Anyone is/been long term unemployed?

Addickson's God

Having worked pretty much continually for the last 36 years until recent unemployment, I am a bit of a stranger to the benefits system (having used savings where necessary), but have been staggered by the lack of financial help available.

I have been patiently waiting for three months for my housing benefit claim to be processed, only to discover when queried that it only applies after 13 weeks, and my only entitlement is £60 pw jobseeker’s allowance. I have a fortnightly 16 mile round trip to sign on for this bonanza, yet get the same sum as a 25 year old, living next door to the office who has yet to earn anything to tax. This seems to be the only government contribution I’m entitled to, or are I missing a trick?

I have always seethed (not always quietly) at the racist comments of several of my friends, but when you read that Abu Hamza has a people carrier paid for by the tax-payer and owns several properties despite never having worked, I do begin to wonder. Why exactly are all these asylum seekers queuing at Calais if they are only getting the same hand-outs as myself?

RalphMilnesgut

If you have not already looked try here.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/benefits/faq_index_benefits.htm

Goonerhater

A Gold good luck mate i have only signed on once in 36 years as well.

To answer your question walk down Deptford High Street and count the number of offices and "legal" people offering advice on benefits/ Asylum and imigration there is a whole industry to help them

Ledge

never signed on in my life

eaststandmike

My sister in law and her husband live in a nice house just outside of Meopham, opposite is an even nicer house, fekkin huge, swimmimg pool the lot, I asked my SIL what the guy does for a living, she informed me he is an immigrant himself and his business is assisting other "Immigrants" to complete benifit applications etc as well as arranging translators for them because they cannot speak English.

It must pay well!!!

Good luck "A God", hope you find a job or get some more help.

Goonerhater

last year in ASDA Charlton i was in a que to pay and 2 women and a guy were infront of me, they had two trollies over flowing. When they came to pay it was all vouchers ? the lady on the till did her nut and then kept saying sorry to me.she had to sign every voucher and then £50 had to be signed by her supervisor. First she asked them where they got the vuchers ? and did they know it should only be used for babys milk ??? but the 3 couldnt speak english. Then the suppervisor checked to see if the could be used on genaral grouceries and if they where nicked ( all 3 where asked but couldnt speak english). Although the lady on the till kept saying sorry i thought it was intresting. when they finaly got to end of the signing of the vouchers (total over£250) the till lady says to her suppervisor " theyare £15 short" the guy then gets his wallet out and pays the £15. So i say to him " funny mate how you understod her and can now speak English isnt it ?"

what the vouchers where f**K knows,but nice to knw the good old tax payer paid.

Bournemouth Addick

Having moved back to the UK in Jan my wife has been signing on while trying to get work. She too is only entitled to the £60 job seekers allowance which will run out in a month or two anyway as, having been abroad for 18 months, she didn't pay any NI during the previous year. Fair enough you might say but they completely ignore the fact she has paid into the system for the previous 30 plus years of course. Contrast with the Abu Hamza's, etc, of this world who rock up, never work a day in their life, cause nothing but grief, yet seem to be handed over fistfulls of cash and assistance.

Speaking from experience, you get nothing, nowt, rien(!) in France until such time as you have paid into the system for a couple of years. No wonder people are queing up to come here is it?

LargeAddick

jiimymelrose lives in France and he was claiming whilst initially bringing up his young son but after a while they insist you look for a job, then interview for jobs, then take a job, then foist a job on you and if you refuse your benefits are stopped. End of. Why do we get is sooooooo wrong.

Bournemouth Addick

[cite]Posted By: LargeAddick[/cite]jiimymelrose lives in France and he was claiming whilst initially bringing up his young son but after a while they insist you look for a job, then interview for jobs, then take a job, then foist a job on you and if you refuse your benefits are stopped. End of. Why do we get is sooooooo wrong.

That's pretty much it summed up Large. They look after the kids (we don't have any) but otherwise you are on your own pal until you've contibuted. We were registered unemployed for a year out there, in order to help with setting up as business, but didn't get one single cent. We still had to attend regular meetings with the authroities to prove what we were doing about finding work though. When my wife signs on and shows them her documents showing what's she's done to find work they look at her like she's landed from Mars - I don't think they've ever seen anyone actually fill the thing in before.

ken from bexley

I have every sympathy for anyone experiencing unemployment, having been made redundant in my industry twice before.In fact I started to watch Charlton again as I qualified as a UB40 discount at Charlton. What a great scheme and gave me a great boost, from the dull numbness of unemployment and 'job clubs'.....Back in 98 if you had kids they gave you milk vouchers, and the supermarkets used to check them, to see you had not bought a bottle of booze instead. As a father of twins I had the humiliation of bringing the Asda at Bexleyheath to a standstill because I bought 15 bottles of fresh milk for my twin sons. the manager was called, I was totally devastated and shamed. The fact that I had paid into a scheme as I do now as a 'professional' as I did before has stayed with me ever since. I have not shopped there since.
I found a job and have worked ever since, keep in there 'god' there are some decent people around, and I found some at Charlton!

The system is unfair, and unjust especially when you play the' game' ........

charltonkeston

I was made redundant a few years ago. Signed on, few weeks later I received a letter informing me that I was not entitled to any benefit due to the circumstances of my redundancy but I should continue to sign on to get NI credits. I wrote back telling them that I wouldn’t be wasting any more of their time. It left me felling very bitter after paying in for 25 years. I then had a bit of luck a friend offered me cash in hand work, so I did that for 4 months and the government got sod all.

