Work Programme

looby75

Gargleblaster wrote: »

I'm getting the the stage were I hope I don't find a job just to spite them.

It was suggested to me last week that whenever I apply for a job I should say that I would be willing to work for free for the first month.

it's called work trial, ok it's not usually a month but at least a couple of weeks. You still receive benefits for that time but it gives the employer chance to see that you are up to the job so it's a useful option to have when you've been out of work for a while.

donnajunkie

Reverbe wrote: »

"anyone who finds themselves on the work programme who says they are confident about getting a job is not telign the truth"

I am. I am not confident as such in that I do not feel employers have the jobs out there but I am fully confident in my interview techniques etc and feel I have as much chance as any. Work programme is a one size fits all thing that they now must send everyone on. I have only been unemployed since mid Jan and yet you are already flagged up as a failure in their system if you have not found a job in 13 weeks..

the reason i say people cant be confident is because the majority are long term unemployed when they are sent on it and that puts alot employers off. plus there are few jobs around at the moment and also these courses dont have a good track record.

donnajunkie

Gargleblaster wrote: »

I'm getting the the stage were I hope I don't find a job just to spite them.

It was suggested to me last week that whenever I apply for a job I should say that I would be willing to work for free for the first month.

thats probably because they can send you there for 4 weeks on a placement and it will look even more like it was them who got you the job. i have seen people get advice like include info about worktrials in with an application.

excalibar

donnajunkie wrote: »

thats probably because they can send you there for 4 weeks on a placement and it will look even more like it was them who got you the job. i have seen people get advice like include info about worktrials in with an application.

What works for you if you don't want to go on work experience so soon? if is true the more different job roles you put down your looking for the more chance they send you on a placement? for instance if one was to say they're looking for an I.T, warehouse, retail etc work does it enhance your chances of doing work experience so soon? and is it the opposite if you say you're looking for just an I.T job? meaning less chance of a MWA.

Also I got a letter from Maximus asking me to bring my CV and/or fill in a CV template. Is this just like signing your details to third parties? if I say I don't want to give my CV to them without knowing where it's going then is it like the forms people are talking about where you don't have to sign over without your concent?

Did anybody get a initial appointment letter asking you to bring your CV? does that mean you may have already signed forms in the jobcenter concenting under duress about your details going on to third parties? or do you sign those forms at the Work Programme later?


thanks.

heathertheblether

excalibar wrote: »

What works for you if you don't want to go on work experience so soon? if is true the more different job roles you put down your looking for the more chance they send you on a placement? for instance if one was to say they're looking for an I.T, warehouse, retail etc work does it enhance your chances of doing work experience so soon? and is it the opposite if you say you're looking for just an I.T job? meaning less chance of a MWA.

Also I got a letter from Maximus asking me to bring my CV and/or fill in a CV template. Is this just like signing your details to third parties? if I say I don't want to give my CV to them without knowing where it's going then is it like the forms people are talking about where you don't have to sign over without your concent?

Did anybody get a initial appointment letter asking you to bring your CV? does that mean you may have already signed forms in the jobcenter concenting under duress about your details going on to third parties? or do you sign those forms at the Work Programme later?


thanks.

My initial appointment letter asked me to take along my birth certificate and a recent communication from DWP. During this first meeting, I was asked what sort of job I was looking for (admin) and if I would be prepared to consider short-term contracts (I said nothing under six months, as I have children and signing on/off/on creates too many financial difficulties for me). They asked if I would be interested in a "change of direction" like retail. I said a firm "NO", explaining that I simply don't have the temperament for that sort of job and would find it too stressful. Then they remembered that I have 4 children and suggested that some form of childminding job might be an option for me :eek: I said I would rather be boiled in oil. Also, they asked if I had an up-to-date CV. When I told them I didn't, they immediately booked me into a CV building workshop day. The finished article was then stored on their computer and I could log in any time to run off copies to send to prospective employers. HOWEVER, SO CAN THEY. I was told that if a job vacancy came in that THEY considered suitable for me, they would automatically send my CV to the employer without my "having to worry" about doing it myself and perhaps missing the opportunity. It was at this point that I came off the work programme in order to go to College. I was not asked to sign any kind of permission for them to send out my details, but this could simply be because I left before they had the chance - I have no doubt they would have done so before long.

Reverbe

Thanks Heather. this wrries me I dont want to end up stuck in a job I dont want to do/am not suited to etc or have them applying for things on my behalf..With the data protection act etc are they even allowed to do that??. IMO its a type of id theft/impersonation..

heathertheblether

Reverbe wrote: »

Thanks Heather. this wrries me I dont want to end up stuck in a job I dont want to do/am not suited to etc or have them applying for things on my behalf..With the data protection act etc are they even allowed to do that??. IMO its a type of id theft/impersonation..

I know what you mean. I told them admin only and they seemed to accept that, but am wondering now how long it would have taken them to shoehorn me into something inappropriate. Veiled "threats" about money being cut for non-compliance would almost certainly have forced me to reconsider my position and take a job/placement I didn't want/like. I am pretty sure they have to ask your permission before they send your CV out willy-nilly but, like I said, fortunately I never reached that stage. There is bound to be some red tape nonsense somewhere that states not allowing them to distribute your CV is in contravention of the rules of the work programme.

donnajunkie

excalibar wrote: »

What works for you if you don't want to go on work experience so soon? if is true the more different job roles you put down your looking for the more chance they send you on a placement? for instance if one was to say they're looking for an I.T, warehouse, retail etc work does it enhance your chances of doing work experience so soon? and is it the opposite if you say you're looking for just an I.T job? meaning less chance of a MWA.

Also I got a letter from Maximus asking me to bring my CV and/or fill in a CV template. Is this just like signing your details to third parties? if I say I don't want to give my CV to them without knowing where it's going then is it like the forms people are talking about where you don't have to sign over without your concent?

Did anybody get a initial appointment letter asking you to bring your CV? does that mean you may have already signed forms in the jobcenter concenting under duress about your details going on to third parties? or do you sign those forms at the Work Programme later?


thanks.

obviously with certain jobs it will be easier to find a placement. i dont think it makes much difference what you say you want because if they cant find it they will push you into something else.

donnajunkie

it is normal practice for them to put you forward for jobs without asking. however the employer still has to be interested in you and you would still have to get past the interview as well. if you are smart and subtle you can mess up an interview to avoid getting a job you dont want. if you are ever offered a job you are not keen on it maybe worth asking to do a work trial first. while a work trial isnt appealing in a job you want, in a job you dont want it gives you a chance to be not great at the job and put the employer off. so a work trial maybe better because if you were fully employed the only way out of a bad job is to get another job.

heathertheblether

donnajunkie wrote: »

it is normal practice for them to put you forward for jobs without asking. however the employer still has to be interested in you and you would still have to get past the interview as well. if you are smart and subtle you can mess up an interview to avoid getting a job you dont want. if you are ever offered a job you are not keen on it maybe worth asking to do a work trial first. while a work trial isnt appealing in a job you want, in a job you dont want it gives you a chance to be not great at the job and put the employer off. so a work trial maybe better because if you were fully employed the only way out of a bad job is to get another job.

Donna is right - it isn't that difficult to mess up an interview (without making it obvious that is what you are doing) and if they still want you after that, the work trial thing is perfect for showing the employer how accident-prone you are and that it is going to take them until the end of 2020 to train you, as you are such a slow learner...........:rotfl: