What to do after JB ends?

I'm hoping someone might be able to shine some light on the next few months for me. My entitlement to Jobseekers benefit will end in a few months. I have been applying for everything and anything but nothing yet, however I am still hopeful maybe something will come up soon. I cannot apply for CE or many of the FAS schemes now as I haven't been unemployed for 12 months. I can't do the lowest paid Job bridge schemes to get a foot in the door as I need a job which will pay enough for childcare, so I'm still looking for work in my own area of expertise.

So my question; once I no longer qualify for JB after 12 months, I'm not sure there is any point even applying for JA as I'm sure I won't qualify due to the means test?
Are there any reasons I should have it on record that I applied, should I sign on for credits- I don't really understand the purpose of this?
Does this mean that after JB, if I do not qualify for JA I cannot even access community employment or work placements as I no longer qualify for any support?
Do I effectively completely fall out of the net if I don't qualify for JA?

Definitely sign on for credits!
They come into play a couple of years down the road when this year is the one governing your entitlements.

Signing for credits means that you meet the criteria for Jobseekers - available for and seeking work - but are not entitled to any payment.
As such, you will qualify for any jobseeker's schemes and supports, and are still officially on the live register.

Berni, really, I would qualify for a CE, with no entitlement to JA? Are you sure? That would be great.

Definitely sign for credits, they preserve your record of contributions for pension as well, if it is there at that stage! But I am inclined to think that once you are not receiving a payment then you do fall out of the system, ask in your local Citizens Info office but I don't think there is much available to people just signing for credits.

It should do - apply for the JA even if you don't expect to get paid, as it is the easiest way to show you are still actively unemployed.

You can go straight to signing for credits from JB if you know that applying for JA is pointless because of the means testing, still proves you are jobseeking.

Ok, maybe this is a really stupid question....why would I care about proving I'm jobseeking if there are no supports open to me?
I might as well just get on with jobseeking and not have to waste a morning a month going in signing on, no?

Would I be better off transferring onto the homemakers scheme and getting credits automatically while I am at home looking for a job?

If you don't sign for credits you will have a gap in your contributions when it comes to getting pension and who knows what the requirements will be then and every contribution might count. I know locally anyway you don't have to go in every months, they post out the form and you just return it, they don't ask for proof you are jobseeking either or at least I have never been asked for it.

Don't know about the homemakers scheme so can't comment on that.

My DH was signing for credits after exhausting his JB entitlement. When he went to FAS to sign up for a course they wouldn't let him because he wasn't receiving a payment.

This is true, signing for credits is pretty useless for anything other than preserving your pension benefit.