Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[Bartapuss]

After being unemployed for some time through no fault of my own I had the unenviable pleasure of have to deal with Job Centre Plus again (its not the first time I've had a stint on the rock n roll), all I can say is the service provide by this government organisation has gone from pathetic to a complete joke. Ministers keep going on about getting work shy layabouts into jobs then the first place they should look is right under their own noses at those employed within this organisation.

I remember when the layout of these places was much like a bank, you stood in a queue and waited your turn to get to the clerks window to sight on, now you wait in a queue then a "greeter" shows you to a seat and you wait to be called to your alloted sign in point ??!!

Nearly all the jobs on the computer database (if your lucky to find one that works) are with agencies who you never hear from again, I've enquired about vacancies only to find they were filled ages ago, don't exist, were not supposed to be advertised on there in the first place or just the same position listed by loads of different agencies. You look for vacancies within reasonable travelling distance and you get everything from Land's End to John O Groats.

I have a disability and a couple of long term health issues so was assigned to the disability officer, I was hoping I would get tailor made help in order find me suitable work, but how wrong I was this person did not seem to have any special qualification to set them apart from the regular staff, and was not really interested or very helpfull. I was offered a place on a sort of unemployed anonymous course, a bit like alcholics anonymous were you sat with a group and talked about why you were unemployed and why you thought you could not get a job. Placements were limited for this and there was a six month waiting list other than that this person could only suggest "I go on the sick".

Why do they still need to know your bank details despite not qualifying for job seekers allowance??

All my working life I have found my own work either checking the jobs section in local papers, sending out cv's to companies, telephoning or knocking on doors of firms, so what can JCP that I have not done already, very little it seems.

I was told about a new scheme that pay an employer a £1000 for taking someone on along with £100 to you the new employee,
I have been lucky enough to get a job ( again from looking in the jobs section of the local paper) recently albeit its just a temporary for six months with the possibility of being made permanent. Great It could use that £110 to help with travel expenses and I could get some tools for the job as it will be I while till I get my first paycheque, but guess what I don't qualify, a. because its temporary and b. I was ten days under six months of being unemployed, great!, thanks again JCP.

I have come to the conclusion that JCP is just a statistics gathering exercise for the government and a total waste of taxpayers money, they don't really seem to instill any incentive in people to try and find work other than cancel your benefits (if your lucky to get any). When you think of how much it costs to run and pay the staff and to take into account the land value of where these offices are located, would we be better off just scrapping the lot and paying the unemployed say £60 a week to live on, I mean they don't go after the ultra long term unemployed or those who have been on benefits all their lives and don't want to work anyway, thats too much hard work  for JCP but if you've worked hard all your life and paid your taxes your the one treated like c**p. There's nothing more humiliating than some snotty nosed kid behind a desk thinking their all high and mighty and asking "what are you doing to find work", what the hell are you doing to find me work NOWT!! by the looks of things. I mean all you would need on every high street is a sort of hole in the wall machine to sign on to it would be much cheaper, why pay some bored numb skull to sit behind a desk all day especially as unemployment is rising, it would just say on the screen "Are you looking for work??" and you just press the single button marked "Yes" and out comes the money, simple and cost affective. 

[OMK]

