Made my first claim for JSA and had an interview with a so called advisor today. All i will say is that the whole system is now designed for confrontation between the DWP, and the claimant.

she kept pushing me to go self employed and if i declined, i was not taking every step to find employment

Being self employed might be OK for some people, but not me. I prefer a regular wage each week for stability.

I know nothing on business plans, web design, tax, insurance etc, not to mention a working internet and phone. I am also no salesman to promote any sort of business. It is a regular job that pays a wage i am after, why do they fail to understand that basic concept

She was even talking of sending me on this mandatory work placement, even though i have just signed on for the first time. well i was a good little boy and kept quiet, for now that is

Made my first claim for JSA and had an interview with a so called advisor today. All i will say is that the whole system is now designed for confrontation between the DWP, and the claimant.

 

she kept pushing me to go self employed and if i declined, i was not taking every step to find employment

 

Being self employed might be OK for some people, but not me. I prefer a regular wage each week for stability.

 

I know nothing on business plans, web design, tax, insurance etc, not to mention a working internet and phone. I am also no salesman to promote any sort of business. It is a regular job that pays a wage i am after, why do they fail to understand that basic concept

 

She was even talking of sending me on this mandatory work placement, even though i have just signed on for the first time. well i was a good little boy and kept quiet, for now that is

I am self-employed - have developed a business plan, have commissioned a lovely website, use the pc competently and maintain my website, have invested in stock and used my creativity to produce hand-made, recycled and upcycled products, have a whole basketful of academic qualifications (including a really good degree in English/History, secretarial qualifications, etc) ............................... and I have to claim JSA because .............................. I don't earn anything yet!! Takes a while for any business to get off the ground. Ideally, I would love to pursue my own interests and not have to job search but needs must!

It's Catch 22 - if we can't find a job, they advise us to go self-employed and when we don't earn enough money each week, they advise us to claim JSA. I'm almost 60, spend 15 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds per week developing my own business and the rest of the week doing voluntary work and searching for a job.

Perhaps, instead of giving totally inadequate W2W providers ridiculous amounts of money to "find us work", the DWP should instead support small new business ventures. I'd much rather work for myself than for others.

Impecunious!

Thanks for the response,

It seems it is all driven to get people off the statistics, and not about the person who at the end of the day just wants a job to pay the bills

I am doing a law degree at the moment through the open university and for a hour a week do voluntary work, jet i am treated as a work shy scrounger with the slave forced labour, or being forced into self employment just to massage the statistics. When did we stop caring as a nation and allow this treatment of the less fortunate in society, and demonise them

As this isn't a political site I don't think I ought to answer that!!

Whilst I think self employment should be suggested, (because some people are better suited to it) it shouldn't be something you should have to do. Some people would be unable to go self employed for whatever reason.

Seems crazy to me considering pretty soon all us self employed ones will have to be earning minimum wage based on about 36 hours a week. So you're right, they will bounce us all onto JSA eventually. Well, it will be some work program thing because they couldn't possible show the sudden rise in unemployment they are going to be creating.

i have already stated to the advisor that if she puts me on this mandatory work routine, on my day off i will be demonstrating outside the shop/business highlighting the companies participation in work fare

You want me to go self employed? Fine I have a business plan and it needs £20,000 by way of start up funds, as soon as JCP arrange the finance I'm good to go, until then....................

not going off topic but

if a job centre advisor decides to put you on this mandatory workfare,

can you disagree and ask for a decision from an independant case examiner prior to starting the mandatory work activity assignment

I'm in the same boat, I think if they gave everybody who had a business plan, website and the guts to set up a small business £3000 to sign off then there would be a great chance to kickstart the economy again.

They've farmed far to many jobs out and cut far to many public sector jobs without giving the lower end of the private sector adequate funding.