Praise for Job Centre!

faithcecilia

I popped into the job centre today to (finally) sign off. I spoke to 2 different people and I simply cannot fault either of them, nor indeed the other people I have dealt with over the last 8 weeks or so (I had trouble initially, but that was with the call centre, not the actual job centre).

They were helpful, encouraging, polite and friendly. I felt that I mattered to them and was more than just a statistic. And they even ran through with me what other benefits I may now be eligible for, which looks like WTC, and put through the claim for me, as well as arranging to cancel my LHA.

So often people complain about the JC staff, possibly rightly so sometimes, but I think its really important to give praise when it is deserved.

Well done!:j:T:j

hothothot_3

Im glad you found employment and JC staff help you out but just to put something into context (without tempering your praise for the JC)

8 weeks means that you have been there 8 times to sign on for 5minutes (max) at a time?

Yes the JC probably gets bashed more than it deserves - but under 13 weeks you really dont get start to receive the blunt stick treatment. The JC and Jobseeker relationship will always, by nature, be adversarial - they have a duty to get you off their books - regardless of whether the job is truly suitable or not. They will be happy that you have got employment so fast and naturally be happy to help.

Congrats!

faithcecilia

I must admit I cant believe, even in the current climate, people still haven't found work after 3mths. I think there is a lot being advertised - care work for example is almost always in demand. I actually had the phone interview the day before I signed on, just taken a while to get a firm dtart date. i am just sorry this town has little in the way of office-based temp work, or I woukd have been working weeks ago.

faithcecilia

BootyBabe18 wrote: »

:rolleyes:

For many people the salaries being offered for those jobs just isnt suitable to pay even their basic living costs though!


And so they cant just apply for every single min wage job going, as they physically just wouldnt be able to do those jobs due to the pay not being enough to cover rent/travel to work,
let alone food, bills, and other expenses.

Believe me, in the past I have been there done that. I would always choose working over JSA, even if I ended up worse off (which did happen once). We don't have a right to be 'kept' endlessly by the state just because we don't fancy the jobs on offer. If all there was was scrubbing loos for 50hrs a week, I would take it. An earned income =selfrespect.

faithcecilia

I can't believe I am replying to such a blatent troll but I am.

JSA is not a right its an allowance given to thoses actively seeking work. Sadly the system is lax and many people sign on with little intention of actually seeking employment. That leaves many of us, myself included, vervous and sensitive about applying as we do not want to be put in the same category as teenagers who want to go clubbing every night and sleep half the day (I note your previous posts). I hate recieving 'charity' and that is how I see JSA, its there to tide me over until I find work but I feel guilty as I ought to be earning my keep. No fit healthy person has the right to choose to not work and be supported by the state, we are obliged to work. NMW jobs usually allow us to qualify for WTC (so long as we work 30hrs or more) so our income is topped up to a good level.

Working is not a choice, its an obligation, unless there are more serious issues than dragging our lazy behinds out of bed cos we have been up too late clubbing.

Bobl

faithcecilia wrote: »

I popped into the job centre today to (finally) sign off. I spoke to 2 different people and I simply cannot fault either of them, nor indeed the other people I have dealt with over the last 8 weeks or so (I had trouble initially, but that was with the call centre, not the actual job centre).

They were helpful, encouraging, polite and friendly. I felt that I mattered to them and was more than just a statistic. And they even ran through with me what other benefits I may now be eligible for, which looks like WTC, and put through the claim for me, as well as arranging to cancel my LHA.

So often people complain about the JC staff, possibly rightly so sometimes, but I think its really important to give praise when it is deserved.

Well done!:j:T:j

You will be driven out of MSE town for this, it's heresy :T

hothothot_3

faithcecilia wrote: »

I can't believe I am replying to such a blatent troll but I am.

JSA is not a right its an allowance given to thoses actively seeking work. Sadly the system is lax and many people sign on with little intention of actually seeking employment. That leaves many of us, myself included, vervous and sensitive about applying as we do not want to be put in the same category as teenagers who want to go clubbing every night and sleep half the day (I note your previous posts). I hate recieving 'charity' and that is how I see JSA, its there to tide me over until I find work but I feel guilty as I ought to be earning my keep. No fit healthy person has the right to choose to not work and be supported by the state, we are obliged to work. NMW jobs usually allow us to qualify for WTC (so long as we work 30hrs or more) so our income is topped up to a good level.

Working is not a choice, its an obligation, unless there are more serious issues than dragging our lazy behinds out of bed cos we have been up too late clubbing.

Can I just say that most people who magically get a job so fast are people who have a mortgage around their neck - not out of some protestant work ethic. They would snub these types of jobs normally, but in recession steal these jobs from the working class - and would take their council houses too if they only could.

Although, dont take this personally - I take my hat off to you to choose to work but I fully understand Bootybabe and the logic of his view into the welfare-poverty trap.

PasturesNew

Hurrah Cecelia

Glad you found work ... and damned good of you to give the troll a shouting down.

All the best in your new job.

busy_mom_2

faithcecilia wrote: »

I popped into the job centre today to (finally) sign off. I spoke to 2 different people and I simply cannot fault either of them, nor indeed the other people I have dealt with over the last 8 weeks or so (I had trouble initially, but that was with the call centre, not the actual job centre).

They were helpful, encouraging, polite and friendly. I felt that I mattered to them and was more than just a statistic. And they even ran through with me what other benefits I may now be eligible for, which looks like WTC, and put through the claim for me, as well as arranging to cancel my LHA.

So often people complain about the JC staff, possibly rightly so sometimes, but I think its really important to give praise when it is deserved.

Well done!:j:T:j

Congrats on the job and well done.:j:T

Thanks very much for sticking up for us jobcentre staff, nice that some good words about get posted. :T

faithcecilia

busy_mom wrote: »

Congrats on the job and well done.:j:T

Thanks very much for sticking up for us jobcentre staff, nice that some good words about get posted. :T

As I said, credit where its due, I could not fault them.

ceridwen

I can see both sides to this debate. On the one hand - I believe in "earning my keep"/"paying my way". On the other hand - I've been unemployed myself before now and had to turn down jobs offered because they didnt pay enough to live on and/or wouldnt have been suitable in other ways. It was a difficult situation to be in - and I managed to keep up my self-respect by knowing that I was actually doing a very useful/necessary job of work whilst unemployed actually - but, unfortunately, it was a variety of voluntary work I had chosen whilst I waited for a suitable paid job.

So - in summary - I DO believe strongly in people "paying their way" and doing their fair share - but it IS sometimes difficult to find a way to do so within the context of a paid job AND having enough money to live on - so I know that there have been occasions personally when I have had, in the past, to carry on doing my useful (but voluntary) work - whilst waiting for "useless" (but paid) work that paid enough money for me to actually live on.

Sometimes things arent a clearcut choice between one situation or another - I certainly found there were times when there were "shades of grey" and I had to "choose the lesser of two evils" - ie staying on the dole doing useful voluntary work whilst waiting for a paid (useless) job that paid enough to live on. There is an element too of people sometimes having to "vote with their feet" to demonstrate to an employer that they are underpaying for a job and that they have to put the salary up - and it may be that the only way to do this at times is for people to refuse to take the job on offer until such time as that employer DOES put the salary up to a reasonable amount.