Badger

[cite]Posted By: charltonkeston[/cite]I was made redundant a few years ago. Signed on, few weeks later I received a letter informing me that I was not entitled to any benefit due to the circumstances of my redundancy.

would be interested to know what is meant by "circumstances of my redundancy" sounds a bit worrying,i might be made redundant soon only been there 5 years and not sure what type of redundancy would be thrown at me.

I'll have to wait and see.

Addickted

Was called into my CEOs office in Feb last year to discuss my forthcoming payrise. Surprised to be told that the organisation was moving in a 'different direction' and my role was being made redundant. Complete surpise. Completely out of the blue.

I was offered a couple of other positions in the firm and given four weeks gardening leave to think over the offer. I decided not to accept the other positions and moved on with a reasonable redundancy package and three months in lieu.

I applied for a couple of positions, one of which I was offered, but decided to wait a while as I didn't think it was right for me. My mother then fell ill and I thought I'd take some time out and care for her. I initially took jobseekers allowance - without any intention of really finding a job - but that ran out in september and I switched to a carers allowance, whereby I could get a part time local job to help out. Everything I went for had 'already been filled' or I had no response to my enquiries. I'm glad I decided to do this as I spent six months with my mother that bought us closer together in difficult times for the pair of us.

My mother passed away in the New Year and I have been looking for full time employment ever since. I have had four interviews - three of which I was told I was 'over qualified' and one that never even bothered to get back to me. My problem is that I had a fairly senior role in Social Housing, which I no longer want as I was fed up with doing 60/70 hour weeks. I am applying for less senior roles and most employers seem to think I'm only taking the job on until something better comes along. I'm not. I just want a 9-5 which I am able to give an employer 100% commitment and excellent value for money.

I have now registered with a few agencies and told them just to get me a fairly local job and pronto, regardless of the money or length of contract. I am unable to claim any benefits so I've started to dig into my savings.

I've never gone through three months like this and to be honest I'm not sure when it will end. When I was made redundant previously in 1992, I just walked into another job - but then I was a young, thrusting individual making my way up the greast pole. How times change!

Anyway, back to the job searching..........

DA9

For anyone interested, there maybe a part time role (Saturdays and 1-2 days midweek) becoming available next month at my place in Dartford, woman I work with is going on sabbatical (sic) until early October, and they look like they are going to go down the temp route, but doing it via networking and looking after your own will be quicker, cheaper and good for the soul.

Will post again when I know more.

Paddy Powell

[cite]Posted By: Addickson's God[/cite]Having worked pretty much continually for the last 36 years until recent unemployment, I am a bit of a stranger to the benefits system (having used savings where necessary), but have been staggered by the lack of financial help available.

I have been patiently waiting for three months for my housing benefit claim to be processed, only to discover when queried that it only applies after 13 weeks, and my only entitlement is £60 pw jobseeker’s allowance. I have a fortnightly 16 mile round trip to sign on for this bonanza, yet get the same sum as an 18 year old, living next door to the office who has yet to earn anything to tax. This seems to be the only government contribution I’m entitled to, or are I missing a trick?

Do you rent your house or are you the owner? Were you made redundant/sacked or did you leave your job for another reason? Do you have more than £6000 in savings/premium bonds/Hungarian luncheon vouchers etc.?

They are basic questions but the answers make a huge difference to what you're entitled to, and when you are entitled to it.

Rock Spectacle

All the very best of luck with this lot, they are genuinely hopeless - the fiasco that has been going on for two over years with my other half's injury (shattered tibia and fibula) is something you could not make up. Even now, yet another cock up means that she has not received a penny in incapacity sine the day we sacked Pardew. Thye will try your patience to the limit but get in their face as much as you can. Seriously, all the best and remember that there are an awful lot of people righ now beating their head in frustration atnot being able to obtain something they are due having paid infinitely more over their working lives in the first place.

Goonerhater

My father (RIP) fought all through 2nd World War was a trade unionist all his working life and a paid member of the Labour Party for decades as faras i know he worked all his life till his retirement and never claimed benefit. When he was 66 he had a stroke .although he recovered he needed nursing (part time). He paid tax till he died at the age of 85, he paid for his care till he died.
The system is shit and makes you feel like your being mugged when you are in fact a paying into it.

Essex_Al

[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]My father (RIP) fought all through 2nd World War was a trade unionist all his working life and a paid member of the Labour Party for decades as faras i know he worked all his life till his retirement and never claimed benefit. When he was 66 he had a stroke .although he recovered he needed nursing (part time). He paid tax till he died at the age of 85, he paid for his care till he died.
The system is shit and makes you feel like your being mugged when you are in fact a paying into it.

I manage a Sheltered Housing scheme for the elderly. We have a lady living here that has two private pensions (that she pays tax on) plus her state pension. She has less money in her purse every week than the majority of others that only have the state pension, but have everything paid, rent etc. through the benefit system. It's totally wrong that this lady has worked all of her life, put her money in her pensions and is still worse off than those who made no provisions for themselves. Why her pensions are taxed I'll never know, she's already paid tax on her money before it was paid in and now she's getting a double whammy and paying again!


Addickted - what type of role in housing are you looking for. I know a few councils and RSL's, I could keep an eye out for you.

Miserableoldgit

My dad is 76 and still Carpet-fitting (albeit very part-time).
Because he does this (1. To keep fit, 2.because he enjoys work)he is entitled to nothing at-all in help from the "government" for his council-tax, etc.
And he still pays tax on his earnings.