Jobcentre useless

poker_face

Print_Screen wrote: »

Sadly you can completely ignore the Job Centre when it comes to them helping you with jobs. Just fill in their forms and the booklet and what ever the minimum is they require for you to get JSA.
Then look for jobs on your own, register with agencies, online at Monster etc.
Everytime I have had to claim JSA my Job Centre have been totally and utterly useless without fail.
I consider them a necessary evil that I must endure in order to get JSA while I look for my own job .
The staff that I have dealt with are unaware of what you are entitled to when you are unemployed unfortunately even though there may be leaflets available at the Job centre informing customers which can lead to confusion,

Sounds like every job center Ive ever been in :cool:

babs2008

Remember, it's a benefit to help you. You are not legally entitled to the money.

sharski

ahai1 wrote: »

I don't mind with the waiting but the guard was rather rude when I asked if he had any idea how long it was going to be. Also one of the other things is that some of the staff are working and others are doing nothing.

How do you know they were 'doing nothing'??? Just because they don't have someone in front of them????

I work in a JC & I'm in a team who are responsible for admin, booking appoitnments, handling adviser telephones, etc - I will tell you know that I have one of the busiest jobs in the office!!

Sorry buddy - that is one of the most short-sighted comments on this forum!

Don't blame JC staff if the current economic climate means you don't get seen on time (especially if the member of staff you were seeing is off sick) - learn some bloody patience.

briona

sharski wrote: »

Don't blame JC staff if the current economic climate means you don't get seen on time (especially if the member of staff you were seeing is off sick) - learn some bloody patience.

Well said! :T

TBH I don't know why people are making such a fuss about having to wait. It's not like you'll never have had to wait anywhere before. You have to wait to be seen for job interviews; you have to wait in a doctor's surgery; you have to wait at the hospital, especially for those 10:00am appointments to see consultants! (You learn pretty quickly that everyone's been given the same appointment time. Worse luck if it's for a scan and you've had to come with a full bladder. TMI I know!). You also have to wait at train stations and airports; you have to wait (in seemingly endless queues) in coffee shops and supermarkets, usually behind the person counting out pennies...

Rather than get stressed out about waiting to be seen in the Jobcentre, bring a book, or a paper, or use the time to fill in application forms. If I was unemployed, I think the least of my worries would be that I'd had to wait to be seen somewhere!

LizzieS_2

ahai1 wrote: »

I had an interview on Friday at my local jobcentre. It was for 11:15 but after been given no information I was seen at 11:45 or so by the staff. It turns out that one of the members of staff was not in.

The thing that really insensed me is that when I asked the security officer what time I was going to be seen he got uptight. There were a number of staff sitting there not seeing customers. In front of me the personal advisor told a woman who said she had no work if she could do some of his interviews. She told him she was not allowed. Then when another member of staff said if she can do some work she said she had plenty. Next to me was a personal advisor engaging with a customer on a discussion about seeking work. The discussion was going nowhere as they were talking about the same point and it went on before and after I left.

And you had to rush off to do what???? Surely waiting in a job-centre is an ideal time to look at all the jobs displayed rather than study the staff's activities (and coming up with a 2 + 2 = 5 answer)?

tink_the_stink

Thank god for people with common sense! I work front line at JCP (not signing) for every 40 minute appointment I have to check that customers details (10 minutes) conduct interview about looking for work/training, if not why not (30 minutes), write up action plan/JSAG/apply for Tax Credits/sort out benefits/Housing, the list is endless(10 minutes) then start all over again!

Many a time I arrive an hour before the office opens & leave an hour after my last appointment to clear my outstanding work, so just because I've not got some-one sat in front of me doesn't mean I'm doing nothing....just hoping to get home on time for once would be nice!

ahai1

You don't have to do all that at my local office they see customers for less then a few minutes and don't even bother asking if they are looking for work.

LizzieS_2

ahai1 wrote: »

You don't have to do all that at my local office they see customers for less then a few minutes and don't even bother asking if they are looking for work.

Obviously you missed the point - whatever time is spent with the customer is only part of the job over what needs to be done for that customer.

I still fail to see why you chose to look at staff rather than the job boards while waiting.

ahai1

It does not take that long to look at them when they are working. Which is not all the time.

bunny999

Well at least they are working for a living which is more than can be said for you.