Home Home, Law & Money
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨

Jobseekers Allowance - Payment?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone can help me here seeing as I can't find any information on the internet on this.

I have my interview with the Job Centre on Friday and I was wondering how long after you sign on do you get your first payment? I have been told it's three days after you sign on but my Dad feels it's unlikely they will pay you up front like that and he thinks it will be two weeks after I sign on they'll pay me. I'm not quite sure and I don't know how all of this works but I was thinking about the people who need immediate financial help - would the council allow them no money and expect them to survive for two weeks without any support at all?

Thank you for any help at all.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Your claim is started the minute you contact the jobcentre about JSA.
    It's then backdated to that day and you will be paid a lump sum around 2/3 weeks after you sign on for the first time.
    From then onwards, your money is paid 3 days or so after you sign on.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you :).

    It looks like I'm going to need to borrow some money from my Dad until payday to get my hair done for my weekend away :(. I'm sure that's going to go down well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you :).

    It looks like I'm going to need to borrow some money from my Dad until payday to get my hair done for my weekend away :(. I'm sure that's going to go down well.

    It's not PAYDAY!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a day where I get paid. It sounds like pay day to me!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a day where I get paid. It sounds like pay day to me!


    You make it sound like you are getting your wages / pay. You should refer to it as benefit day.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Does it really matter?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes, dont ever refer to it as 'payday' especially at the job centre..they wont be too pleased..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why is this? Because you're pedantic or just politically correct?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why is this? Because you're pedantic or just politically correct?

    It has nothing to do with being politically correct. It will be payday - when you earn the money you receive.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm used to calling it payday from the years I have worked. I'm sorry if it offended anyone and I wasn't going to walk in to the Job Centre guns blazing yelling "IT'S PAYDAY!", I made an error and was simply wondering if it really mattered on a forum.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I couldnt care less if you refered to it as payday on here, I was just pointing out that the people at the job centre might not be too pleased if you were to call it that in front of them.
    They probably wouldnt care anyway tbh, but from my experience they can get a bit arsey if they think you are not looking for work..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The only reason I am there is because I'm looking for work. If a job landed in my lap right now I'd take it with no hesitation and I'm careful with what I say around people who have influence over the way I'm going to be able to pay my rent. Unfortunately, not too many companies are hiring around this area and if they are they're looking for more experience than I have.

    Do you think the Job Centre will be able to sort something out? I've never dealt with them before so I'm not sure just how thorough their searches are. I know I'll have to do all of the work myself but in your experience are the databases good for a broad range of work?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    personally, no. I think the services the job centre provides are pretty poor.
    That said though i have gotten a job through them once, a pretty good one too. But i think that just came down to pure fluke and good timing.
    What sort of work are you looking for? There should be plenty of jobs going in shops at the moment (or soon) because all the students that currently occupy those jobs will be going home for the summer/leaving because of exams
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I worked in retail throughout my school years so I have more experience in a shop than I do anywhere else. I have good audio typing skills, I can type 70 words per minute, I know a computer inside out, HTML, Flash, CSS so I could do computer programming but I have no qualifications in it, just my own personal experience with a father and boyfriend who both have degrees in that area. I've also worked in a call centre so I hope something will come up.

    I've only recently come out of Uni for family reasons and my sister is still young at five so I need to be free in the evenings to take care of her. I'm really looking for shop work 9-5 and to work my way up through the store and gain more experience. Maybe one day down the line I'll get offered a new job within the company/another company. Maybe it's wishful thinking but I'm a positive thinker.

    Thank you for the information. Do you think an employment agency is a good idea?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote: »
    yes, dont ever refer to it as 'payday' especially at the job centre..they wont be too pleased..

    what a load of shite.. like they give a fuck

    call it whatever the fuck you like
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And don't tell them you need the money to get your hair done, that won't go down well either.

    If you've got typing/computer skills like that then an employment agency could be a good plan. I'm no where near that good and get plenty of offers from the one I'm with.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    would the council allow them no money and expect them to survive for two weeks without any support at all?


    It isn't really up to the council but from my knowledge of benefits etc you can get crisis loans etc from the DWP via the Jobcentre, but they have to be paid back.

    Were you asking for yourself or just out of interest? I don't think you would be eligible if you can borrow money so easily off your dad, and if getting your hair done before going away for a weekend is yuor top priority then you're hardly in crisis. If you were just asking for general information then I guess what you spend your money on doesn't matter.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Really don't see what all the fuss is about with her calling it payday tbh... I'm sure she has sense enough not to say that to the jobcentre staff and its actually none of their business what she uses the money for, she's entitled to it. :rolleyes:

    I used to sign on on a Friday which meant I got the money through on Wednesdays; to answer one of your questions.

    At the jobcentre the 'jobcentre points' that you can search on seem a bit limited. They're worth checking regulally though because otherwise you can easily miss things, as they're often updated.

    If you're looking for retail work not all places contact the jobcentre to advertise that way... a lot of shops and stuff just have adverts in their own windows, so take walks around checking for posters in shop windows a lot. Some shops don't even bother advertising because they get so many speculative letters and CVs that they don't have to; so send them out reguardless of if you've seen adverts for vaccancies in places you'd like to work.

    Local newspapers and free newspapers often have different jobs to the ones you find at the jobcentre to look at them as often as you can too.

    The jobcentre have a website that you can do job searches on too... it can be pretty useful. I don't think they have exactly the same jobs on there as at the jobcentre though, so check both.

    They don't really give you any help with looking for a job when you sign on unless you've been long-term unemployed and get put on New Deal. But they expect you do to a minimum of 3 things to find a job every week and you'll probably be given a booklet that you have to fill in so they can see what you're doing to look for work; which you have to take with you every time you sign on incase they want to check that you're doing enough to be given the money for JSA.

    Hope that helps a little. And best of luck with finding a job! :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Everyone refers to it as pay day.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I did when I was on it....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Don't rely on the job centre to find you a job, apply to every job you think you might be good at in the newspaper. You're bound to get one of them!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    Don't rely on the job centre to find you a job, apply to every job you think you might be good at in the newspaper. You're bound to get one of them!

    :yes: Even if it is just a few hours a week in the local shop.
Sign In or Register to comment.