Work Programme

LadyMissA

claire16c wrote: »

If you can borrow a fiver off someone, can't you borrow a fiver off them to get to one of the agencies that can get your cv to employers? Seems like that might be more of a benefit to you if you feel the work programme wont help you.

I know youve got to go to the work programme, but could you for sake of argument borrow a tenner instead of a fiver?

yeah and how do I pay it back? Its not so easy to say borrow a £10 when my mum is a pesioner.

But I have been told the work programme will help me I'd like to know how if you get no support and I dont want a hand out as I am prepared to pay it back if I got a job

claire16c

LadyMissA wrote: »

yeah and how do I pay it back? Its not so easy to say borrow a £10 when my mum is a pesioner.

But I have been told the work programme will help me I'd like to know how if you get no support and I dont want a hand out as I am prepared to pay it back if I got a job

Pay it back once you get a job - which surely is likely to happen sooner if you can get to an agency who you think might be more helpful? Could you even ask the agencies if you can do an interview with them over the phone instead of coming in, and you can email them your cv?

LadyMissA

claire16c wrote: »

Pay it back once you get a job - which surely is likely to happen sooner if you can get to an agency who you think might be more helpful? Could you even ask the agencies if you can do an interview with them over the phone instead of coming in, and you can email them your cv?

Er now my mum lives week to week and I used to give her £300 a mth for my keep and had to stop in April as I ran out of money and she can't afford to lend me £10. We are not in a good way here juggling bills and the like. Even food is a worry.

No agency will register me over the phone and yes I am talking to them over the phone and they have a copy of my CV that I applied for the job with.

donnajunkie

LadyMissA wrote: »

ok got the letter today confirming next week. 9am and expect to be there THREE HOURS!! What on earth will we doing for 3 hours? Letter says meet the consultant, have an assesment (what if I can spell my own name? lol) and do job search activities. Says fares will be reimbursed but you have to have proof but I told the guy on the phone I have an oyster card and he said they will know the cheapest fare so lets hope I get it or I can't go again as you can only top up the Oyster £5.00 at a time but its gonna cost me £2.60 there and back and to get there twice will take me over the £5 so I in fact need £10 on my oyster card to get there and back twice and I have £0.07 in my purse and going to have to borrow £5 off someone , what joy
Oh yeah and if I can't get the money on my oyster card I will end up paying £2.40 there each way and only be able to claim £1.30 each way.

i also have been wondering why it is expected to last so long. it could be because it is more of an induction session. each adviser wont have 3 to 4 hours spare to spend with every client.
as far as travel costs go i sympathise. if you dont manage your money so you have enough for travel they wont have any sympathy.

donnajunkie

BexInLondon wrote: »

They don't know you (yet) - the three hours is so they can actually get to know you. I imagine if it was only a ten minute appointment you'd be equally miffed at having to travel all that way for so short a time, and that they couldn't possibly identify your needs in that time.

30 minutes would be about right. if they think theres going to be enough to chat about with me to last 3 hours then they are in for a surprise. anyway like i said already i think it will be more of an induction session and that is why it lasts that long.

LadyMissA

donnajunkie wrote: »

if you dont manage your money so you have enough for travel they wont have any sympathy.

I have to pay bills with my £67, I could 'manage' when I taking home £390 a week - now now I can't! They can't expect anyone to travel 7 miles with their own money and still live.

donnajunkie

LadyMissA wrote: »

I have to pay bills with my £67, I could 'manage' when I taking home £390 a week - now now I can't! They can't expect anyone to travel 7 miles with their own money and still live.

well they will plan to reimburse travel. the issue you have is surrounding the oyster card.

BexInLondon

LadyMissA wrote: »

I have to pay bills with my £67, I could 'manage' when I taking home £390 a week - now now I can't! They can't expect anyone to travel 7 miles with their own money and still live.

I'm honestly not trying to be nasty but are you disabled in any way? If not, do you think you could manage to walk to some agencies to register? Presumably there will be a few near each other so once you have walked there you would then be able to register with a few. I'm struggling to imagine where you could live in London that the nearest decent agencies would be seven miles away though - London's not that big. If you're in East London, walking to Canary Wharf would allow you to sign up with all the big names. Seven miles really isn't far, especially not in summer - it should take a normally healthy person a couple of hours.

donnajunkie

LadyMissA wrote: »

so its a literacy test? I have a an O Level in English so I don't think I need to be tested.

on the old new deal they forced all new starters to do a basic literacy and numeracy test. you could have a degree in english and maths and you would still have to do it.

donnajunkie

EndlessStruggle wrote: »

Warning: rant imminent... I just got back from my first interview, apparently I'm doing too much voluntary work, my course is taking too much time away from "job searching" (at 4 hours a week!)and at least 3 hours a day isn't enough for a job search to look at the same jobs over and over again, when there is about 12 new jobs a day here to look at so filtering them out am lucky if there is 1 or 2 a day. He didn't seem to think Work experience and Training/Education were more important than staring at a blank computer screen or having free time.

it sounds like you have got saddled with the usual idiot that works at one of these places were the only good way is their way. unless they send you to do something that clashes they cant stop you doing it. even if they try ordering you to stop you could still do it and just not tell them.