09 Mar 2015

A question about : Left permanent job to be student can i claim JSA afterwards?

I m a full time student on a one year long course. When it is over in May, I will need an income, i have tried to get a job but it is going really badly and the place i used to work has no vacancies, also my old job , i mainly did this course desperately to get away from some bullying. I m scared about going back there. to be honest.

Does anyone think I may not get JSA because i left my job volentry? i know i m doing a course, so i have some reason but, they could have given me part time position, which i backed away from. but i have heard on rumour that i could be sanction on jsa for leaving.
Any advice would be great thank you

there has also been a problem with my old job not giving a reference, and cost me employment.

Best answers:

  • You could try applying for JSA but be honest as to why you left. You might get sanctioned for x amount of weeks.
  • I left a full time job to do a degree, when I signed on after graduating they were only interested in the exact date term ended. I realise it was a three year course not one year but I don't think you'll have a problem.
  • If you voluntarily leave your job your JSA can be delayed for up to 26 weeks, I believe - can't reference the legislation just now but I'll add it if I find it. If you can't get JSA you may be able to apply for hardship payments - but don't know if you'd qualify or not.
    Explaining why you left is obviously going to be required, and may or may not go some way towards reducing the wait. There is such a thing as 'constructive dismissal' - you can't actually allege this as such but I would have thought that the bullying aspect may go slightly in your favour - especially if you some evidence to back up your claim such as health issues being caused.
    Don't know if this will be of any use but if you were a part time student you would be entitled to claim JSA. You say you only took up this course to get away from your job - so I'm thinking: have a word with the college to see if you can get on a part time course (16 hours per week or less I think it needs to be), then make your claim for JSA. You have, if I understand it right, been supporting yourself since starting your course - and you will soon be in a position where you won't be able to support yourself anymore. So you may want to consider changing to a part time course, claiming JSA, then if there is a waiting period it will start more or less now instead of in May, which will make it a three month rather than a six month wait.
    Also, if you left work to fund your own way through college and didn't in the meantime rely on state benefit, I'm not entirely sure that there would need to be a waiting period - it's just a hunch - but as you could have now been in receipt of a few weeks/months of JSA if you had simply given up work the waiting period would have been over by now had you made a JSA claim when you left your job. It seems kind of illogical that if you had sat around doing nothing you could now be getting JSA, but attendance at college gets you no benefit until next November. There may or may not be anything in this but I can try and look into it - or be advised by more knowledgeable members that I'm talking nonsense. [Edit: I see WillowCat has addressed this whilst I was writing and seems justifiably optimistic. You wouldn't have to mention the problems at your job]
    I assume you would be entitled to contribution based, as opposed to income based JSA, but don't know if that would make any difference.
    Don't forget to ask for a reconsideration of any adverse decision, and then you can appeal if necessary - it's always worth disputing benefit decisions as they are often overturned.
    Here's a .gov link you may want to click on - I may get time to look at this in more detail and may be able to add more after checking the docs out:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/public...rt-staff-guide
  • Giving up a job for any reason other than going to another job is a big no no with JCP
  • When you apply for JSA and they ask why you are claiming you simply say you finished your course on (whatever date) and you haven't yet been able to find a job.
    As far as I'm aware it's the last thing you did which they discuss - so leaving a course because it is finished is OK.
    Just like on these boards if someone says they left a job voluntarily and will they be sanctioned, the advice is to get a temp job, even if it is just one day, as if you are laid off from that there is no problem and DWP don't look back further as to why you left the last job but one.
  • There's some right Debbie Downers on here aren't here lol!
    Op You left work to become a student to gain more skills I presume? JSA shouldn't be a problem as it is allowed. Good luck with the job searching.
  • A six month sanction for leaving voluntarily would be from the date the last job ended, as this was more than 26 weeks ago it would not apply in this case, as long as the Op is actively seek ing and available for work they can claim JSA without sanction (for LV)
  • Hi all. I left my job on the 9th of september, 2014. I was told there would be a 6 month sanction had I claimed once i left my job. It is now coming up to the 6 month mark and i was thinking of making a claim. Will there be any sanctions since it's been 6 months i left my job? thanks
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