Census Jobs

surreysaver

All these peop-le on the reserve list being called up doesn't look very good for the number of responses they've had from the public returning their forms....

Kirsjude

first78 wrote: »

I'm starting my role as a collector on Weds 6th, had my e-mail from my co-ordinator today giving details of the first meeting so it all looks promising.

I've read that you get a bonus at the end if you return all the equipment the issue you...does anyone know how much you get??

The bonus for 25 hours a week contract is £75.

lexilex

Well having been on the reserve list for two weeks, and with everyone else starting tomorrow, I think it's time to give up.

ex-dmp

Supposed to start tomorrow but not heard a single thing from anyone about it, message on phone line says don't worry if manager doesn't contact you before start date!!

incomprehensible

lexilex wrote: »

Well having been on the reserve list for two weeks, and with everyone else starting tomorrow, I think it's time to give up.

I agree, I'm in the same boat.

Four months yesterday waiting for a straight yes or no...

jacko909090

chalkysoil wrote: »

I still haven't heard from my coordinator, got supplies, id card, nothing. Emailed Capita a few days ago and they said "please have patience with this manager"

This is so different to the Census I worked on 10 years ago it's scary. Also whilst re reading the book noticed that there will be 200 to 700 visits a week = 3 to 11 minutes per visit including time between them.

Cannot access any info on mileage rate either

Phone calls to co ordinators mobile won't be refunded.

Now I'm trawling the internet trying to find out what's happening about a job I start tomorrow. Argh


phoned the 0800 number - a recorded message told me not to be concerned and my manager will contact me on 6th April. Oh good, I can go out shopping until 5pm when I plan to start work. Wasted half of today waiting around for info as it is.

The mileage rate for cars is 40p per mile for any authorised mileage in your area.

You will get an allowance at the end of your work period for phone calls (don't know how much this is - we haven't been told - I'm a co-ordinator)

Co-ordinators are checking every day for new starters to appear - they will contact you via phone and/or email to arrange to meet you for your induction/issue workload etc.

Hope that has helped and also that your co-ordinator gets in touch soon.

T

NonGeographicalMan

velissaria wrote: »

You seem switched on, so the reason you were not offered the job is more likely that you live 9 miles outside the area.

Probably. Although as my cost of commuting would be my own and the journey by car one way should only take about 15 minutes I don't see why. Normally for a real job if you want to commute that's up to you as long as you turn up for work on time and do the hours. Unless they think the living inside area employees will be more committed as the out of London hourly pay rate is not exactly very high if you have commuting costs on top. Although it depends to some extent if you would pay any tax on the money. Fortunately I would be completely untaxed on this income although I suppose that might change retrospectively if I become employed later in the year. So a pity that this job was not in March from that point of view.

It's rather naive that people believe you must reply honestly to these tests. These psychometric tests are used also by the NHS and the Police and have specific structure and aims. One possible action to test situations will always be "do nothing" and you must definitely reject this one, and one other possible reply will be "exaggerate in your actions" and you must also reject this one, because they don't like what they perceive as "troublemakers" in a business set up. Then you must choose the best actions in between.

In real life, I'd prefer to confront the colleague myself initially than snitching on him/her to the boss. In psychometric tests they always want you to snitch your colleague on to your line manager (but not to the directors' board, as this would be exaggerating). Since I'm not a snitch, I must lie to this and similar questions in order to pass the test. This makes my point I think.

Whether or not we would be better off if we went back to a system where Policeman had personalities that commanded respect and so only issued a stern dressing down with no fine or formal legal action for a minor motoring misdemeanour etc is a whole other subject for discussion in its own right. At the moment people are hit too hard for easy to fine and punish offences like speeding while repeat youth offenders are let off far too leniently for burglarly, car thefts and mindless acts of vandalism. But sadly this is hardly something that can be covered off in a four out of eight question multiple choice response...............

