Claiming JSA on the bench?

[psychocandy]

and that is pre-tax as well...

I applied once but got a role before the 10 days cool down ended so never got paid anything. I was so annoyed about the process and the type of people it benefits I wouldn't claim it again just so I can be happily oblivious of the scroats the bleed the system. It is worth not claiming it so as not to step foot in another job center IMO so agree with Mal, purely personal choice as it is so little financial incentive.

Job centres are scroat city.

First time I walked into local one there was a security guard on the door. He grabbed me as I walked past to ask me what I wanted. Then I noticed everyone had to tell him why they were there.

Apparently, this is normal for job centres in some place. (I am in Zooport though after all!)

[northernladuk]

Job centres are scroat city.

First time I walked into local one there was a security guard on the door. He grabbed me as I walked past to ask me what I wanted. Then I noticed everyone had to tell him why they were there.

Apparently, this is normal for job centres in some place. (I am in Zooport though after all!)

Mine was center of Salford so not a pleasant place as you can imagine. There was a security gaurd at the entrance and one upstairs where all the interviews were held. Never again.

[stek]

Compare with RAV in Switzerland. My mate contracted there for two years, finished, claimed and got around 70% of his last earnings for 400 working days then it starts tapering off. No means test.

[FiveTimes]

I believe Ireland used to offer 250 euro/week for 12 months

[The Spartan]

I'd like to contract there

[stek]

Mine was center of Salford so not a pleasant place as you can imagine. There was a security gaurd at the entrance and one upstairs where all the interviews were held. Never again.

4 for the gaurd? It's worth 10!! Offer me 6.....

[psychocandy]

Compare with RAV in Switzerland. My mate contracted there for two years, finished, claimed and got around 70% of his last earnings for 400 working days then it starts tapering off. No means test.

Wouldnt bother looking for a new contract for a while then !!!!

[quackhandle]

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

During previous bench periods I'd never bothered claiming as you get in the mindset of why bother I could find a new gig in a few days and the form filling is a real ball ache but in 2009 I had to bite the bullet and go down the local job center. Obi-wan had it spot on.

I remember seeing local chav types being given emergency loans and the women taking about using it to go off on holiday with and the fellers going down the pub. Or the bookies. Then you'd get a number of very scared 50+ year old fellers suited and booted armed with reams of CVs sitting telling the JC staff "I was MD of so-and-so, I was on 80K, they made me redundant, what do I do now?" It is strange telling the JC staff what you have been earning, and most of them don't even understand the world of contracting. "I don't understand why you only look for jobs on the internet. Is there any more you can do to look for a job?"

I always felt you were just a number/name to be ticked off the list when you gain any form of employment, they don't care what it pays or what it does. Really its just playing the game and trying to get them to understand and trying not to let it get you down. There is a good post on here somewhere that explains that like a company that makes widgets, you have been laid off (by your company) as demand for widgets has dropped. But you could be working for them again when demand for widgets picks up.

Best of Britsh.

qh

[psychocandy]

To be fair to the jobcentre staff, they do seem to have to put up with tons of scumbags by the looks of things.

Once you get over the hurdle of trying to explain things, when they realise you're going to be polite to them etc, it all gets sorted.

Like I said in previous post, about the form asking me to commit to minimum wage within an hours drive. I talked to the jobcentre manager at the time and we sorted that out but I remember him saying that there were some people who refused to take jobs if they even had to catch a bus (i.e they wanted a job within walking distance of their house!) because it was too inconvenient! This is why they had this form.

[Antman]

To give an idea of the kind of people you meet there, a friend told that in the job centre in Castleford a woman (white) came in to sign-on and brought her two mixed race kids with her, when they started messing about, she called out "Beyonce, Jay-Z come here now!"