BBC Radio 4 reported that nearly five million UK citizens are now unemployed under the present Labour gvnm't. It was bad enough when Thatcher was running the show, which just goes to prove that neither of the main parties have your interest at heart at all. Everything has gone belly-up. It seems that you get penalised if you have an unblemished work record, while at the same time the layabouts get everything handed on a silver platter.
You are right about the folk down at the job centre. None of them really care if you're out of work or down on your luck; they are there purely to make sure that the genuine job seekers gets the thin end of the wedge. It's all about, as you rightly said, statistics. Not only that, it is far easier for them to give handouts to those who don't wish to work simply because the paperwork is far less demanding than it is for them that does. It just doesn't make sense, does it?
As you have a disability, did you know that you can legally claim a small payment for that AND still be permitted to work? The disability payment is but a few shillings, but at least you still get to retain some sense of self-worth by doing an honest day's work, even if it is only part time. On the other hand, there is work out there if you're the sort who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, or doesn't mind getting out of bed in the morning. For what it's worth, I discovered long ago that the gvnm't does not give a damn about you, I or any person wanting to work; you are only there just for them to steal taxes from you. Two can play that game, so I stuck loads of adverts in all the local shop windows, advertising my abilites, and before I knew it my phone was red-hot - I had loads of work coming in. Did I declare my earnings? Not a chance. It was MY money, I alone slaved for it and I was damned if I wanted to give them crooks any. I didn't pay a single penny in tax for nearly a whole year, by which time I had found another full-time job anyway.
On my last visit to the job center they wanted to know what income I had in the months I was unemployed. I simply lied - told them I was living off of family and friends. Sure, it IS dishonest. But they and their stupid gvnmnts made it that way in the beginning anyway.
It's called survival. They truly don't give a damn about you, but if you play your cards right, then it's YOU who gets the last laugh.

[Malcolm Reade]

I had the misfortune to innocently wander into one of these places when I originally moved back into the UK and was appalled at just how inept and incapable they were of dealing with somebody who has professional qualifications.  I got the impression that even if I didn't have a profession, they would be just as useless?

The job centre had more of an air of a betting shop about it; low-life employees with a 'couldn't care less' attitude, and litter all over the floor.  I remember thinking to myself at the time that at least in a betting shop, you had a remote chance of winning?

The ONLY way to get a job in the UK is as Bartapuss suggests, via ads in the papers, sending CV's, cold calling etc.  I would also add that you need a network of contacts, both friends and employment agents, and a well written CV.  You should also be prepared to travel, or work away from home (did you ever wonder why the motorways are much busier on Monday mornings, and Friday afternoons)?

Steer clear of Job Centres - they are depressing, de-motivating places that will only serve to make your plight worse.

I have recently found a new contract after two months without any work - and the bills didn't stop coming in.  My heart goes out to anybody who can't find a job in the current economic climate.

Malc

[keef666]

 A number of years ago i was sent for a job interview,  for a job behind a trade counter, when i got there it involved also driving a 3 ton truck [ i don't drive ] so i sad sorry for wasting there time, goes back to the jobshop, and my adviser, then asked how did the interview go! so i informed, they needed someone who could drive a truck, he replied, so you didn't get the job then!  laugh it makes you want to cry!

[sweeper]

Fit for purpose?
Could someone please describe just what that purpose is (preferably without using four letter terms of endearment)?

Yes, I went through the mockery of the job centre. I thought it was just my misfortune to come across such "caring professionals".
In my case, interview number one was conducted by a woman who looked slightly familiar to me. We went through the forms and she asked why I left such a well known and well regarded establishment. Then the penny dropped, her previous employment was collecting the used plates and cups in our canteen. That sure did a lot for my confidence in their standards. Interview number two was with a young thicko (must have been all of twenty years of age) who accused me of not attempting to gain employment. After all "with your qualifications and experience there must be jobs available" - I thought it was their task to tell me just where I could get a job. When I informed him that for more years than he'd been on this Earth I had never been out of work and had held down a responsible, professional position he got very upset and threatened to report me to the manager.
Fair enough, two fingers to the job centre, they gave me nothing in either help or assistance.

Following that encounter, I went onto a course intended for people wishing to start their own business. If you think the job centre concept is obscene and useless I've got news for you. You ain't even scratched the surface of official uselessness yet. And better still, I actually got a certificate from them to prove I had survived the waste of time and space that was that course. Just like most of the Goverment qualifications these days, punch a hole in the corner and hang it up someplace to be used if you run short of the usual paper.

