Anyone been down the Job Centre?

amcluesent

Seriously, anyone have first hand experience of whether those signing-on are now peppered with distressed EAs, skilled tradespeople, IT experts, white-collar professionals etc. etc?

Assuming the shakedown was now taking place as expected, would have expected to see those unfortunates now start to be visible amongst the "normal" unwaged of shirkers, druggies and those with special needs.

Broken_hearted

No just the usual screaming and pleading from people who 'forgot' which day they had to sign on.

mewbie_2

amcluesent wrote: »

...visible amongst the "normal" unwaged of shirkers, druggies and those with special needs.

My very small consolation if I get laid off and have to start claiming will be that I will become the sort of person who annoys you. I may also take up hard drugs and wearing the same shirt for a week just to get right under your skin. An affectation of a limp, plus praying to Mecca should complete the picture.

mvengemvenge

mewbie wrote: »

An affectation of a limp, plus praying to Mecca should complete the picture.

Bingo isn't the answer, trust me.

mvengemvenge

amcluesent wrote: »

Seriously, anyone have first hand experience of whether those signing-on are now peppered with distressed EAs, skilled tradespeople, IT experts, white-collar professionals etc. etc?

Assuming the shakedown was now taking place as expected, would have expected to see those unfortunates now start to be visible amongst the "normal" unwaged of shirkers, druggies and those with special needs.

To answer your question......yes, many people are having an eye-opening experience on their first visit to the jobcentre. Having to queue up with the flotsam and jetsum for possibly the first time ever, it's a startling experience for some.

PasturesNew

People who have always landed on their feet, had it easy, didn't realise they were there by luck/geography or knowing somebody .... are suddenly finding out that those less lucky aren't all losers. Just sometimes unlucky.

The trouble is, when these people do get their next job, most will become arrogant within 3 months again, I've seen it before.

amcluesent

> it's a startling experience for some.<

Yep. Been there, done it. I think they were quite surprised when I 'signed off' for £45K position (that was in 2003 mind).

mvengemvenge

PasturesNew wrote: »

People who have always landed on their feet, had it easy, didn't realise they were there by luck/geography or knowing somebody .... are suddenly finding out that those less lucky aren't all losers. Just sometimes unlucky.

The trouble is, when these people do get their next job, most will become arrogant within 3 months again, I've seen it before.

Ah, yes, but I think some are in for a nasty shock. They need to move fast, because after 6 months they can't place restrictions on the wage/type of job.

Thing is, there simply aren't going to be enough well-paid jobs left to soak them up, as many won't have the relevant experience.

PasturesNew

My problem is I've been laid off so many times I've often had to start at the bottom all the time. And any relevant/meaningful job I did was before the last mini-crash, then I was living somewhere where the job I could do simply did not exist at all (e.g. a ski instructor can't work if they live in the sahara).

So now here I am, fully able, competent, but most jobs I can do/want to do are most likely to say "You haven't done that for 2, 5, 10 years" or "You're over-qualified".

So, try to start at the bottom again? Again... ? Can you spend your life unfulfilled on the bottom because you were unlucky too often? I have been doing this for 30 years now, how long before I just give up ...?

I'll see how things go.

mvengemvenge

PasturesNew wrote: »

Can you spend your life unfulfilled on the bottom because you were unlucky too often? I have been doing this for 30 years now, how long before I just give up ...?

I'll see how things go.

Try going on top for once. Every woman deserves a treat sometimes


I suppose the answer to that is have a skill that will always be in demand
(ie undertaker) and try to get the funding to set up your own business. Not
the best time to do that, though, unfortunately.

babydaisy

I'm a conveyancer and was laid off in September as the firm I worked for got rid of all their fee earners.

I haven't been able to find work since, but having said that have had a lovely time redecorating our house, spending more time with the kids and not having to feel like I am keeping a million balls up in the air.

I feel as if I'm on a sabatical at the moment - we are lucky though that in July we went onto a base rate tracker mortgage, we tied in our fuel prices last January until the end of this year and we bought ourselves a caravan and car using my salary during the 23 months that I was back at work after having my second child. We paid it all off so have no debts thankfully and because we did that we are used to living on one salary.

Plus we don't have expensive habits and we have enough stashed away to pay our bills etc for 12 months which we haven't had to touch as yet.

Hubby is a Landscape Gardener and amazingly still has work - he says it is deadly quiet in all the building yards etc

Kids are back to school and I am due to sign on again this Friday at our local job centre where everyone has been lovely to me. Bizarrely I feel blessed at the moment as my youngest is only 3 so at nursery only 2.5 hours a day and it has meant that I have been able to spend his last year before school doing mummy things with him.

BD xx