16 hour working limit on ESA is costing me jobs! HELP!

[Mr Allen]

Above.

I've applied for several jobs and had a few interviews of late including a telephone interview the other week.

I'm getting rejected every time though because I can't work more than 16 hours a week while on ESA otherwise the government would take great delight in sanctioning the crap out of me.

Is there anything I can do to get around this problem? I want desperately to work part time, but I think the 16 hours thing is putting people off.

That and the fact every time I apply, the first thing I do is declare my disabilities, yeah yeah I know, but it's supposed to ILLEGAL to directly turn me down on those grounds.

 

[Pats]

I don't know what types of anything you have over there. There's so many fast food restaurants over here that would usually be the best bet.

 

[TempeFan]

Over here it is illegal to hire people based on discriminatory criteria but it is standard procedure to always with hold jobs on those grounds.

 

[Mr Allen]

Over here it is illegal to hire people based on discriminatory criteria but it is standard procedure to always with hold jobs on those grounds.

So they want to have their cake and eat it? Wrong, wrong and did I mention, wrong?! They either want to hire the disabled or not, make yer ruddy minds up.

 

[Gracey]

Rich, those applications that resulted in interview,
Ask for feedback on your interview.

It might be something other than a disability that meant a different applicant got the job instead of you.

If the company does take the time to give you feedback on your interview, see it for what it is and not some sort of personal attack.

Sometimes (Not always) a position may be advertised as part time.
This maybe the number of hours they’re prepared to guarantee you when business is slack (Jan,Feb - particularly in retail)
In reality, there maybe a 16 hour contract available but it might be that you’ll be expected to ‘meet the needs of the business’ at busy/seasonal times.
Which can translate to working 40+ hours.

So the advert may say part time and you might be able to work the advertised number of hours but the interviewed candidate flexible enough to cover more hours when required will get the job.

The above example isn’t discrimination Rich, it’s life. Reality. What happens in the world of work.

 

[Mary Terry]

Are you sure that the limit is 16 hours of work per week? Regardless of how much you earn? Or, is it like here in the US, with a limit on how much you can earn? You need to investigate that possibility because you might still be eligible for your government benefits if you worked, say, 20 hours per week at a job that pays less than the earnings cap.

 

[Mr Allen]

Are you sure that the limit is 16 hours of work per week? Regardless of how much you earn? Or, is it like here in the US, with a limit on how much you can earn? You need to investigate that possibility because you might still be eligible for your government benefits if you worked, say, 20 hours per week at a job that pays less than the earnings cap.

£125 a week for 16 hours a week at UK minimum wage.

So you can earn about £7.80 an hour without sanctions.

 

[Autistamatic]

it's supposed to ILLEGAL to directly turn me down on those grounds

It IS illegal as we've talked about before, but it still happens - I've seen it from the other side. I've watched managers throw out applications for the most trivial of reasons.

"She hasn't worked since she had a kid 5 years ago
He's got a degree in Economics - he won't stay here long
She's worked ten years in a pub in a rough part of town - bet she's really coarse
He's got a degree in English Literature - I don't like arty-farty types
She's spent a year since her last job recovering from cancer...."

None of those people ever knew the trivial reasons they were turned down and they'd never be able to prove it if they did. You have NO RIGHTS until you have got the job as far as enforcing the Equality Act 2010 is concerned.
I know you think it's a matter of principle, but that principle is stopping you from getting where you want to be. The employers don't give a flying .... about your principles, they just see your list of disabilities and see a potential liability - they know you cannot do a single thing about it too.
Once you get a job you can fight the good fight from the inside but until then declaring everything right from the start is going to hold you back.
On to something more positive. Have you been to any training on interview techniques? Even if you have it might be a good idea to refresh it. You should be able to access training through your local Job centre and I believe the NAS can help you too.

Work - National Autistic Society

 

[Mr Allen]

Job Centre? How about no? Been there done that 20 years ago and I swore I'd never do it again after the way they treat me.

Seriously the so called "advisors" don't even know their own rules most of the time.

 

[Autistamatic]

Job Centre? How about no? Been there done that 20 years ago and I swore I'd never do it again after the way they treat me.

Seriously the so called "advisors" don't even know their own rules most of the time.

How about the NAS then?

 

[Mr Allen]

How about the NAS then?

Maybe an option, only thing that puts me off is that I want a "normal" job, not some Autism specific job in a Factory where the clients get "paid" £2 a day because they're all on benefits and can't earn much without severe sanctions from the Tories.

