Signing on and off the dole

Bit of advice please,
My work contract is finishing a bit earlier than expected so I may need to sign on the dole. Thing is I’ve a 10 week holiday booked from mid September so while I’d happily take a short term contract between now and when I leave (as its all extra funds) if I was to be offered a full time placement I’d have to turn it down which I can’t see the dole office being particularly happy with. The original plan was to finish work a week before I left but that’s not an option any more and as the holiday is all booked and paid for, plus it being pretty much a trip of a life time through Japan, NZ & Oz, there is no way on earth I’m cancelling it.

I’ve already started looking / applying for short term stuff now and will be signing on as soon as this contract ends assuming I’ve not found anything. However if I don’t find anything before I go away, how will signing off the dole in mid September affect signing back on in late November?

Also if anyone needs any 2D or 3D CAD work doing, big or small, please let me know.

cheers people

can you afford to not sign on? If you can, I wouldn't bother, but for me 3 months without any income at all would be impossible

Sign on. You should be able to convince them you are 'actively seeking employment' without actually taking a job for that short time. In fact I doubt you'd get a proper job offer within that time frame (advertise, first interview, second interview, offer). I don't think signing on/off/on should be an issue. Don't forget to apply for other benefits. I'm a bit out of date but something like housing benefit and council tax relief.

Sounds like a great holiday.

if I was to be offered a full time placement I’d have to turn it down which I can’t see the dole office being particularly happy with

I'm only guessing here – but if you really can't shirk it (Trainspotting style) and you do have to turn it down, surely the worst that can happen at that point is they tell you you can't have the dole any more. But at least in the interim you've had it…? Does it affect your ability to sign on again later when you come back?

I went for an interview on rollerskates once, I didnt get the job and its a fair bet you wouldn't either.

How about getting some name badge on shirt job? One of the bike shops? Yes it's a step down, but it's a stop gap til you go away.

Don't bother signing on unless you absoulutly need that £60 a week (which is all you'll get if you're contributions based). From 6 months of unemployment last year, i can tell you that my local jobcentre were pretty strict in making sure i could prove to have been actively looking for work before they'd sign off my £120 a fortnight. 10 weeks abroad means you'll have to sign off again anyway.

Also, if your joint household income is above £14k (at least in North Somerset!) then you'll get no help with council tax or Housing Benefit either.

A 10 week holiday from mid-September?…..i'd be amazed if you even have another job before the new year!

I could just about afford to not sign on but I pay my tax so I figure why not

As it'd be short term I'd happily work anywhere before I go

The main issue is if I sign off to go on hols will it affect signing back on? If you quit or get sacked from work I'm fairly sure its 16 weeks before you can sign on and I wondered if that kind of thing would affect me.

Obviously the best people to ask as the job centre but they tens to be useless and the next time I'm free to pop in will probs be when I sign on.

Citizens Advice is your best bet i think.

Although i have to say that taking a 10 week holiday is abit odd when you have nothing lined up afterwards.

September? It'll take them that long to sort your claim out. You'll be buried in a mountain of forms and generally intrusive beaurocracy. All for £60 a week? Why bother?

I paid them one visit, observed the level of utter ****-wittery taking place and vowed never to set foot in the place again. I think I'll do a better job of taking care of myself thanks very much.

And never forget the Spud attitude to job-hunting:

The reason I'm taking a 10 week holiday is both mine and the girlfriends contracts finish around the same time and its probably out last chance to travel before we have to grow up and start thinking about mortgages and things. People don't tend to offer you jobs 10+ weeks in advance so I'm not sure hoe I'm supposed to have something lined up.

Don't get me wrong, I want a job, being on the dole is rubbish, I just wanted a heads up on the technicals of signing off then on again.

To get contribution based dole money (£60 a week) you have to have been paying PAYE national insurance contributions for 2 years to qualify.

If you haven't e.g. self employed you can get income based job seekers.
Something like £100 a week for a couple. Any income i.e. wife / partner is knocked off that. So if you wife earns £100 a week you get nothing.

It is a pain in the arse to fill in all the forms, but if you have paid your taxes why not. But a few hours work would give you more cash and much better for you.

Personally I won't go on the dole again, not good for your sel esteem.
Years ago I once took a part time job in a bowling alley to get off the dole. (I was waiting to go back to Uni.)
Dull job … free bowling though.

Yes, I am aware of what I'm entitled to and that I'll earn more if I have a job…

What I was after was info on signing off then on again.

there shouldn't be any problem with signing on for a short period, then signing off to go abroad, and then signing on again.

my advice would be to not tell them this is your plan when you first make the claim – it's not a question they ask as part of the application, so there's no need to volunteer it

When you reapply, you will be asked what you've been up to, but your claim will only be sanctioned if you'd left a job voluntarily or been sacked. Going away on a preplanned break is perfectly acceptable.

you might also be able to get help with rent and council tax. this will depend on your total household income and savings, it's not as simple as a cut off point for income as suggested above. There is a cut off for savings which is £16,000

(my job is giving benefits advice, in case your wondering whether to trust this…)

I thought that signing on qualified you for national insurance credits so was well worth doing?

I signed on when I was made redundant and it was a pretty depressing place to go for a signature. It was also at a really inconvenient time (same appointment time every fortnight) but they wouldn't change it.
Still, £120 every fortnight is definitely worth having.

And the checks that were done to make sure I was actively looking for work was pretty much non-existant.

Winstonsmith, cheers for the info. Very useful thanks

Its only 9 / 10 months since I last claimed dole, housing benefit etc (the joy of contract work) so I'm fairly clued up on what I can and cant claim.

I did plan on being a little vague and not quite telling them all I had in mind

You can sign off dead easy … just a phone call.
Don't tell them what you are planning.

If you sign back on within something like 6 weeks and your circumstances have not changed you don't have to fill all the forms out again.

You would have to check the exact duration but after that time it is treated as a new claim.

You have to go in and sign off unless its because you have started work, well I had to. Got my second job interview in a year next tuesday.

Signing off is not a problem

I haven't read all the posts here but to answer your question can you sign back on after signing off to go abroad the answer is yes. Whether you get any money is decided by various factors. Your best advice is to speak to the Jobcentre themselves by making the claim when you have to and ask all your questions there. My advice is based on 20 years working in a Jobcentre.

Thanks Tess

Don't volunteer information at first sign-on just answer what they ask. The NI contributions are all I signed on for during the last 12 months of my sabbatical 8)

Go speak to the jobcentre.

You need to turn up every 2 weeks to sign on whilst on the dole anyway, so if you're out of the country for 10 weeks, you're not going to be able to turn up, so they'd automatically cancel your dole money anyway!

I figure your best bet is to sign on until just before you go travelling, sign off, then sign on immediately after you get back. Have a word with someone at the Jobcentre though, I'm pretty sure that's what they'd recommend though.