On jsa and applying to university, help :(

username2235017

8

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(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

999tigger

19

You cna sign off whenever you like but that stops you having access to the benefits sustem.
Personally if I was on benefits then I would remain on them as long as needed.
If you get a job ovbiously sign off.
If you sign off early, then you wont get any money.
You would be ineligible the day you start ni and officially become a student. Probably first day of term.

Your plan to sign off a month early, is your choice.
Yes you have to pay rent although yolou cna put in a separate claim for housing benefit based on income. Its easier imo to carry on being paid in the system via jsa rather than going through the hs system which can take months.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

999tigger

19

When you have a confirmed place, then you can tell them. Hopefully they will lay off a bit and accept you will be looking for temp work.

Reply 3

Klix88

17

Original post by jaisi

Okay, I'll endure the work program alongside the jobcentre. Thanks for the help! :smile:

oo, another question, should I let the work program as well as the jobcentre know that I'll be starting uni on september? I can only look for temporary jobs now, maybe I can do the traineeship before uni as it's only an 8 week course and I can get good experience.

I'd advise you not to tell any of them sooner than you absolutely have to. The minute you aren't available for full-time work, your JSA will be stopped. If they take the view that you can't meaningfully apply for jobs if you're going to uni in September, because no employer would accept you on those terms, then you can wave goodbye to your benefits. Sign off as lateas possible *before your course's start date.

Also, be aware that you won't get any of your Maintenance Loan until after you have enrolled at uni at the start of your course. You'll need some money to yide you over between signing off and gettibg your Student Finance. Look into student bank accounts, which usually come with an automatic overdraft.

Reply 4

999tigger

19

Original post by Klix88

I'd advise you not to tell any of them sooner than you absolutely have to. The minute you aren't available for full-time work, your JSA will be stopped. If they take the view that you can't meaningfully apply for jobs if you're going to uni in September, because no employer would accept you on those terms, then you can wave goodbye to your benefits. Sign off as lateas possible *before your course's start date.

Also, be aware that you won't get any of your Maintenance Loan until after you have enrolled at uni at the start of your course. You'll need some money to yide you over between signing off and gettibg your Student Finance. Look into student bank accounts, which usually come with an automatic overdraft.

I'd disagree. they only have to be available for the period when signing on and not for permanent jobs. If youve got any case law on this would be happy to change my view on it. Its likely they will be more pleased to get the person off their books.

Reply 5

Klix88

17

Original post by 999tigger

I'd disagree. they only have to be available for the period when signing on and not for permanent jobs. If youve got any case law on this would be happy to change my view on it. Its likely they will be more pleased to get the person off their books.

I've no view on case law, but my local Job Centres will sanction at the drop of a hat and wait for an appeal. With friends on both sides of the desk, I can say with certainty that there *are* sanctioning targets, regardless of the public line on the subject. How sanctions are applied does vary between centres though, and some are less antsy than others.

The ones in my area have an itchy trigger finger and I do know of someone whose JSA was stopped in advance of a uni course start, on the grounds that whilst they might be job hunting, they would not be able to take up a permanent full-time job because no employer would take them on if they knew about the course start date. There's little doubt the sanction would have been overturned on appeal and the Job Centre pretty much admitted it. But as there were only five weeks before the course start, their parents decided to cover the bills to save the stress, so they didn't bother appealing.

Reply 6

999tigger

19

Original post by Klix88

I've no view on case law, but my local Job Centres will sanction at the drop of a hat and wait for an appeal. With friends on both sides of the desk, I can say with certainty that there *are* sanctioning targets, regardless of the public line on the subject. How sanctions are applied does vary between centres though, and some are less antsy than others.

The ones in my area have an itchy trigger finger and I do know of someone whose JSA was stopped in advance of a uni course start, on the grounds that whilst they might be job hunting, they would not be able to take up a permanent full-time job because no employer would take them on if they knew about the course start date. There's little doubt the sanction would have been overturned on appeal and the Job Centre pretty much admitted it. But as there were only five weeks before the course start, their parents decided to cover the bills to save the stress, so they didn't bother appealing.

In any given situation I would play it by ear, but the OP isnt exactly forthcoming.
He should have a relationship with his work coach, who would see that he was returning to education and that would mean applying for permanent jobs might be a little unreasonable. Its importnat the OP follows the work coaches instructions, but they shouldnt be hard to talk around.

There is nothing in JSA which says it has to be permanent work, Just that they need to be actively seeking for the period of benefit (its not seeking work forever benefut) as well as some rules on distance and types of work after x period. He also needs to follow directions. If he does this then there is no need for him to be sanctioned, which ive told him a number of times, but he doesnt seem interested in listening.

Again it depends how much of a rapport he has developed, but id say most work coaches would be glad that soemthing was sorted out and would go easy on them for the remaining period. Ive appealed a number of sanctios for clients and got all of them overturned or got them to reconsider.

If the OP wants to keep it a secret, then thats up to him, but the work coach will then be applying and expecting a higher standard of compliance becayse they will have been kept in the dark about what the tryue intentions are. Many job centre staff and work coaches do not understand the rules. On the plus side they are all human beings and as long as you dont make their job more difficult then the vast majority of them are fine.

Completely ambivalent as to whether the OP tells them or not. By all means keep it to himself , but he then cant achieve the target of getting them off his back as he calls it.

In the scenario you describe I would ahve just put the appeal in . its 5 weeks money which they were entitled to and could have been used to buy books. I also wouldnt like someone who was incorrectly applying the rules getting away with it. Before it even gets to that situation the work coach should be an ally not a policeman. Thats down to soft skills.

On jsa and applying to university, help :(

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