[keef666]

 Sweeper, i and alot of people know where you're coming from, and when you go on these wonderful courses, be it starting you own firm up or just trying to get a foothold  on the rat race, why do we need all the blooming paperwork, they sent you there they should have copy's of you details, but o' no you have to fill it all out again, makes one wonder why theres not forrest left.

[andyn]

I found Job Centre Plus to be more than helpful

Went all the way into town, only to be told to go on their website, which was no help at all...

I have found a job, but not through them.

[Colin H]

Fell out of work in the mid 80s and had much the same experience. Decided to spent what money I had placing a small add in the local rag for a month and have not been out of work since. Mind you being a plumber helps even the queen needs a loo .


Colin H.

[mook]

Bartapuss have you claimed Disabled Living Allowance? There are different levels up to £119 a week and it doesnt matter if you are working or not, you still get it. Best Of luck

[OMK]

"...he got very upset and threatened to report me to the manager."

Yep, I think I've already met that same spotty oik.
The one in the Bridgwater branch got a tad miffed after telling him he was only fit for wiping my bum. He called the security guard, bless him. The security guard turned out to be a HUGE coloured chap, with all the intelligence of bacteria and nothing short of a total waste of good skin, who's only purpose in life is to intimidate. I met the dude in a nightclub a few weeks later, only this time he wore no security uniform to hide behind. AND he Rx'ed a damn good kicking for being such a prat in the first place. These are the sort of 'people' employed by the govnm't.
On my next (and last) visit to the job center I asked how I might apply for a position as one of their security staff. Their answer? They told me I was over qualified, while at the same time handing me an application for temporary manager at the local KFC.

Wouldn't it be an absolutely perfect world if, just for once, you could see the likes of Blair, Brown, Thatcher and all the other loonies standing in the queue waiting for their giro's.

[craftysod]

Mook,
Aint that easy mate,my missus wants to work,but because of her emphasemia she is unable to.
We have filled every conseiviable form this pathetic goverment has wasted good trees on,
to no avail.
You are not entitled to anything,was told ,even though she worked and paid taxes untill told she cant work.
When she replied its because i'm not a bl++dy imigrant,they politely asked her to leave,by a foreigner i might add.
Crafty

[Circlip]

Guys, you should just chill, I went down the road of informing them that I had been employed doing jobs of higher than their mental capability before they escaped a Durex and getting uptight at their innability to understand cold hard logic.  Wrong approach.

  What REALLY Pi**es them orft is to be calm and CIVIL with them, this is a totally alien attitude and creates a really stunned expression on their clocks, they are trained to scorn aggression, but calm and humour ??   
 
  The best stuffer is while you are signing their bits of paper is to say "Gee, I feel REALLY sorry for you having to work behind a desk on a day like this" prefferably when the sun is out and you lift your shades to sign. 

  And just to finally rub it in, the sick Americanism of "Have a nice day now"

[catengineman]

I know all to well about the joke shop.

I did manage to sign on for two weeks a few year ago (I made myself unemployed) and as the joke shop did not even have a listing for a Marine Engineer or I confused it by saying that there was no limit to where the company would be based.
The answer to the problem was I should retrainthey even arranged a course to which I pointed out that the max age was half of mine! reply with a snigger "Oh Yes didn't see that"

[malcolmfrary]

I went through most of this in the *rs* end (advised term) of the Major era.  The object of the JobCentre then, as probably now, was not to actually find you work, but to ensure that you couldn't work in a regular job while claiming by making sure you weren't where the alleged undeclared job was, and to strip out any of what they were trained (yes) to regard as "excuses".  They also gather statistics to prove whatever point their political master for that week wants proving. 
I wound up on a six month "course" to get a couple of pieces of paper that said I could be considered as qualified for a small part of the job I had been doing for the previous four years.  The worth of these so-called certificates was shown when, during interviews, more interest was shown in my 30-odd year old GCE results.
I was one of the lucky ones - my initial redundancy involved collecting my pension as I walked out of the door, so a wage comparable to that from my original job was not vital.  After a few years, I took stock, and decided that taking into account wages, tax, National insurance and transport, and what would be available without employment, I would be about £30 a week worse off.  Add travelling time to get to and from, I was doing a 44 hour week for £30 benefit to me and my family.  So it was time to let someone else enjoy employment.

