Thread: JSA - New Grad seeking work

Hi;

My son is 23, is just completing a degree course in Computer Animation and is seeking work.

He knows that he will have to take whatever he can get whilst looking for the "right" job.

He had a year out, so had some income at that time before going back to university.

So he is a jobseeker - Is he entitled to Jobseekers allowance?

I found the on-line advice confusing and apparently contradictory, so thought I would ask!

Thanks Bob

Not sure what advice you have seen that you have found confusing or contradictory, so hope this information helps.

If your son is unemployed, has a low income, savings of less than £6,000 and is capable and actively seeking work then he will be eligible for JSA. If he is working but less than 16 hours a week or he has savings between £6,000 and £16,000 then he may still be entitled but will probably get a lower rate of JSA than normal. The only other thing I know that affects it is if he is living with a partner and they are working as this is taken into consideration.

If he was working fairly recently he may be eligible for contributions based JSA at first but it would depend on when he was working and how much National Insurance was paid as a result.

The problem some graduates face with JSA is that you have to be looking for any work you are capable of doing and if they state that they are only looking at a certain field or a certain salary then this can cause problems with their claim (though, I think you for the first 13 weeks of a claim you can look at a narrower field). However, from what you say this should not be a problem for your son.

Has he joined any temping agencies especially IT ones? I know a few graduates who did this rather than sign on and they gained some good experience.

Good luck to your son. I hope he finds a something in his field soon.

Originally Posted by Aviva

Not sure what advice you have seen that you have found confusing or contradictory, so hope this information helps.

Thank you, Aviva;
The advice I was conused by was the official guidance, which seemed to give a list which didn't include him. It was probably the way I read it rather than the way it was written

Originally Posted by Aviva

Has he joined any temping agencies especially IT ones? I know a few graduates who did this rather than sign on and they gained some good experience.

Good luck to your son. I hope he finds a something in his field soon.

Good advice, and thank you for your wishes - He is leaving at a difficult time for graduates (and everyone else!), but he will do what needs to be done.

Thanks again & Regards
Bob