your situation. Do you have a partner who is supporting you financially because I wouldn’t be that picky in the current job market - it’s tough out there. I’d be going for the job interview to get the job not to meet some criteria for job seekers allowance. You can always keep applying for other jobs that you’d prefer to do.

You've been fortunate to have been given an interview which is more than a lot of people get. Have the decency to go.

"My pleasure is in your leisure".

Hysterical scene!

Of course you should. That's in the contract when you receive benefits. You have to apply for any suitable role.

You are unemployed you don't have the luxury of enthusiasm for the role. You need to take whatever job you can get and then search for something better whilst working.

This

I'd worry that the longer I'm out of employment, the less employable I become. It's very hard to land a decent job at the moment.

No wonder our benefits bill
is outrageous. Of course you should go!

I had this same scenario , attended interview and got the job 🙈, a year later though I love it ! What will you do if they offer you the position ?
I wouldn’t go to central London full time now though , not a chance .

I do agree that job seekers is ridiculous - you're expected to go for jobs that you don't want and are totally unsuitable, they've not listened to your requirements etc, but if you want the state to pay for you while you're out of work then you have to give as well as take

When I claimed job seekers , it was the type that wasn’t means tested , so was for a a maximum of 6 months , I only ended up with a month at £90 a week, If yours is same you’re coming close to the end of the 6 months anyway ?

Not your question, but was it the same job for 11 years on a zero hours contract, but routinely on 30 hrs a week? Any chance you were actually an employee and therefore entitled to a redundancy payment? I expect you explored it at the time.

Beggers can't be choosers. Go and give it your best.
If you don't like the terms & conditions of job seekers, don't claim.

You don’t get to “prefer” 30 hours work if you are in receipt of benefits. Will you qualify for UC once your JSA runs out? If so you will be expected to make a full time job of finding full time work - quite rightly - unless you have medical issues which prevent this.

It's a very long story, but basically I was promised my job permanently, but then it was given to someone else. I've never been the same since - I've felt like I'm 'job bereaved'. I was heartbroken as I loved my job. I've felt rejected and have lost a lot of confidence. I had to leave due to saving my dept money - they could no longer keep me on. I'm also a semi care giver to my nearly 83 year old mum.

The best thing you can do is try to get a new job, either through this interview or another one. It's a way of rebuilding your resilience and getting yourself unstuck from the loss of your last job. Time to move on, after 6 months. You'll find something else, it's a numbers game,

main thing is to get yourself off benefits, they are a safety net not a permanent fix in your situation where you have work experience. Some people have poor work history for many reasons and will find it far more difficult to get work than you will.

Thank you. I'll go to this interview then.

As you are questioning this, it sounds like it is the only job interview you have been invited for since November. Have you applied for other jobs? JSA is a temporary safety net; you need to be looking for and applying for jobs, even if they are not your ideal one. Yes, the job market is difficult right now, but it's much harder if you don't apply and go for interviews.

Well you don’t sound like you have any other options? If your question was whether you should go because you have an interview for a different job two days later which you’d prefer, then that would be one thing. But to be disinterested in a job while not having any other options, as an older person in a tough job market? Yes, I’d be going.

This. Your attitude is poor. Why do you only want to work part time?

How many years were you employed under the zero hours contract? Did you routinely work the same hours? Were you able to turn down hours? Im sorry that it has been so hard for you.

Of course you should go for the interview
That is potentially another 10 years of pension payments etc.

Alternatively, if you're not actively seeking work (but only a very specific job which may not exist) then you could stop claiming JSA and claim careers allowance for looking after your mum?