 

[Autistamatic]

Maybe an option, only thing that puts me off is that I want a "normal" job, not some Autism specific job in a Factory where the clients get "paid" £2 a day because they're all on benefits and can't earn much without severe sanctions from the Tories.

Remploy is dead as you mentioned yourself not long ago. You have to be paid at least minimum wage like everyone else in any job these days. Follow the link I posted you and explore the employment section of the NAS site. There's a lot they can do to help you if you ask. Give it a go Rich. You can always walk away if it's not for you, but you never know until you try.

 

[Mr Allen]

Remploy is dead as you mentioned yourself not long ago. You have to be paid at least minimum wage like everyone else in any job these days. Follow the link I posted you and explore the employment section of the NAS site. There's a lot they can do to help you if you ask. Give it a go Rich. You can always walk away if it's not for you, but you never know until you try.

I just had a look at your link, thanks for trying to help but the closest venue for their employment centre is in Manchester, England, and the link to it on the site doesn't work.

Once again, thanks for trying

 

[Autistamatic]

I just had a look at your link, thanks for trying to help but the closest venue for their employment centre is in Manchester, England, and the link to it on the site doesn't work.

Once again, thanks for trying

Give them a call Rich. They've got no active presence listed where I am either but they've recently gone WAY out of their way to help me with an employment issue. I am in a regular full time job, not some token position like you previously described. Pick up the phone (or get your Dad to do so) tell them of your situation and see what they say

 

[Mr Allen]

I just registered with Scope via a link on their Facebook page, they said they'll be in touch within the next 2 working days (so beginning of next week possibly)

 

[Bro'Freak]

I'm not sure if things have changed regarding full employment & the ESA component of your benefit.
So please correct me if anyone can clarify the current situation regarding what I'm about to write.

I was on ESA benefit a few years back & came off it to normal Jobseekers Allowance (was able to avoid
Universal Credit because I applied for JSA whilst I followed the ESA reconsideration route) & found full
employment @ 42hrs a week. Now I was told that I would be eligible for a higher Working Tax payout because
I found a job within 26 weeks of coming out of ESA Benefits. This higher rate meant that I received £115 pw.
I still had over £300 a week to play with after rent so all was good.

Now back to the mainline of this thread, Mr Allen with the above in mind I'm not sure if the non-mean tested component of your ESA will impact your ability to receive the higher Tax Credit. That is if you can still keep it
when you start work. Or if the Tax Credit guys get funny at the end of the year saying you'd had too much
cash due to the non-means tested ESA payments. Just thinking that you might have a chance of earning enough to be comfortable if you did a full weeks work.

Also I would be wary of going full time due to hassles with the probability of being moved onto Universal Credit
should you need to get back on the full ESA system if work ended.

 

[Mr Allen]

I'm not sure if things have changed regarding full employment & the ESA component of your benefit.
So please correct me if anyone can clarify the current situation regarding what I'm about to write.

I was on ESA benefit a few years back & came off it to normal Jobseekers Allowance (was able to avoid
Universal Credit because I applied for JSA whilst I followed the ESA reconsideration route) & found full
employment @ 42hrs a week. Now I was told that I would be eligible for a higher Working Tax payout because
I found a job within 26 weeks of coming out of ESA Benefits. This higher rate meant that I received £115 pw.
I still had over £300 a week to play with after rent so all was good.

Now back to the mainline of this thread, Mr Allen with the above in mind I'm not sure if the non-mean tested component of your ESA will impact your ability to receive the higher Tax Credit. That is if you can still keep it
when you start work. Or if the Tax Credit guys get funny at the end of the year saying you'd had too much
cash due to the non-means tested ESA payments. Just thinking that you might have a chance of earning enough to be comfortable if you did a full weeks work.

Also I would be wary of going full time due to hassles with the probability of being moved onto Universal Credit
should you need to get back on the full ESA system if work ended.

As discussed at length on here, I can't do full time anyway for various reasons.

Apparently they're putting me on PIP soon which doesn't have the working hours limit, but I'd still be on ESA which has the limits.

 

[Autistamatic]

Good luck with the PIP application. Hopefully you won't have to go through the reassessment procedure.

 

[Mr Allen]

Good luck with the PIP application. Hopefully you won't have to go through the reassessment procedure.

Hopefully not, I had to have a medical to get ESA, that was when ATOS were in charge.

And I got declared unfit to work! I wouldn't mind but I've spent the last 20 odd years doing voluntary work for nearly every Charity and Charity shop in Sheffield so is it not obvious I could work in SOME capacity?