Census Jobs

anothergirlanotherplanet

beckythemadcow wrote: »

I am a Coordinator, and on Thursday took over the role of another Coordinator. We are waiting for a replacement...

In the two areas I am covering (Circa 15000 households plus a University and Prison), I should have a total of 3 Early Collectors. One of which I am meeting tonight. One recently dropped out, and am waiting a replacement, and one is missing!

I have the ID card of the member of staff but cannot see the details on the payroll system to contact them. We have just had an email to say this is a far reaching problem and is Capita's fault, and all we can do is wait.

As frustrating for us as it is for you.

I met with my coordinator tonight, and he said the same. He's meant to have 7 people working for him so far. He's only got me!! Hopefully it'll get sorted out soon.
I've got a busy day ahead tomorrow, and actually feel under pressure since there's only me. I probably shouldn't but I really don't want to let my coordinator down

anothergirlanotherplanet

full-time-mum wrote: »

Just received an email offering me a job after all - subject doing e-learning, references, training etc.

I'm not sure that I'm going to bother to accept it.

The question is, do I risk spending 3 hours on e-learning and the expense of going on a 1/2 day training course. If they decide not to take me on, then it will have all been at my own cost.

Will wait for information they have promised by post. Might depend where the course is - if it's too far, I might decline just on sheer cost of petrol, never mind my time.

Just read email more carefully and it says that it might take 2 - 3 weeks for the email giving instructions for accessing the e-learning to come through. They want me to start in 16 days time.:doh:

The eLearning didn't take 3 hours for me, and other people have said the same. You can refer to the materials the whole time too. It might be worth doing it? Also, the classroom training is just to train you really. as long as you don't refuse to do the role play scenarios (as someone in a friends training did) then they've no reason not to take you on. I received the contract 2 or 3 days after the training.

NonGeographicalMan

I was in the process of applying for a Collector role at 11.10pm tonight (21st March) and had got a fair way through the process when the idiots running the website took it down 50 minutes before the scheduled closing time for applications at midnight. Now if I try to go back to https://www.censusjobs.co.uk I fail to get to the site and the same thing happens with a traceroute to that URL.

Now I know I should have applied earlier but given all the hoops Capita put in the way in order to be recruited for less than a month's work the pay is nothing more than peanuts and the only reason I'm trying to do it at all is so as to put some kind of work back down on the CV and claim to have some kind of recent employment experience. Also the area I was applying in is one where they are almost certainly short of collectors due it to being a middle class rural area of near full employment in the South East where even working at the fish and chip shop probably commands the £8 per hour the government is paying.

How can we can count on these idiots at Capita to get the Census right if they can't even keep the job application website open until the stated closing time.:eek::mad::mad::mad:

fastproperty

Be advised that calling the CHEC Office will not decrease the time period for the necessary processes to be completed. We appreciate your patience as we work to safeguard the public during the Decennial Census.

Robert_Roberston

fastproperty wrote: »

Be advised that calling the CHEC Office will not decrease the time period for the necessary processes to be completed. We appreciate your patience as we work to safeguard the public during the Decennial Census.

What on earth does this mean? :rotfl:

NonGeographicalMan

Robert_Roberston wrote: »

What on earth does this mean? :rotfl:

Well it could mean absolutely anything given that this is the first ever post from this forum member.

However if this person does actually work for Capita or the Office of National Statistics they seem to be saying that if it it takes them numerous weeks to do background checks on you then you will only be working for them for 2 weeks as a Collector and not four..........

NonGeographicalMan

dolphin0857 wrote: »

During the phone call this morning I also found out that job applicants are listed in order of "merit", so even if you meet all the criteria to do the job you still won't be offered a job straight away in case someone with higher merit turns up. I wonder if they have an equal opportunities target to meet?

Do we know what order of "merit" they are actually using to select people for these roles? Are they looking only at previous work experience in door to door selling or similar or are they looking at academic qualifications or are they most inclined to first give any specific job to someone living in that Collector area and only then look at people from outside of the Collector area if they are desperate?

Also further to my complaint about the website going down last night (Sunday 21st March) at 11.05pm it has come back up today and most of the Collector roles are still advertised but with a new application deadline of 23rd March instead of the previous 21st March. However none of the roles are where I live but the boundaries of some of the Collector areas are only 10 miles away even though the other side of that Collector area is up to 30 miles away (these are very rural areas). However rural Collector areas seem to be attractive in that you may spend far more of your time driving through nice scenery collecting 40p per mile (once you have reached the nearest boundary of the Collection area to your home) petrol money and less time banging on the door of some grubby block of flats in some dismal urban back street.

What I am saying is that I am only doing this out of interest and to also get something back on my CV and not for the peanuts money involved so I would actually prefer to apply for the Interviewer roles in some of the more scenic parts of Thames Valley as these are near my mum's house and she wouldn't mind me staying with her for three or four weeks. Also part of the Collection period is over Easter and we will all be gathering at my mum's house over the Easter weekend. But Easter may well be a major Collection time for ONS given that a lot of people will be at home even though some will go away. So if I apply for a job near my home address it could be a pain in the neck in terms of the Easter weekend.

Do what I want to know is if I try to apply for a job a long way from my home address (where it is easy for them to security vet me as I have lived there for 14 years) am I automatically vastly reducing my chances of getting it?

minxtress

I got an email today saying I am on the reserve list, but due to the likelyhood of me being used could i fill out all the necessary stuff. I wont be! Been too much of a farce for me to want to be employed by them

olias

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

Do we know what order of "merit" they are actually using to select people for these roles? Are they looking only at previous work experience in door to door selling or similar or are they looking at academic qualifications or are they most inclined to first give any specific job to someone living in that Collector area and only then look at people from outside of the Collector area if they are desperate?

No idea what criteria they are using. I live in the area I applied in, I worked door to door on some census work last year for which I recieved glowing reports from my line manager, I have worked previous in a field team management role including door to door work, and I passed the sift ability and was told by capita I had all the skills and abilities they were looking for.

I didn't even get an interview!:rotfl:

Olias

chaotic_j

I had a temporary part time job, 20 hours a week, minimum wage which I gave up for the Cenus Collector job as I was told that I couldn't take a month off then come back to it.

I had the Census call me *yesterday* and offer employment from today as an Early Census Collector so I gave 24 hours notice and I am now waiting to be called by my Coordinator.. not sure if I am working today or not?