[Cargo]

Sounds like our Job Centres here  

Luckily i will never have anything to do with them  

[DARLEK1]

Well, I was typing an epic life story post, but, I guess the board got bored with me for taking so long and it all vanished!

 Anyway, NUke em all!

 Paul...

[derekwarner]

Hi all....just slightly off topic ...... until the last line

Irrespective of our country of origin.........all the comments mirror each other

In Sydney [Australia=OZ]... a few week ago it was revealed that half a dozen Lord Mayors of different Sydney electorates were each paid more than the Prime Minister of OZ   

So    I have never yet needed the assistance of Job Centre Plus ....but if I do I may ask about an appointment as a Lord Mayor....you know

Not much work between lunceons [paid for by you & me]......not much work after lunch either
Weekend seminars away at tropical resorts whilst discussing the advantages of how to reduce the cost of dog POO collection on local council land
The odd trip abroad to attend a seminar on the need for Australia to be more responsive to the Algerian sand movement & the wind......like the only similarity is both countries start with A & the only wind issue is that of the attendees due to the spicy food & drinks

Many meetings behind locked doors on how to reduce the council expenditure [less life saver hours on the beaches....reduce the public library open hours.......sack a few Council out door staff from the dog POO collection on local council land....squad] as it is clearly necessary to present a balanced budget & to ensure all of the free perks & pay rises for the Council bosses remain at projected levels for next year .......[paid for by you & me]


So I may just ask about an appointment as a Lord Mayor    .....Derek

[DARLEK1]

Like I said, lets just nuke em! Anyone know anyone with a spare sub? 

 Paul...

[OMK]

What REALLY Pi**es them orft is to be calm and CIVIL with them...

After that little outburst in my previous post's I guess I'm a tad ashamed of meself now. How I would normally approach the situation is exactly as Circlip says, because a little civility really does goes a loooong way. Sadly, especially after being sneered upon for the umpteenth time by the good folk at ye jolly olde JC+ , I guess I finally lost my rag. Although, still no excuse really.
Dammit, it's the Sabbath - I'm in confession mode. And I'm going to bed tonight making sure to say me prayers and asking the Man Upstairs to bestow the very best of everything to all the intelligent and hard-working Civil Servants doing their utmost to keep the wheels of industry turning on behalf of us lesser mortals, bless their little cotton socks.

[Peterm]

PMK,  Bless your little cotton socks, you were right the first time.    Pete

[ajb68]

Ive just been diagnosed with depression and post traumatic stress disorder , as a result ive had to be off work and now am claiming benefits and found the staff to be both helpful and knowledgeable NOT !!! IN THE END I HAD TO GET SOME ADVICE ON FILLING IN THE STACK OF FORMS THAT NEEDED FILLING IN !  the staff said they didnt have the time to take me through the forms now im not sure if the time issue is there own personal view or if they are operating  within rules laid down by there superiors either way i was not even offered an appointment so i could have the forms explained to me . As i said before i dont know who decides if a person gets help with forms and such but in my opinion the help should be there , but in there defence i suppose after i filled in war and peace i suppose somebody there had to go through the forms and put it all on computer, imagine how many times they do that a day ! So i suppose its like most other things in life , not perfect ! but i suppose its easy for me to be annoyed at the lack of help when i only know part of the story , and thats the most ive typed for a long time , sore finger now  

[wombat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDzKFk1l2ug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVk8LShtpg8&feature=related

Wom

[rob]

When you sit down and think about it......... its a government run thing

there is NO WAY they can get it right .

[ajb68]

Good point 

[Cargo]

Nice videos Wom, just like the "real" life