JOB HUNTING YOUNG FOLK

[echokilo]

Whats the score now with 20/21 year old colleagues leavers when they can't find work? What can they claim and are they obliged to sign on and attend interviews, or take work experience placements and are there any apprenticeship/sponosored employment schemes like the old YOP and YTS systems?

[factor-fiction]

To claim JSA they will need to sign on and attend interviews at the Job centre, and comply with teh Job Seeker's agreement.
I think they can claim housing benefit (if they have their own place )- there are proposals to restrict this to under 25s from some future date.

[boxtops]

There are apprenticeship schemes, lots of employers offer them - one year fixed term training contract while the young person undertakes an NVQ/apprenticeship in the topic determined by the employer. Contact your local FE college - lots of them are helping employers recruit apprentices.

[boxtops]

^ PS minimum wage, about £97 per week, paid during the contract. Course fees are all Govt funded.

[echokilo]

Thanks for your replies - and what if one was reluctant (for some unknown reason) to seek gainful employment ......... how long would one "get away this" without being found a job to do rather than be left claiming benefits?? What checks are actually make to ensure young folk take work that's offered even if it's not their career choice??

[factor-fiction]

They have to comply with the job seekers agreement setting out the steps that need to be taken. They have to comply with that, fill in a log and be able to answer questions about their job search activities. You can make things up for a while but they may call you in for a more in depth interview. After 3 months there is some sort of job finding training course.
But if they live at home they may not get any income based benefits as they are based on household income, and they only get Contribution Based JSA if they have paid enough NI in the qualifying period

[echokilo]

So no job ever, left college in June, living at home, reluctant - and likley to be caught out any time soon ................ excellent! Thanks for clarification .... I assume I am not the only one who gets ever so slightly annoyed at those who drain the system having never contributed.

[pastafreak]

There are new rules being put into place for JSA.
There will be sanctions for those who don't actively seek work.
First sanction-no JSA for 3 months...second-no JSA for 6 months...and third sanction-no JSA for a year

[echokilo]

Fabnulous Pasta - that's even better x

[cheekygirlcarol]

They have changed the sanctions to
first sanction 6 months
second sanction 1 year
third sanction 3 years
I got a letter the last time I signed on about this.

[bednobs]

although, if they are living at home the parents must be funding them in some way EK, so not necessarily screwing the taxpayers

[echokilo]

I appreciate your point bedknobs but I happen to know difference with the person I am thinking of ............... not honestly not sure how it's possible to eat for £20 odd pounds a week JSA evern if the roof and bills are already paid for!

[factor-fiction]

Full CB JSA is £72 pw

[THECORBYLOON]

There are new sanctions as from 22nd October but folk are getting the facts confused. It's too late at night to go into all the details and I'm doing this on a 'phone. There are three levels of sanctions, lower, intermediate and higher. Different levels apply to different "offences" but for not actively seeking employment (ASE) for example, that attracts intermediate level sanctions. The JSA is disallowed for the weeks they were not ASE, they then need to make another claim and they are then sanctioned for a period of four weeks including the already disallowed period. If they do it again wi a gap of more than two weeks but less than fifty-weeks later, they will be sanctioned for thirteen weeks less any weeks of disallowance for the subsequent period(s). Disallowance and sanctions are different but they both result in non-payment of benefit. It is complicated and some finer points are being ironed out

[bednobs]

but the oarent's must be supporting them, by either not chargig rent or charging a reduced rent

[echokilo]

Yes, Bedknobs, no rent charged - but my point is why does someone continue to get benefits when they are not actively seeking work!!

[THECORBYLOON]

Folk need to be actively seeking employment (ASE) to get JSA and when they sign on (usuallybfortnightly) they are asked to give details about steps taken to look for work in each of those two weeks. They would have signed up to what is called a Jobseeker's Agreement (JSAg) and that JSAg details the steps they are expected to take. If there is a doubt it is referred for a decision and payment suspended pending the decision. Prior to the changes on 22.10.12, if a claimant had not been ASE in any week, they'd be disallowed for that week but now they will be disallowed AND sanctioned so that they will lose at least four weeks.

[bednobs]

tcl, are you allowed a "holiday" if you are on jsa?

[THECORBYLOON]

Yes you can go away within Great Britain but you must be available for work still. That means you must looking for work in the place you've gone to and there's a prospect of employment or you must be willing and able to return home immediately or with twenty-four/forty-eight hours' notice depeding on the Jobseeker's Agreement. You must be contactable whilst away so you can be telt about the job opportunities.

As long as you notify the Jobcentre in advance, you can also say that whilst away, you do not intend to look for work for a period of up to two benefit weeks in any twelve-month period (different rules apply if you are blind or on an otward bound course.) I think this is why folk think they can not go away for more than two weeks but you can as long as you are available and show you were actvely seeking work whilst away.

What folk are not aware of is that even if they are going away for a few days, if they are not willing to return immediately (or with notice as appropriate) and those days fall in two benefit weeks, both weeks are disallowed as they are not available for the WHOLE of each week.

If someone is paid JSA on a Friday but they go away that day and are away on the Saturday too and not willing to return. they lose JSA for the two weeks because they were away for at one day in each week and were not available,

[bednobs]

it seems crazy - who would go to a faraway place (say for example, scotland from th south coast) and still be looking for work when they are on holiday? Not much good being offered a job in edinburgh if one lives in cornwall is it? In practice, is it easy for people to go abroad in between sign on days and say they've been looking for work?

[wolf63]

Sorry to lower the serious nature of this thread but the title intrigued me.

I couldn't understand why anyone would want a job where they would be hunting young folk. :-)