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Who is eligible

If you are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, after a set time you will have to take part in New Deal. This is after:

• 6 months if you are aged 18 to 24
• 18 months if you are 25 or over (or after claiming for 18 months out of the last 21)

If both you and your Jobcentre Plus adviser decide it is best, you could join New Deal earlier.

From October 2009, New Deal is being replaced by Flexible New Deal in some areas.

• Flexible New Deal

The existing New Deal programme is still running in the following areas:

England

• Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex
• Cheshire, Halton and Warrington
• City and East London
• Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside
• Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon
• Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
• North, North East, South and West London
• Northumbria
• South Tyne and Wear Valley
• Thames Valley
• West of England, Dorset and Somerset
• West Yorkshire

Scotland

• Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside
• Glasgow
• Highlands, Islands, Clyde Coast and Grampian

Other New Deal programmes are entirely voluntary and, as long as you meet the programme’s eligibility requirements, you can decide whether to take part or not.

• New Deal for Disabled People

• New Deal for Lone Parents

• New Deal for Partners

• New Deal 50 plus

What New Deal expects from you

New Deal offers you a real chance of finding a job. To get the most from it you must work with your Jobcentre Plus adviser at all stages.

You need to:

• make a real effort to find work
• follow your action plan
• join in at all times
• go to all your interviews

If you don’t do all these things, you may not be able to get your benefits. Your Jobcentre Plus adviser will help you understand what you must do to make sure you carry on getting your benefits.

The first stage of New Deal

The first stage of New Deal is called ‘gateway’. It lasts for up to 16 weeks. At this stage you will meet a Jobcentre Plus adviser regularly so that they can find out what you can do, what sort of work you want, and how you can get it.

Your Jobcentre Plus adviser will help you to:

• work out the steps you can take towards getting a job, and set these out in your own action plan
• work out what jobs you could apply for
• fill in application forms and write a CV
• get advice on careers
• find other support if you need it
• pay for some of your costs, such as bus fares or train fares

If you are not in work by the end of gateway, your Jobcentre Plus adviser will talk to you about your next steps. If you are serious about a career in the music industry, they will decide if New Deal for musicians can help you.

• New Deal for musicians

The second stage of New Deal

If you don’t get a job in the first stage of New Deal, you will move into the second stage. This lasts at least 13 weeks.

Your Jobcentre Plus adviser will work with you to decide what you do during this stage. You could get work experience, or you might do some training. You could also get help to work for yourself. Jobcentre Plus will help you look for a job so you can start work as soon as possible.

If you are under 60, you must complete the second stage. If you are 60 or over, you can choose to take part.

The final stage of New Deal

If you’re aged 18 to 24

If you still have not found a job, the final stage is ‘follow-through’. This will give you extra help and support to look for work. This stage can last for up to 26 weeks.

If you’re aged 25 or over

If you still have not found a job, you will need to make a new claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance. At this stage, you will join ‘follow-through’ which could last between 6 and 13 weeks. Your Jobcentre Plus adviser will help you try to find a job. You may have to take short courses to give you more skills.

To find out more about New Deal, contact your local Jobcentre Plus office.

• Find your local Jobcentre Plus office Opens new window