Jobseekers - Conditionality interview

[PerfectPlex]

Hi guys, for the first time in the past 10 years I've now been out of work for 3 months. I've been applying for jobs steadily every week and attending every meeting.

 

I today received a letter stating that I have to attend a "conditionality interview" ? The letter seems to suggest to hint it is to discuss any changes I may not have told them about? Has anyone on here ever had to attend this sort of meeting? I was assured this happens to every 1 in 10 people but I don't get why it is wasting both my time and theirs?

[Surf Digby]

It's not a term I've ever heard used at my JC+, but "conditionality" is their word for "measures you are taking to find work", so it's possibly just an assessment of what methods you're using, and as you're now at the 13 week mark, you'll qualify for extra support and training options.

[jm29195]

Conditionality as far as JSA goes is that the claimant should be actively seeking and available for work at its most basic level. This will be then (in theory) individualised to the Jobseeker's Agreement, which is where the claimant will say the specific steps they will take in returning to work.

 

A conditionality interview tends to be booked if, following a Fortnightly Jobsearch Review aka 'signing on' there is a doubt that the claimant has been fullfilling the terms of their Jobseeker's Agreement. The claimant will be asked about this and if required the claim will be referred to a Decision Maker to see if a sanction is appropriate.

 

If the interview was about potential non-declaration of a change of circumstance, for instance, then you would have been invited to an interview by someone called a compliance officer, and they would have probably used the term, to discuss your responsibilities while claiming benefit' in the letter.

 

Hope this helps!

[PerfectPlex]

It's not a term I've ever heard used at my JC+, but "conditionality" is their word for "measures you are taking to find work", so it's possibly just an assessment of what methods you're using, and as you're now at the 13 week mark, you'll qualify for extra support and training options.

 

 

ahh thanks mate! It's just certain parts of the letter I find very worrying?! haha

Such as "we are reviewing the infroamtional we currently hold on you. there may have been changes you have not yet told us about. It is essential that you attend this interview so we can discuss the matter further"

They've also asked for bank statements too? I don't have savings over 5.5k so I don't understand why that is either.

[PerfectPlex]

Conditionality as far as JSA goes is that the claimant should be actively seeking and available for work at its most basic level. This will be then (in theory) individualised to the Jobseeker's Agreement, which is where the claimant will say the specific steps they will take in returning to work.

 

A conditionality interview tends to be booked if, following a Fortnightly Jobsearch Review aka 'signing on' there is a doubt that the claimant has been fullfilling the terms of their Jobseeker's Agreement. The claimant will be asked about this and if required the claim will be referred to a Decision Maker to see if a sanction is appropriate.

 

If the interview was about potential non-declaration of a change of circumstance, for instance, then you would have been invited to an interview by someone called a compliance officer, and they would have probably used the term, to discuss your responsibilities while claiming benefit' in the letter.

 

Hope this helps!

Wow, see this is what I was hoping it wasn't regarding! The term conditionality as well. the fact they tried to play it off like it's something 1 in 10 people get made me suspicious.

[jm29195]

Conditionality as far as JSA goes is that the claimant should be actively seeking and available for work at its most basic level. This will be then (in theory) individualised to the Jobseeker's Agreement, which is where the claimant will say the specific steps they will take in returning to work.

 

A conditionality interview tends to be booked if, following a Fortnightly Jobsearch Review aka 'signing on' there is a doubt that the claimant has been fullfilling the terms of their Jobseeker's Agreement. The claimant will be asked about this and if required the claim will be referred to a Decision Maker to see if a sanction is appropriate.

 

If the interview was about potential non-declaration of a change of circumstance, for instance, then you would have been invited to an interview by someone called a compliance officer, and they would have probably used the term, to discuss your responsibilities while claiming benefit' in the letter.

 

Hope this helps!

Wow, see this is what I was hoping it wasn't regarding! The term conditionality as well. the fact they tried to play it off like it's something 1 in 10 people get made me suspicious.

 

I wouldn't worry about it to much if you've got nothing to hide. If you have made any error in conditionality, you can say it was by mistake due to you not knowing how the benefit system works, due not having claimed before. Also they can and do make mistakes - often not helped by the appalling layout of the system generated letters which rarely if ever make sense.

[Allstar69]

what have you been putting in to your job diary sometimes they want loads of information and a follow up on what you did. Be careful as although the jc is there to help you they still give people that are looking for work and doing there best shite. You have to play them at there own game

[King Pitcos]

Yeah, my nervous, depressed mate went into an awful panic when they started questioning the things he'd written in his lie-book. He got away with it though. Only got kicked off it when he didn't turn up for the mandatory work experience.

[BiffingtonClyro]

The lie book is easy as fuck. You just lie. I think I've put "Subway Sandwich Artist - Applied" about twenty times. I never get questioned either. Some of the advisors are cunts though. It's understandable to an extent. They have morons saying they're looking for a job when they don't even have the common sense to do a fucking CV for themselves.

