What Is Your Opinion of the Unemployed

CannotFindHelp

I've recently gained employment after 7 months of unemployment. I applied for JSA 2 months after becoming unemployed, because I'd never been unemployed before...from the time I was 15 when I started my first job...and I didn't honestly believe I'd struggle through over half a year of unemployment.

Becoming unemployed meant closing my self employment business (which was just me working as a Freelance Journalist) and having to declare all. As a result I lost confidence in myself and, when it took the Job Centre almost 6 weeks to process my unemployment, I lost faith in them. I was only paid 2 weeks back JSA in the first instance and when I complained they said it was more then I was entitled to.

There was no crisis loan and no Benefit's. When I lost my job I didn't want my landlady to know I was unemployed - she had a strict policy on no unemployed people - so I saved face and didn't tell her. Massive mistake. As a result of her not signing my Council Tax and Housing Benefit form to confirm where I lived and my current situation as the Independent witness they needed I was entitled to nothing and got nothing.

I had to eat into savings, sell items and work my hardest every day to try and find work. It took me 2 hours sometimes to fill out a standard online application form (10/12 pages) which then might not have been answered by the prospective employer - forget a rejection letter, it just wasn't answered. And forget a letter. Everything is email these days.

My relationship suffered and I lost friends as a result of my unemployment and I struggled to keep myself confident. I failed a lot of the time.

The hardest thing was that everywhere I went I heard the same thing - that unemployed people are useless, lazy, dole sucking scum, benefit fraudsters and just generally robbing !!!!!!!s who want to do as little as possible for as much as possible. They're the reason we are in a recession. They are the reason we can't afford our little luxuries at the end of the week and they're the reason why it's become harder in the workplace.

I want to know, honestly, what people think of the unemployed. And I want you to state whether or not you have a job. I think there is so much prejudice around, so much distrust, and so much hatred for the unemployed that it honestly sickens me. There are people struggling every single day of the week to find employment and desperately wanting a job - and to label them as scum - is both unfair and abuse.

Kate78

My opinion is that it makes little sense to speak of "The Unemployed" as a homogenous group. Everybody's circumstances are different.

I am employed and my employment sometimes involves contact with unemployed people (no I don't work for the Job Centre before you ask!)

I have been unemployed myself at various times (fortunately for only a couple of months here and there), and know people who have been out of work for an extended period of time who are certainly not "lazy, dole-sucking scum".

That is my opinion, since you asked, do with it what you will.

eandjsmum

I found that there wasnt enough help to get people back to work. I had to wait 8 weeks for a back to work interview. No job club nothing!. I didn't like going to the Job Centre I felt like I was sponging.When I first went the first advisor was rude to me and ive dreaded every visit since. Ive spent ages filling out forms and perfecting CV 's. It hasn't been easy. Ive been in work for 31 years and never claimed Job seekers. Yesterday I got an offer of a job. It starts 1st September, I got this job not by trawling the internet and papers (although I did a lot of that) I sent my CV a statement and a covering letter out of speculation to prospective employees and yesterday It came up trumps.
I think that some unemployed get a bad press There are a lot like me who tried hard to get work. When I was at the job centre I notice that some of the advisors doing Job searches for the Clients, (so some people aren't looking properly). There were also some young mums with kids in push chairs looking for work. If you are paying for childcare you have got to earn more thaan minimum wage and are restricted in what hours you can work - No child care after 6pm or weekends.
There were one or two not looking too hard most were though.

Kate78

eandjsmum wrote: »

When I first went the first advisor was rude to me and ive dreaded every visit since.

I really hate this attitude, especially when it's the people who are supposed to help. :mad: True some people are harder to help than others (I don't mean you eandjsmum!), but there's no need for this.

Maybe the adviser needs a new job! :rotfl:

mrcow

CannotFindHelp wrote: »

I've recently gained employment after 7 months of unemployment. I applied for JSA 2 months after becoming unemployed, because I'd never been unemployed before...from the time I was 15 when I started my first job...and I didn't honestly believe I'd struggle through over half a year of unemployment.

Becoming unemployed meant closing my self employment business (which was just me working as a Freelance Journalist) and having to declare all. As a result I lost confidence in myself and, when it took the Job Centre almost 6 weeks to process my unemployment, I lost faith in them. I was only paid 2 weeks back JSA in the first instance and when I complained they said it was more then I was entitled to.

I sometimes wonder if the people working for the DWP are actually trained to be like this or whether they just become jaded over time and turn into people that most of us wouldn't give the time of day to unless we had to. The entire jobseeker process erodes your self esteem. It's SO imprtant to try and maintain it.

I'm fortunate in that I've sucessfully worked pretty much all my life but have had dealing with DWP during certain periods and am generally without fail appauled at the general lack of expertise, support, advice and basic personal skills that many of the staff display. A lot of them (not all!) need to go on BASIC customer services training courses and certainly telephone techniques training courses.

