JSA Interview nightmare

Dublin_girl

5 years ago, after my husband left us, I found myself in the ridiculous position of not being able to afford to work anymore. I signed on for Income Support and have recently been switched to JSA, my youngest child having reached 10. On IS I had to visit or get a visit from job centre staff a couple of times a year, and now I sign on every fortnight.

I attend Chatham job centre in Kent, and my experience with the staff there has been really positive throughout. They've been firm, leaving me in no doubt that the system itself is NOT flexible, but always in a friendly and helpful manner. However, I have noticed that they've been getting noticeably busier and give less time to signers, so this week I asked someone about it. He told me the Department's had a huge increase in people signing on since the recession started (no surprise there) but that they're not only not hiring extra staff to cope with the increased workload, they're actually cutting staff, to help reach the new government's spending reduction target!

That seems mind bogglingly crazy to me! I'm happy that DFID, which deals with overseas aid, has been ringfenced so they don't have to cut their budget, but surely we should expect the same for the Department which effectively does the same job for people in this country? After all, they deal with a lot of very desperate people, as well as those of us who are just scraping by, and there are more and more people falling into those categories every week. Anyway, off my soap box, just thought that might go a small way to explaining why in some areas they may be rushing people through like sheep through dip instead of taking time to deal with the human being. Not an excuse mind you, there's no excuse for leaving you feeling intimidated and unsure of your position, but it may be one reason for the guy's appalling attitude.

As to the JS agreement, that is a lot more flexible than the system - I changed mine just this week to increase the number of hours and widen my search area. A few weeks ago I amended the type of work I was looking for, so it is possible. I believe your case officer has to be the one to do it, not just anyone you sign with can make changes, but as long as the changes are reasonable they don't object. As someone mentioned, if they actually give you a job you MUST apply for it, but only if it doesn't contradict your terms of agreement. I was given one 2 weeks ago that only mentioned 35 hours in the advert, but when I looked into it in more detail it involved Saturday working which, as a single parent, I'm not prepared to do. (Not yet anyway - a few months down the line, when I'm getting really desperate, I may give in on that one!) Because of that I was allowed to not apply for it (bad grammar, sorry!), which I was very glad of because it involved selling financial products to people who probably didn't need them and wouldn't have looked for them if they hadn't been approached, and I have quite strong feelings about that kind of business, having once gone into a bank for a £1,000 temporary overdraught and come out with a £15,000 loan! Which, despite following Martin's advice, I will be paying off until I die...:A (yeah, like I'm going to heaven!)

Dublin_girl

Sorry, sorry, sorry - I made a huge mistake in the last paragraph! I was just discussing this with someone who knows the system backwards and she said it's only on New Deal (which I'm on) that you can change the JS Agreement! So do be sure that when you have your next meeting you insist that it fits your needs!

dookar

Dublin_girl wrote: »

Sorry, sorry, sorry - I made a huge mistake in the last paragraph! I was just discussing this with someone who knows the system backwards and she said it's only on New Deal (which I'm on) that you can change the JS Agreement! So do be sure that when you have your next meeting you insist that it fits your needs!

This person doesn't know it as well as they say

kareware27

I feel for you really I do my son has had a similar nightmare with the JSA people ...he signed on and was put on a 26 week course, which ended with him getting a certificate in first aid?!?! not much use really . He was told he would have to go to an interview they had arranged for him and he would need a suit, so he said he did not have one, they said tough you will be sanctioned then... all the people on the 26 week course with him were given vouchers for suits... he was refused?!? with no explanation as to why... he was told the interview was for voluntary work for 3 months, no pay at all, not even JSA to work with drug abusers as a mentor!!!!!!!!!! oh my god! what the hell was his advisor thinking? he has no interest in mentoring anyone, and has problems dealing with day to day stuff not having a job... and what about the implications of being stuck with a hypodermic needle from one of the group? we are gobsmacked to say the least... he has no formal training to enable him to deal with drug abusers on a daily basis, if at all... and we are so shocked, he has asked on numerous occasions to change his adviser, and has been flatly refused, so in the end instead of getting a job, he has had to sign off so as not to endanger his health and maybe his life working with drug abusers... surely this is against his human rights? keep your eye on what you are signing, and be careful what you agree to, the jobs my son was forced to apply for all had a closing date that had already passed, and the adviser knew this, but penalized him anyways for not getting the jobs he'd applied for...

FOURCANDLES_2

A chap I knew at 46 had his fist visit to the JC he said they said is he prepared to do any type of work? he said as long as it pays my mortgage and gives me enough to eat for now YES. QUE a supervisor was called over "this guy refuses to do all types of work" said the guy taking details ?? Because my friend said what he said he was accused of refusing some types of work so he had to change what he said before they would carry on . He signed on once and then said ahh stuffem and I believe he is odd jobbing at the moment while waiting to start a job in October. ALL seems a lot of hassle to me for very little if anything .

FOURCANDLES_2

Perhaps this is how the Unemployment list has gone down, people go in once in a life time and never go back again so they just have the long term unemployed to deal with, week in week out, so the staff start to act like the long term unemployed ie attitude, rude,grunting,

kareware27

here here a bunch of neanderthals with the common sense of a lettuce leaf.... my son would have loved the JC lady advisers job and would have done a damn better job of it than she was

glossyhair

Sorry that you've had a bad experience . . . I found the Job Centre set up to be de-humanising and upsetting every time I went there. What got me through was realising that it wasn't personal, many of the advisors (though not all of them) are jumped-up beaurocratic bullies with no appreciation of the "real world" outside. They did not "understand" my qualifications and experience either as I didn't fit into one of the little pigeonholes. Very frustrating.

I'd definitely agree with White Horse above and make a formal complaint in writing about the way you have been treated. Keep the language factual and professional and there can be no comeback on you. It's REALLY important to keep a copy and do send it RD so they can't deny receipt. I genuinely wish you all the best and hope you find a suitable job soon.

FOURCANDLES_2

Speaking to my friend today it seems job centres have changed since I went in one in 1982 YOU ALL have my sympathy . However I would assume you may get poor attitude on both sides however the new unemployed are probably in shock so deserve a little more sympathy than the oik behind the counter.