What Is Your Opinion of the Unemployed

T800

im in work, it isnt nice being a slave. Im looking forward to my contract expiring and making them my slaves when I sign on.

Having been on both sides of the fence, unemployed and employed off and on, I know that I couldnt care less what people think as people ive worked for did less work than I did doing my fortnightly jobsearch.

The problem of the recession is not to do with benefit claimants or the unemployed, they are a byproduct of the situation not the cause of it.

santacruz_2

haydonwynter wrote: »

To be honest I think that the general attitudes of people need to change, because everyone’s circumstances are totally different.

Take me for example:

I’ve am long term unemployed at the moment but I am trying to get back into work, but it’s not that black & white for me.
I left school in the May 1997 when I was 15 I done my exams and was graded well, in spite of having a rough family background. My friends were into drink, drugs and crime. We moved about a lot. I went to four primary schools & three senior schools.

My parents weren’t motivating, Inspirational, or encouraging. I have two brothers (one’s a heroin addict) and two sisters (ones Vicky Pollard).

I went to college at the age of 16 in September 1997. However this was not good enough for my parents and they practically forced me to take a job. They told me to lie about my age and my step father got me a job on security working nights on a static site. My shifts were Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights from 4:30pm to 7am. However my college days were Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This meant that I would have to go straight to college from work on Monday morning and straight to work from college on the Wednesday.

With my parents’ marriage breaking down around me, I worked like this for two years and as you could probably imagine it damaged my mental state for quite a long time afterwards. Can you imagine having a physical and mental breakdown before you reached the age of 18?

I have worked on and off all my life, but the important thing is I have always done something. I have worked (against advice) as a security guard, Order picker, Packer, Bin man, 2nd Driver on HGV, Gardener & various other things and In about 2007 I had problems again, but I could not just sit there doing nothing so I went into education and have been there since (doing different things). Now I am looking for a job and I have set myself a target if I cannot get anything by September I am going back to university for a degree.

I am 27 and it’s not an easy being on the dole regardless of what the Daily Mail thinks especially where I live, I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke and I don’t drink.

As bad as it sounds I could be the most dangerous person that never was, I can still access the life that I choose to ignore. There are people I know that would welcome me to that life, the drugs, the violence & the crime, but I want no part of it. I detest it, I want my wife and kids to be proud of me, I want to be proud of myself.

I live a quite life with my beautiful wife and children, who I have instilled with morals, love and care. Even though I am not working, I always tell them Work and Education are important and I even make DIY jobs up for me to do, so they think I am doing something and I even include them in helping me.

I don't want to get all american but I have to admire people who come from certain backgrounds and can see past it all and have the individualism to choose their future. Or even have the sense to know you can choose.

haydonwynter

Thanks mate

missdee85

I am unemployed and i find that if i want any help at all with expanding my skills or anything to do with job hunting i have to be the one to ask the jobcentre advisor, which i really despise as i dont know what sort of things they offer to help and i want to do as much as i can do to get work i have been pushed from pillar to post with them they quite regularly give out wrong information including when you have an appointment etc etc - i mean if these are the sort of people who are trusted to help us what sort of luck are we actually going to have!!!!!

I have to say i hate admitting i am unemployed as it really dents my pride i know what my view on the majority of unemployed people is. It is a sad society that most of the people on JSA cant be bothered to work or look for work and have no intention of doing so they are quite happy to keep getting as much as they do - ok i admit it is not a lot of money far from it but most people become content with living that way.

Having said that i know that there are genuine people looking for work but they seem to be few and far between especially where i come from - i guess for some people it does get repetitive getting rejected so much and they may seem to start to wonder why they put themselves through it all thats the only reason i can think of as to why people dont want to aim for more in their lives - i know i do and the majority of the jobseekers on this forum also do.

SarEl

santacruz wrote: »

I don't want to get all american but I have to admire people who come from certain backgrounds and can see past it all and have the individualism to choose their future. Or even have the sense to know you can choose.

Don't know about the American bit - but good on you. It's easy to blame "background" for your life choices, but it's also not true. Many people have crap lives for all sorts of reasons and rise above them. Good on you for being one of them.

Don't take second best. You are articulate and capable. Get yourself off to university. It isn't the answer - but it's a start! The seeds you lay down now are not just your future - they will also be your childrens (even if you don't have any yet!).

wavefinder

i didn't know that on reaching the age of 60 when you are signing on, you cease to be classed as unemployed! as you will automatically start to receive pension credit! it makes one think about all these government figures! there must be a an awful lot of 60 somethings, who are unable to get a job purely because of their age and who don't fall into the unemployed category!

dickydonkin

wavefinder wrote: »

i didn't know that on reaching the age of 60 when you are signing on, you cease to be classed as unemployed! as you will automatically start to receive pension credit! it makes one think about all these government figures! there must be a an awful lot of 60 somethings, who are unable to get a job purely because of their age and who don't fall into the unemployed category!

There is also an awful lot of 50 somethings who are 'inactive'.

As I alluded to in my earlier post, I was sick of being pestered by jobcentre staff to sign off as I had enough pension credits that I had accrued over 37 years of continuous employment and there was "no point" in me signing on as I was also unable to claim any benefits.

As I stated earlier, I always thought JCP was there to assist people in finding employment - not so it appears.

I am unemployed and i find that if i want any help at all with expanding my skills or anything to do with job hunting i have to be the one to ask the jobcentre advisor, which i really despise as i dont know what sort of things they offer to help and i want to do as much as i can do to get work i have been pushed from pillar to post with them they quite regularly give out wrong information including when you have an appointment etc etc - i mean if these are the sort of people who are trusted to help us what sort of luck are we actually going to have!!!!!

Absolutely missdee85.

The conflicting 'information' I received from JCP had my head spinning - one agent telling you something one week and another telling you something completely different the next. Whether it was a morale issue I don't know but It was difficult to ascertain who was more depressed - the staff or the 'customers'.

Vader123

junkmayle wrote: »

How do I change my deafness, Mrcow and Vader123?

Who is suggesting or wanting that?

Vader

junkmayle

You said it here in post #8 Vader 123

"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 have been unemployed two years now. The New Deal people have been through every aspect of my job hunting and cannot find anything wrong. The only thing left is my disability. Offer me the benefit of your wisdom and point out what I am doing wrong.

onlyforboards_2

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.

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

It depends on the area. It is very easy to be long term employed in the UK. For example men aged 50+ fresh from long term employment in positions of responsibility searching for any job get hit very badly in the current climate for lots of reasons that you must be aware of given your experience with the unemployed.