I also think that in real life how you answer questions about reporting colleagues who break company rules would actually depend on the overall picture regarding your colleague who proposed to bin all the questionnaires and/or answer them fictitiously themselves etc as this might after all be just a one off momentary expression of frustration after many days of boringly back breaking work in lousy weather that they had no real intention of actually going through with or alternatively it could be entirely symptomatic of their whole approach of always failing to take their work seriously or indeed the last straw in a whole series of repeated examples of "gross misconduct". It would also tend to depend on the personality type of your line manager. If you thought your line manager was an incompetent wimp who would do nothing about something serious then you might be more inclined to report it over their head. Also you would be more likely to have faith in a line manager you had worked with for years and respected than some temporary Capita area manager recruit also only working for a few weeks pay on the census who you hardly knew from Adam......

NonGeographicalMan

chalkysoil wrote: »

my first day and still haven't had any contact from my coordinator

It strikes me that the stated dates for the one month Collection period that most of the Collectors will work in are only a target and there is no reason at all why the starting and finishing dates cannot be a week or two later for some of the Collectors working in an area.

The purpose of the Census date is to add another 10 year interval to a series of data collected every 10 years stretching for over 150 years. It will not therefore matter in the least if some of the census forms end up coming back a week or two later than originally anticipated so long as they are keyed in and added to the census database in the end. However if any of the individual Collectors work later than the final intended finishing date this would mean the employment of their Co-ordinator for that area also having to be extended too. However no doubt there is contingency in the system to allow this to happen in areas where Census form collection rates turn out to still be alarmingly low by the start of May...............

NonGeographicalMan

Tamara_D wrote: »

I feel really fed up, upset and angry. I have done the census before as an enumerator (there was no opportunity to tell them this). I have worked in community engagement (they didn't ask about my experience). I have a good level of education, am computer literate and an ECDL and physically fit.

Last time I did the census I had a proper interview, it was a really nice job. I enjoy walking and meeting people. This time it's been nothing but frustration. I have wasted so much time on this I have joined this forum just to vent my feelings. Not just at not getting the job but at the whole miserable chaotic process.

I think you summarise very neatly the frustration that many of us feel about how difficult Capita have made it to get employed to do an extremely short term casual job that 80%+ of the population of working age are no doubt capable of doing perfectly competently. I note that canvassers for the political parties do a quite similar job (knocking on doors asking people how they will vote and recording any stated voting intention) but because they are unpaid volunteers the parties do not subject them to any of these tedious and lengthy selection and screening processes but instead merely stick them out on the street in the company of someone with some previous experience in the work.

This activity has been going on intensively for many years during election periods using this thoroughly old fashioned and amateurish yet distinctly human process of recruitment without any CRB checks or competence or screening tests used on those engaged to do the work and yet I am not aware of any political party so far being sued by a member of the public who has been verbally or physically abused by a canvasser in the course of carrying out the work.

The numerous hurdles erected by Capita to be recruited for such short term insecure employment reflect the fact that this unfortunately seems to be a consequence of (a) political correctness gone mad and (b) that this is the only model Capita has for employing people without any consideration whatsoever as to whether it is necessary or proportionate for the length of the employment in question.

Another point I have not yet seen anyone mention on here is why the hourly rate of pay for the Census Collector job is around 40% higher in Greater London compared to anywhere just a few miles outside London. Whilst most jobs that are done nationwide have some form of London weighting to allow for the costs of commuting or higher costs of living in a big city I am not aware of any London weighting that amounts to much more than 10 to 15% of the value of the annual pay package.

ex-dmp

chalkysoil wrote: »

phoned Capita. They have had loads of phone calls from census collectors who are "live" thus employed, but who have had no contact yet.

Well I'm not "live" yet, spoke to someone on the 0845 number, appears my docs are still being processed! Checking the disclosure scotland site they have a turnround time of 6 -14 days, so not expecting any contact for this week at least!

If you have not signed a contract you are not employed