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Actively Seeking Work

You must actively seek work in each week you are receiving Jobseeker's Allowance.

To do this you need to take appropriate steps to improve your employability and to help you find work. Taking one step each week is not usually sufficient.

As well as contacting possible employers, you could, for example, also be improving your employment prospects by putting together a Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Taking more than one step will count towards meeting the "actively seeking work" condition.

Availability for work

You should be willing and able to start a job immediately.

However there are some exceptions from having to be able to take up work straight away. These are if you are:

• providing a service such as an emergency service
• undertaking voluntary work, or
• have caring responsibilities.

You should be available for work for at least 40 hours a week, but you may agree with an Employment Service Adviser the times in the week when you are prepared to be available.

You may be able to restrict your availability if, for example, you have:

• a physical or mental condition which affects the work you do
• caring responsibilities, or
• a conscientious or religious objection.

If you are looking for work in your usual occupation, you may be allowed a period of between one and 13 weeks at the beginning of your claim (this is known as the permitted period), during which you are able to restrict your availability to that occupation and your normal rate of pay.

After the permitted period, jobseekers are expected to be available for a wider range of jobs. You cannot normally refuse a job on the basis of pay after six months.

If you have been temporarily laid off work or put on short-time working, you may be able to restrict your availability for 13 weeks from the date you are laid off or placed on short-time working. You may be able to restrict your availability to casual jobs if you are laid off, or to the balance of the hours you do not work if you do casual work.

Ask your Employment Service Adviser if you are not sure whether this applies to you.