Person_one

I agree with Kate that it's impossible to generalise. I've recently been offered a new job after about 3 months of unemployment. I didn't expect to walk straight into a new job after my redundancy as I decided to go for a career change and I knew it would take a while to convince someone to take a chance on me, particularly with all the competition from people with experience.

I personally know people who've walked straight into new jobs pretty quickly, people like me who have taken a few months, people who've struggled for nearly a year despite trying very very hard to find work and people who have barely worked in their lives and don't seem to feel the need to. Its a very wide spectrum!

I tend to see that the people who get new jobs fairly quickly are both motivated, intelligent and confident AND have the skills and knowledge you need to play the jobs game. They know how to sell themselves, how to interview etc so they don't stay out of work long.

The second set of people are motivated, but lack the skills. Sometimes because they've been in one job for many years and things have changed since they were last out of work. Sometimes because the kind of job they do used to be easier to get into and now there is much more competition or the goalposts have moved. I think these people really need support and help from the JCP but I'm not sure if they're getting it soon enough.

The third set, I do understand as its almost a cultural thing. Their parents didn't work, their grandparents didn't really work, lots of their peers don't work. Its very hard to break the cycle. I don't judge people too harshly as I imagine that changing the mindset would be as hard as changing mine and convincing me that it was ok to live on benefits forever. I think schools have a bit to answer for on this, as they are the main influence on young people apart from their parents and need to step in and try to encourage aspiration and ambition.

As for the attitude of the JCP stuff, maybe this has to do with the timing of my sign-on appointment but they're always lovely to me! I go late afternoon on a Monday and am always surrounded by people making their excuses for missing a 9am monday morning sign-on, usually pretty poor excuses! I think they are pleased to see someone who is genuinely trying in the midst of all that!

Hermia

mrcow wrote: »

I sometimes wonder if the people working for the DWP are actually trained to be like this or whether they just become jaded over time and turn into people that most of us wouldn't give the time of day to unless we had to.

My thoughts exactly. I can never work out whether they are just jaded or whether they are trained to be unsympathetic. I have only had one period of unemployment in my life and it lasted for six months. Whenever I went to the job centre I felt like I was treated like a sponger which really annoyed me as surely they could see that I wasn't because they had seen my CV. They also seemed to really resent the fact that I was well-educated (I have a postgraduate degree). When I went in to sign off the guy had an expression like he'd been sucking lemons when I told him about the great job I had got!

Vader123

My controversial and often disliked opinion is that anyone who is "long term" unemployed (say over 9 months) is doing something very wrong with their job hunting.

They are either being to restrictive in what they want to do, the hours they want to work, have a crappy CV/interview skills/application form , and/or don't want to work.

I own my own company with 134 FT employees spread over 4 UK locations.

I have dealt personally with the DWP and unemployment and unemployed people are a big part of my business.

Vader

CannotFindHelp

Vader123 wrote: »

My controversial and often disliked opinion is that anyone who is "long term" unemployed (say over 9 months) is doing something very wrong with their job hunting.

I respect your opinion, but I don't tend to agree with you, while long term unemployment is a serious problem in the UK I do think there are people in certain Geographical areas, with commitment and unable to move, who are tied to an area of high unemployment and there's very little they can do about it. It's difficult also if a partner is in employment for example, in a good job, and you can't find something - that can lead to serious problems

Vader123 wrote: »

They are either being to restrictive in what they want to do, the hours they want to work, have a crappy CV/interview skills/application form , and/or don't want to work.

If they have bad skills, and some probably do, surely the DWP can put them in touch with someone to help or maybe plan a workshop themselves for the unemployed. In my personal experience I had one meeting, other then my signing on, in all the time I was unemployed - and that person couldn't wait to get me in and out as fast as possible

I was also once told that each officer has just 7 minutes per signing on. So, if you're good at job hunting yourself, then they get you in and out in 30 seconds - they don't even sign the diary or look at it - and then they have 6 and a half extra minutes with someone who they have to do a job search for.

Also, another important point, the DWP could get in touch with local recruitment agencies or even organisations to help people (in my case, Northern Film and Media would be a helpful link up with the Job Centre) and in that way people could meet like minded people, network, attend work shops and generally remain positive while looking for work.:T

I'm reminded of that show the League of Gentlemen, where Pauline is objecting to Mickey going for an interview before they've discussed it on the course....where would I be if you all got work before the end of this course?

viktory

This needs to be moved to DT

mrcow

Vader123 wrote: »

My controversial and often disliked opinion is that anyone who is "long term" unemployed (say over 9 months) is doing something very wrong with their job hunting.

Is that controversial? I would thought it common sense.

If you do the same thing for 9 months without result, then surely it's time to change your strategy?