Job offer and JSA

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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Hi, quick query about the Job Centre...

I've been signing on, claiming contribution based JSA for the last two months. Today I had an interview and they called me a couple of hours ago offer me the job :)

I have accepted as it is my dream job with a really lovely charity. We haven't sorted out start dates etc yet, but as there is a CRB check to be completed first and the manager is on holiday next morn, I have a feeling that it may be a month or so before I start.

My question is, what do I tell the Job Centre when I go in this week? Do they continue to pay your JSA until you actually start the job? If so, are you expected to still apply for X number of jobs a week etc?

Am I better off not telling them about the job offer until a couple of weeks before the start date?

Comments

  • venusinflaresvenusinflares Posts: 4,194
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    From what I remember you do get paid JSA until your start date but you are still expected to look for work (or at least tell them that you are!).

    It's been two years since I had to sign on so anyone with more recent experience of it feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

    Well done on being offered the job! :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    From what I remember you do get paid JSA until your start date but you are still expected to look for work (or at least tell them that you are!).

    It's been two years since I had to sign on so anyone with more recent experience of it feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

    Well done on being offered the job! :)

    Thanks :)
  • Finny SkeletaFinny Skeleta Posts: 2,638
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    From what I remember you do get paid JSA until your start date but you are still expected to look for work (or at least tell them that you are!).

    It's been two years since I had to sign on so anyone with more recent experience of it feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

    Well done on being offered the job! :)

    I've never understood that one. Last time I was signing on I went bounding into the office, big smile on my face and told the woman that I had found a job and would be starting in two weeks.

    She just sat there with a face like concrete and asked me what other jobs I had applied for.

    None because I had found a job.

    Not good enough, I had a Jobseekers agreement that stated I had to take x amount of steps to find a job each week.

    But I had found a job.

    I was touch and go for a while to see who would crack first. Would she sanction me or would I tell her to shove my claim up her arse? Luckily her very nice supervisor intervened before it went too far and just made up a list of applications for me.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    I've never understood that one. Last time I was signing on I went bounding into the office, big smile on my face and told the woman that I had found a job and would be starting in two weeks.

    She just sat there with a face like concrete and asked me what other jobs I had applied for.

    None because I had found a job.

    Not good enough, I had a Jobseekers agreement that stated I had to take x amount of steps to find a job each week.

    But I had found a job.

    I was touch and go for a while to see who would crack first. Would she sanction me or would I tell her to shove my claim up her arse? Luckily her very nice supervisor intervened before it went too far and just made up a list of applications for me.

    How ridiculous!

    I think I may delay telling them, and just go through the motions of 'job seeking' - they've no way of checking what jobs you've applied for anyway.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,391
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    I told them when I got a job and they cut it off from that say.
  • GroutyGrouty Posts: 33,944
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    Congrats on the job, hope it all works out for you :)

    Sorry i can't offer any advice, as not been on JSA for years.
  • davidmcndavidmcn Posts: 12,086
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    Yes, you're expected to carry on searching for work, though obviously you could only be expected to be looking for short term temporary positions. You don't have to tell them about the job offer in advance, you can just contact them to sign off once you've started it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Grouty wrote: »
    Congrats on the job, hope it all works out for you :)

    Sorry i can't offer any advice, as not been on JSA for years.

    Thanks. First time for me on JSA. I took voluntary redundancy after working for a big corporate company for over 20 years, to start a brand new career in the charity sector, so I couldn't be happier to get this job :)
  • Jason100Jason100 Posts: 17,222
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    I would sign off straight away and you would never have to deal with them ever again. (From personal experience)

    Congratulations on the job. My turn next. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    davidmcn wrote: »
    Yes, you're expected to carry on searching for work, though obviously you could only be expected to be looking for short term temporary positions. You don't have to tell them about the job offer in advance, you can just contact them to sign off once you've started it.

    Yeah, I think I will hold off telling them until nearer the start date. They never ask me much anyway (apart from the first appointment) and I have yet to even speak to 'my' advisor as whenever I turn up he's not available and I have to see someone else who speaks to me for precisely 2 mins!

    Thanks for the advice everyone. I hope I never have to sign on again!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Jason100 wrote: »
    I would sign off straight away and you would never have to deal with them ever again. (From personal experience)

    Congratulations on the job. My turn next. :)

    Very tempting! But I do really need the huge sum of £71 a week, especially if I don't start the new job for a few weeks.

    It still hasn't properly sunk in that I've got the job I really want. You're never sure how well you've done at an interview, but she said that I was by far the best candidate and she couldn't wait to call me to offer me the job! :D

    Best of luck with your job hunting!
  • lozengerlozenger Posts: 4,881
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    I would err on the side of caution and at least pretend you have actively continued to look for work as it's one of the conditions for receipt of benefit - if they can trip you up on any technicality they will.

    So nice to hear good news on a Job Centre thread - they are so few and far between, well done OP, lots of luck in your new career!

    Finney- bet that really took the wind out of your sails! From experience the people that work there do so because they themselves cant find any other job ;)
  • thejoyof_patthejoyof_pat Posts: 30,674
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    Congratulations :) my turn next.
  • HypnodiscHypnodisc Posts: 22,728
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    tothegrand wrote: »
    I told them when I got a job and they cut it off from that say.

    This is why that's never a good idea.
    lozenger wrote: »
    I would err on the side of caution and at least pretend you have actively continued to look for work as it's one of the conditions for receipt of benefit - if they can trip you up on any technicality they will.

    So nice to hear good news on a Job Centre thread - they are so few and far between, well done OP, lots of luck in your new career!

