Hi Jmarie80, I am happy for you that you found a job and that it was one suited to you career aims, well done. I am still in transition since graduating and trying to find the job that will spark my career in medical research; so far I have taken a number of temporarylow paid manual jobs and between these had to rely on benefits of one for or another. I am still actively seeking work and will take whatever opportunity is afforded to me. My point isn't that UJS should be removed it is more about the way 'hardline' elements within JC+ are misusing the stipulation to register with UJS to vent their wn political frustrations on benefit climants in general. It has been a mixed bag. Some job advisors have been incredibly professional and helped me personally find work; others have been autocratic, judgemental and interested only in their own ability to 'wield power' over someone in less fortunate circumstances - life is a mixed bag! I have found other sites and email feeds of more use to me and more productive in finding and applying for jobs of all kinds. UJS has not [in my experience] improved on performance. So it is my objection to being bullied and intimidated by advisors who are poor at their jobs - and consequently, adverslely affected my job search activity - which has made me politically active. These advisors are misleading claimants, applying directives inappropriately and riding roughshod over peoples rights to privacy. I don't want to live in a nanny state where I am presumed guilty prior to facts with an autocrat frog-marching me to JC+ every day and standing over me to 'make sure' I pay with blood sweat and tears for a benefit I am entitled to and have 'when working' paid national insurance contributions for. If we should follow the rules stipulated my the new statutes then so should these advisors. It is becoming more apharent that breaches in the way JC+ deliver their service, and possibly illegal targets [see recent news reports of whistle-blowers and the use of sanctions to reduce the benefits bill] as the undisclosed 'bear traps' put in place to legitimise the removal of JSA from claimants - these measures can ruin lives and should only be applied sparingly as a last resort, not routinely to enable a bad government to ballance its books after implementing a raft of badly thought out policy. I hope this clarifies my position a little. I still continue to job-search to the best of my ability and continue to be held back and frustrated by elements in JC+ who seem to have chosen me to 'punish' as a focus for their own personal limitations as human beings. I wish you all success in your new job Jmarie80.

This is well worth a read for you: tells you what JS+ can and cant do & what you can do if they are found in breach of standards also how much compensation could be awarded - K got 10,000 quid! www ombudsman.org.uk/reports-and-consultations/reports/parliamentary/small-mistakes,-big-consequences/15

skwalker1964. wordpress.com/2013/09/21/yet-more-dwp-illegality/comment-page-1/ whatdotheyknow.com/request/compulsory_use_of_universal_jobm johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/claimants-snub-universal-jobmatch-and-foil-dwps-snooping-plans/ The above links are worth surfing before you decide what to do. Also check out these; dg_202270.pdf ombudsman.org.uk/make-a-complaint And; email to the following who are asking claiments to share their experiences of JC+, their breaching of rules & privacy rights, being 'bullied' into using UJM - with a view to bringing a class action to the courts noconsentuj @gmail.com Good luck & spread the word. The more of us who stand together the harder it is for them to push us around.