Anyone been down the Job Centre?

geoffky

clobber wrote: »

I signed on for the first and only time in 2000. I went to the building I thought I was supposed to go to, waited in a queue for an hour or so, surrounded my unkempt smelly people who reeked of fags and stale beer. Being a nice middle class girlie I assumed that was what it was like, and spent my time inventing sympathetic backstories for my fellow claimants and trying very hard to be leftwing about it all.

Got to the front of the queue only to be told I was in the wrong place as I wasn't claiming incapacity benefit, and had to go next door to claim JSA or whatever it was called then. Went next door and it just had normal people who didn't smell bad.



Before the genuine incap claimants get offended, I know you're not all like that. But it has been govt policy for years to move long-term unemployed off JSA and onto incap benefit, which is why incapacity benefit claimants now have such a bad reputation.

incap claimants never had to sign on in 2000 or in 1966 come to think of...
THEY DO NOT SIGN ON....:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

PasturesNew

geoffky wrote: »

I could shake you......get out there and do something...plan plan and plan...believe me if you want it you will get it..but it will not come to you..

I'm so out of touch with and out of synch with "the system", which I've never been part of, that what seems natural to some, just isn't in my scope of understanding.

Coming here to MSE has made me realise that I've had no idea how things work, what goes on etc. I've always lived a secluded life in rural areas. If you're a kitten and have just found a huuuuge ball of wool, how do you work out where the start is?

geoffky

If you as you say would become pray for some people maybe it is better to stay in your comfortable environment? how about debt councilling seems you are skint (they will not be able to borrow off you..or animal charity work as they dont judge...haha

Cannon_Fodder

gaslampshade wrote: »

reported. racism.

Technically, I think you'll find it is religious discrimination.

Unless, you are discriminating against all the occupants of countries other than Saudi Arabia who are, according to you, not allowed to pray to Mecca, whatever their race.

PasturesNew

geoffky wrote: »

If you as you say would become pray for some people maybe it is better to stay in your comfortable environment? how about debt councilling seems you are skint (they will not be able to borrow off you..or animal charity work as they dont judge...haha

I could become a debt counsellor. Wanted to before, went to see the CAB to find out about volunteering, but it was no good. I would have had to have attended a course 20 miles away for two weeks during normal workiing hours, just for normal CAB work, then the only volunteering times were during office hours. I couldn't as I had a job, and will be working again soon, so it's out of the question again. And that was just for CAB, not debt. You'd have to do a few years of CAB before you could get onto debt I bet. And for work, I could end up anywhere in a 200+ mile radius, at the drop of a hat (interview, job offer and I'd go wherever). It's difficult to start something if you don't know where you're likely to be this year.

And animals .... they poo. And bite.

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

You at least know where you want to be. I don't even have a base or a clue on location.

True, I have an idea of where I want to be (rich, famous ) so the old stubborness and determination comes into play for me.

I always thought I knew what I wanted to be, it was a career I had wanted to do since I was about 5...a nurse or working with children. When my chance came to be working with children, I discovered I didn't much like it so I have had to do a re-think over the last year.

mummytofour

babydaisy wrote: »

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

I think that is such a wonderful positive story, well done.
Enjoy your special mummying your children time x

robin_banks

ldavies wrote: »

My friend works at the DWP call centre, processing new claims and he said they have just recruited 300 ppl to cope with demand...

I did that job for 3 years and it is the most miserable, depressing job under the sun.

Tel call;

Me : New claims, can I help you ?

Caller : Where's my ****ing giro you ****ing **nt

Me : Have you got you National Insurance number ?

Caller : What the ***k are you on about you ****ing ***ck ?

Me : It's 2 letters, 6 numbers and a letter and is quoted on all letters we send to you.

7 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 years......how my heart grew weary.

tsstss7

mewbie wrote: »

Too much personal information for a public site I'm afraid.

On the cliquey thing I got 7 thank yous (so far) for calling the gas bloke a moron. Jesus - the fascism of in group behaviour. And I'm becoming one of the worst. To think I only started on here as a troll to do some winding up of bulls.

hey thats me you're talking about - I thanked you cause I thought it was funny (ironic) :rolleyes: and it made me chuckle to see the two of you spar.....don't get out much at the mo. (streets like an ice rink).:D

:T ...

Andy_L

PasturesNew wrote: »

You can't just get a job with them. Most jobs I could do need some previous civil servant experience.

My friend linked me into NHS jobs earlier, I pointed out to her that every job I COULD do I wouldn't get because they said they wanted NHS experience, or were on a grade that implied there were probably already 1000 other staff on a lower grade, who might also be applying and would therefore score more "done it/been there" points.

Most "Civil Service" departments (ie not the wider Public Sector like the NHS etc) that advertise jobs externally have already tried and failed at an internal trawl. Although this doesn't apply to the Senior Civil Service (ie Sir Humphry level) jobs.