Signing on first time

embelliss

Hi,

I'm signing on first time ever,
I did a telephone claim, which took about an hour, and now I have to go to local centre and sign some papers.
Do I have to wear anything special for this- is it a formal thing?

Thanks for any advice!!

John38_2

No ! If your JCP is anything like mine then you'll look out of place unless you smell a little and are wearing ripped jeans!

You'll walk in, sit down, wait to be called, go to a desk, show some ID, re read your answers and sign a form!

embelliss

John38 wrote: »

No ! If your JCP is anything like mine then you'll look out of place unless you smell a little and are wearing ripped jeans!

You'll walk in, sit down, wait to be called, go to a desk, show some ID, re read your answers and sign a form!

Haha wicked, thanks alot

Badger_Lady

I think a pink velour tracksuit is traditional!

No, seriously - it's a matter of turning up in person, not interviewing for a job. When I was signing on, I took it all very seriously to try and demonstrate willingness to work, but they still treated me like dirt

embelliss

Badger_Lady wrote: »

I think a pink velour tracksuit is traditional!

No, seriously - it's a matter of turning up in person, not interviewing for a job. When I was signing on, I took it all very seriously to try and demonstrate willingness to work, but they still treated me like dirt

That really sucks.
I'm not the kind to take BS like that...
But do you think is best to keep my head down and accept the allowance...?

Is it common for people to claim this and not 'try' too hard to look for a job?
I know that you pretty much have to accept the first job you are offered, whether you like it or not, but I really don't want to end up something that doesn't suit me.

Thanks for any advice!

embelliss

Al_Mac wrote: »

Be prepared for wildly differing approaches from the staff.

My main one was lovely, went through jobs every week. Some just wanted you to sign and get out.

Was an eye opener.

I'm new to this... but am I right in taking what you said as to mean that some of the staff don't even care about you trying to get a job- as long as you turn up every 2 weeks that's good enough for them?

Badger_Lady

I think some of the staff have just developed an attitude in response to some of the scum that they have to deal with every day. Unfortunately, it means that genuine claimants like us are overlooked.

But there are still some helpful people, and you can be realistic about what you're willing to accept. When I signed on, I said that I wanted to work in Marketing. The adviser scoffed and said I would have to accept an Admin role, which I conceded...

But 6 weeks later I strutted back with my offer letter for a Marketing job on £4k a year more than they'd been suggesting . And it was a job I'd sourced myself, too - not through the Job Centre.

The funny thing was that I was applying for all sorts - admin, McDonalds, warehouses... and none of them took me seriously

John38_2

DWP staff, whether in JCP offices or on he phone have got to be the worst bunch of people I've ever met in my life!!!

There even worse thane some of the Housing Benefit lot!!!

If your cocky, arrogant, have a really bad attitute, don't like working with people, and lack the ability to see where others are coming from, then I think I'll just mention that the DWP are recruiting....

That said, I once spoke to ONE man on the phone who was extremely helpful, but it turned out he was new!!!

embelliss

John38 wrote: »

DWP staff, whether in JCP offices or on he phone have got to be the worst bunch of people I've ever met in my life!!!

There even worse thane some of the Housing Benefit lot!!!

If your cocky, arrogant, have a really bad attitute, don't like working with people, and lack the ability to see where others are coming from, then I think I'll just mention that the DWP are recruiting....

That said, I once spoke to ONE man on the phone who was extremely helpful, but it turned out he was new!!!

This is disappointing to hear.
The guy I spoke to on the phone was pleasant, don't know if he was new or not- he was joking around with me and everything. :-o
I hope I don't get the shock of my life on thursday when I go to the Job centre.

embelliss

Badger_Lady wrote: »

But 6 weeks later I strutted back with my offer letter for a Marketing job on £4k a year more than they'd been suggesting . And it was a job I'd sourced myself, too - not through the Job Centre.

The funny thing was that I was applying for all sorts - admin, McDonalds, warehouses... and none of them took me seriously

This is great to hear, congrats.
I noticed that it says next to your screen name you're from SE Wales.
Where abouts?
I live in Newport.

Voyager2002

Well, I have been signing on for nearly a year now. Staff are at least reasonably polite, and some of them do try to be helpful. However, they have to spend all day in a really depressing environment, dealing with people who in many cases are socially dysfunctional. And their role is mainly to ensure that all claimants are doing something to look for work, so their manner does sometimes become rather overbearing.

Tip: turn up a few minutes early whenever you have to go there. As a matter of policy, anyone who is even a single minute late gets "taught a lesson" by having to wait until all other claimants have been seen, and that can be an hour a more. However, if you arrive on time and can give reasonable answers to questions about what you have done to find a new job, they are likely to be polite and helpful to you.