    Finney- bet that really took the wind out of your sails! From experience the people that work there do so because they themselves cant find any other job ;)

    Exactly this.

    Even the off-record advice I've had from the Jobcentre themselves and other benefit advisors matches this. If you tell them you'll end up with a shortfall.

    The worst that can happen is you end up needing to repay them some money.

    I'm in the process of coming off ESA as I'm now self-employed (yay :)) but it is a convoluted process and ironically telling the Jobcentre will be the very last thing I do (after applying for return to work credit, registering as self employed and requesting a tax credit claim pack).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Congratulations :) my turn next.

    Thanks :)

    On here when I should be sleeping as I'm too excited to sleep. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    lozenger wrote: »
    I would err on the side of caution and at least pretend you have actively continued to look for work as it's one of the conditions for receipt of benefit - if they can trip you up on any technicality they will.

    So nice to hear good news on a Job Centre thread - they are so few and far between, well done OP, lots of luck in your new career!

    Finney- bet that really took the wind out of your sails! From experience the people that work there do so because they themselves cant find any other job ;)

    Thank you!

    Some of the people at my a Job Centre have been v nice, but I don't trust them overall, so will err on the side of caution as you say, until just before the start date of the new job.
  • LushnessLushness Posts: 38,158
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    lesleyanne wrote: »
    How ridiculous!

    I think I may delay telling them, and just go through the motions of 'job seeking' - they've no way of checking what jobs you've applied for anyway.

    Be careful about this. I've had a fair number of job centre advisors ringing me to confirm whether people have applied for our jobs. Of course they don't have the resources to do this for everyone but the underlying risk is there.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Lushness wrote: »
    Be careful about this. I've had a fair number of job centre advisors ringing me to confirm whether people have applied for our jobs. Of course they don't have the resources to do this for everyone but the underlying risk is there.

    Really? I'm surprised if mine would, they barely glance at my job activity list on line when i go in. Maybe because I'm not a JSA long-termer and I'm obviously motivated and trying really hard to get a job (I had to as I'm on the contribution based JSA I just get the minimum benefit, no extras and it would have stopped completely after six months if I hadn't found a job in that time).
  • LushnessLushness Posts: 38,158
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    lesleyanne wrote: »
    Really? I'm surprised if mine would, they barely glance at my job activity list on line when i go in. Maybe because I'm not a JSA long-termer and I'm obviously motivated and trying really hard to get a job (I had to as I'm on the contribution based JSA I just get the minimum benefit, no extras and it would have stopped completely after six months if I hadn't found a job in that time).

    In fairness they would probably only do this in the instances where they suspect claimants are not truly job seeking.

    Good luck in your new job, charities are great! :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Lushness wrote: »
    In fairness they would probably only do this in the instances where they suspect claimants are not truly job seeking.

    Good luck in your new job, charities are great! :)

    Yes, I think you're right. If they were to get awkward with me I could always just sign off early, although I'd prefer not to have to. I've been paying tax and NI for 32 years so I'm entitled to that £71 a week!

    Thank you!!! :) I agree, charities are generally great places to work, with lovely people working for them.

    Just 18 months ago I was off sick with anxiety/depression from a job I loathed, now I have paid off my mortgage and I'm about to start a great job with a lovely charity! I can't quite believe it! :D
  • ns.macdns.macd Posts: 766
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    My adviser told me to wait until I had completed my first day at the new job and then let JSA know that I had started a new position, as it would not affect anything JS related if there were any problems - ie Company going under, medical (if required) failing etc.
  • MarzBar85MarzBar85 Posts: 15,004
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    ns.macd wrote: »
    My adviser told me to wait until I had completed my first day at the new job and then let JSA know that I had started a new position, as it would not affect anything JS related if there were any problems - ie Company going under, medical (if required) failing etc.

    This. You've got a set time scale before declaring a job, use it. The job could fall through (when I got my last job I was convinced this was going to happen!) The contract could get delayed (again this could happen!)

    Best to have a back up option with some form of cash coming through rather than sweating if something goes wrong.

    I love how some Job centre workers are complete jobsworths, whilst others are so helpful. I had one who was a complete and utter bitch, couldn't wait to sanction someone -almost like she was on commission. But the following week I had this lovely person who told me how to work the system, particularly when I find work, and when I work with agencies.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice (and good wishes) on this thread :)
  • Jason100Jason100 Posts: 17,222
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    MarzBar85 wrote: »
    I love how some Job centre workers are complete jobsworths, whilst others are so helpful. I had one who was a complete and utter bitch, couldn't wait to sanction someone -almost like she was on commission. But the following week I had this lovely person who told me how to work the system, particularly when I find work, and when I work with agencies.

    Without turning this in to another job centre bashing thread, i know what you mean. My advisor who's been completely supportive with me until yesterday decided to query my job search diary and he tried to find something wrong with it to sanction me.

    I didn't realise that i didn't have a new diary for this week so he kindly gave me one and let me go home during the appointment so i could document the last two weeks job search in it and when i returned 10 minutes later, he decided to query it and talk down to me like a school kid. One minute he'd be happy with this week's diary, then the next minute he'd be finding any excuse to query the job search. This happened several times during the same appointment which got me very cross with him and i ended up telling him off.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,182
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    Got a start date, 16th July! Have to sign on this afternoon, think I will tell them I've been offered a job verbally but not had it confirmed in writing yet (which is true).

    Then when I go in again in two weeks' time, I'll be just about to start the job and they won't be able to do much especially if I make up some generic job seeking stuff for the next two weeks ;)
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