Jobcentre information session and interview??

[zohar]

I've been asked to attend an 'information session and interview' at my Jobcentre. It's a group thing looking at CVs, training and other opportunities to help people get back to work.

 

Afterwards there's a one on one interview with an advisor to review your JSA and for you to give details about what you've done to find work. The letter goes on to say that if you can't show you're doing enough to find work 'a decision will have to be made concerning whether you are eligible for JSA'. It seemscurious it doesn't use the usual 'your claim may be referred to a decision maker etc' wording....

 

I'm just wondering if anyone else has been to an in-house JCP session like this with a personal interview afterwards, or if anyone can give me an idea what to expect?

[Mr.P]

Must admit, my experience of JCP procedures and activities are a little dated. But when I have had these "claimant reviews", it ended up being a ruse to impose additional requirement via the Jobseeker's Agreement. For example, I let it be known that I had regular access to the internet and used a number of sites for job searches. This was duly twisted and entered in to the JSAg as "will search online daily for vacancies and check X, Y, & Z sites". Of course, the minute my broadband service goes offline, the prospect of a sanction loomed.

 

Lesson learned: Respond to questions with the vaguest of answers, commit to nothing, and check through that JSAg (or Claimant Commitment) carefully before signing it.

 

If you do get asked about things like how often you use the internet or check emails, reply with "oh, from time to time...".

[zohar]

Thanks for replying.

 

I sort of feel that it's inevitable that they will put more pressure on me to look for work. Since I posted this thread I've heard from someone else that they are requiring people to attend JCP for 'supervised job searches', so there's a risk that by saying my internet access is intermittent, they'll require me to do that, or do it more frequently. Apparently some people have to go in daily, whilst others only attend weekly.

[zohar]

I attended this yesterday and it turned out to be a group session to inform us that at some unspecified date in the future we are going to be transferred over to Universal Credit from JSA, and what our obligations would be in order to continue to be eligible for benefits. There was no 'one-on-one' interview afterwards and no request to show any evidence of our recent jobsearch activities, although I made sure I was covered just in case, with print outs of job applications, a job interview confirmation and emails with recruitment agencies.

 

So, I'm safe for now but really not looking forward to transitioning over to Universal Credit with its apparent increase in conditionality but also the fact that we were told we will have to wait 4 weeks from our last JSA payment to our first UC payment. It's scandalous that they can get away with that when we're already struggling on such a small amount of money.