 

I think the best bet for the government would be to roll out the work program for anybody searching for a job. I think you need to have been unempolyed for about six months in order to go on it. It would cost a shit load more money to the government but it's obvious that the work program advisors get people into work a lot quicker than the normal Job centre staff.

[Allstar69]

The lie book is easy as fuck. You just lie. I think I've put "Subway Sandwich Artist - Applied" about twenty times. I never get questioned either. Some of the advisors are cunts though. It's understandable to an extent. They have morons saying they're looking for a job when they don't even have the common sense to do a fucking CV for themselves.

 

I think the best bet for the government would be to roll out the work program for anybody searching for a job. I think you need to have been unempolyed for about six months in order to go on it. It would cost a shit load more money to the government but it's obvious that the work program advisors get people into work a lot quicker than the normal Job centre staff.

not really mate i been on the work programme for 6 months closest i came to a job was g4s but that was a royal fuck up for me. Got everything all my tickets and ended up not getting any work. But there are helping me change from job seekers to self employed which is a much better option for me as im sick of the dole and the shite ive put up with everytime ive been on it.

[BiffingtonClyro]

Ah, sorry to hear that. I've been on the work programme for a total of about three months and had lots of offers and interviews. Maybe some agencies are just better at finding vacancies, or maybe it's because I live in a big city there's more work. They've been really helpful for me anyway and I only have background in shitty retail jobs.

[Kata Ha Jime]

When I was on JSA I only had one advisor who actually helped, the rest could not give a fuck. Though listening to some of the crap they put up with I'm sure I wouldn't have lasted a day. Closest I came to a job was temp work at Tesco but I found a job just before that.

 

The book may as well be lies, they never check, one of my advisors use to ring and ask how I did but I could have put anything in that book. I also had my money stopped twice because of "errors" and was never told why. Still had to show up though.

[TheBeard]

It's nothing to worry about. Just a review of where you're at in your job search. They'll ask what you're doing to find work and if there is any help they can give you in the form training, work placements etc.

The time's I've signed on I've never once given them a bank statement.

[Mike Castle]

Ah, sorry to hear that. I've been on the work programme for a total of about three months and had lots of offers and interviews. Maybe some agencies are just better at finding vacancies, or maybe it's because I live in a big city there's more work. They've been really helpful for me anyway and I only have background in shitty retail jobs.

The "work programme" may as well be entitled "The was we can get people kicked off Job Seeker's Allowance by pissing them off".

 

Not that I have any major problem if it was done well, such as say, in your situation where you could do with additional experience, and in the past case of myself when I was a workshy layabout before being forced into working in a charity store, which got me into a work ethic. Unfortunately they don't try and pair the person to any sort of job, and they are more than happy to throw people into work in companies who should, by rights, be paying for the staff.

 

A couple of years back I was expected to work in Poundland for 30 hours a week on my basic job seeker's allowance. They actually wound up with fifteen of us there, despite only having about the same amount of paid staff who only worked 15 hours a week. So they tripled the amount of time they had staff working in the store (cutting some of their staff's overtime in doing so) just by getting free labour in. My view is if they needed that much staff they should be paying for those staff.

 

Earlier this year while I was still on my college course they were attempting to force me out of the course to go and work for free in a charity store. Sorry but I fail to see how me volunteering at British Heart, when I was one of three people who ran Help The Aged, is going to benefit me in any way if it means dragging me off a course that gets me into University and will open far more doors than working for fuck all shoving books onto a shelf will.

 

As for not pairing the person with the job, the guys I was working alongside back when I originally went into British Heart were ones that had tons of life experience in specific fields, I can't remember specifics now, but it would be like sending someone who is used to being an area manager for a large corporation into a factory putting stickers on boxes. Absolutely zero benefit for most.

 

All being well we'll get round to stamping out the shitty Workfare sooner rather than later, or at least restricting it to charity organizations and only offering it to people who absolutely need the experience or are lazy fucks.

[Chest Rockwell]

The lie book is easy as fuck. You just lie. I think I've put "Subway Sandwich Artist - Applied" about twenty times. I never get questioned either. Some of the advisors are cunts though. It's understandable to an extent. They have morons saying they're looking for a job when they don't even have the common sense to do a fucking CV for themselves.

 

I think the best bet for the government would be to roll out the work program for anybody searching for a job. I think you need to have been unempolyed for about six months in order to go on it. It would cost a shit load more money to the government but it's obvious that the work program advisors get people into work a lot quicker than the normal Job centre staff.

not really mate i been on the work programme for 6 months closest i came to a job was g4s but that was a royal fuck up for me. Got everything all my tickets and ended up not getting any work. But there are helping me change from job seekers to self employed which is a much better option for me as im sick of the dole and the shite ive put up with everytime ive been on it.

 

 

G4s! That's the spirit; a good topical lie.