Work Experience while on Jobseekers Allowance (WORK PROGRAMME)

dark_lady

Here are my previous experiences.

New Deal. I was placed in a charity shop for the beginning of 13 weeks. I spent 4 weeks at this placement then secured another placement at my local council for the follwing 9 weeks so i left the charity shop and did the placement at the council. I did a lot of filing while i was there (this was eleven years ago) and during the course of this filing i came across files of other people on benefits including people i personally knew (like bros ex girlfriend for instance.) I didnt get a job there despite trying and working hard but i wouldnt want to upset your stereotyping Caroline.
The providers were Reed and Pelcombe.
Because that was unsuccessful Pelcombe then wanted to put me in Campbells soup factory as work for your dole. He had a nasty attitude and told me i had to do it indefinately. I still have the tape of this conversation somewhere.
Luckily it never happened because i secured a job in a sex chatline office. Reed did come down there to have a nose at what i was doing even though i had signed off and this was a proper job.
But i was working nights so instead of me they came across my boss who basically told them to !!!! off. Result!

donnajunkie

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Many people will be receiving other benefits (LHA/HB/CTB) which would take the hourly rate well over NMW.

not many, some.
if you dont get at least the equivalent of the employed persons wage you are still being exploited even if you are getting over the minimum wage.

saintjammyswine

Why are people being exploited? They are improving their prospects of gaining employment, not losing anything as they continue to receive the same benefits, potentially getting free training.

Caroline_a

dark_lady wrote: »

Here are my previous experiences.

New Deal. I was placed in a charity shop for the beginning of 13 weeks. I spent 4 weeks at this placement then secured another placement at my local council for the follwing 9 weeks so i left the charity shop and did the placement at the council. I did a lot of filing while i was there (this was eleven years ago) and during the course of this filing i came across files of other people on benefits including people i personally knew (like bros ex girlfriend for instance.) I didnt get a job there despite trying and working hard but i wouldnt want to upset your stereotyping Caroline.
The providers were Reed and Pelcombe.
Because that was unsuccessful Pelcombe then wanted to put me in Campbells soup factory as work for your dole. He had a nasty attitude and told me i had to do it indefinately. I still have the tape of this conversation somewhere.
Luckily it never happened because i secured a job in a sex chatline office. Reed did come down there to have a nose at what i was doing even though i had signed off and this was a proper job.
But i was working nights so instead of me they came across my boss who basically told them to !!!! off. Result!

I think you've totally missed the point. I was saying that those attitudes in my examples I came across time and time again. I worked with both 16-18 year olds and adults, and I would say that probably 75% of the adults I encountered fell under the 'the world owes me a living' set. At the time there was fairly high unemployment, but most of these were from 2nd and 3rd generation unemployed - so they didnt really understand why they needed to get a job.

Additionally, providers are only facilitators - only the jobseeker can get a job, the provider can only provide the means to help, CV assistance, courses in interview techniques, placements, etc. It is down to the person themselves, and if they sit back and let it come to them, then it is highly unlikely they will get a job.

You did get yourself a job. So you obviously don't fall under any of my examples.

But... how would you deal with the people who genuinely DON'T want a job?

dark_lady

Caroline_a wrote: »

I think you've totally missed the point. I was saying that those attitudes in my examples I came across time and time again. I worked with both 16-18 year olds and adults, and I would say that probably 75% of the adults I encountered fell under the 'the world owes me a living' set. At the time there was fairly high unemployment, but most of these were from 2nd and 3rd generation unemployed - so they didnt really understand why they needed to get a job.

Additionally, providers are only facilitators - only the jobseeker can get a job, the provider can only provide the means to help, CV assistance, courses in interview techniques, placements, etc. It is down to the person themselves, and if they sit back and let it come to them, then it is highly unlikely they will get a job.

You did get yourself a job. So you obviously don't fall under any of my examples.

But... how would you deal with the people who genuinely DON'T want a job?

So who are these people who dont want a job. Who do you see as economically inactive.

dark_lady

Carers and New Deal
I am a carer for my husband who has heart disease and arthritis and have always been ineligible for Carers Allowance. Because of this I was having to claim Jobseekers Allowance three years ago. I had no choice but to do this if I wanted any money at all.During this time I was placed on New Deal with no thought for my caring responsibilities.I tried to explain the situation several times at fortnightly interviews but it always fell on deaf ears.In fact I distinctly remember the New Deal Advisor greeting me with the phrase “Got a job yet “ on a couple of occasions which is nothing but insulting to a full time carer.
The same advisor told me my training could not be done in my home town of Braintree and would have to be done at Seetec in Chelmsford They were the providers of the New Deal programme.He then proceeded to tell me that my travel expenses would be paid back at the end of every day.He was lying. They paid back travel expenses every Friday.So I hoped and prayed that my husband didn’t get admitted to hospital yet again during this time as we simply couldn’t afford it!
So I began the course with much trepidation. I was right to be worried. Occasionally I had to sort out my husbands prescriptions which meant taking them to the doctors and picking them up but when going to Chelmsford it wasn’t possible. I could only go by public transport as I don’t drive. The surgery didn’t open until 8.30 am They wanted me in Chelmsford by 9.30 at the latest. I had to be there all day till 4.30pm so I also had trouble getting back to pick it up before the surgery closed. I tried explaining the situation to them.I also tried doing the prescriptions anyway and just going in late. Their answer to both scenarios was to get there on time or be sanctioned and kicked off the course and lose your benefits.
This isn’t the worst thing that happened while I was there. My husbands heart attack left him with memory loss. One day he had to phone Seetec in Chelmsford where I was because he had taken an accidental overdose.They were fine about letting me go straight home From leaving the Seetec building in Chelmsford to entering my flat in Braintree took two hours. I had to get the bus as travel expenses wernt paid back till Friday This was a Tuesday.No way could I afford a taxi.At home my husband couldn’t move. He was nauseous and sick and in pain. The following day I went into Seetec (didn’t want to risk losing benefits) to find they had already put me down as late. They had obviously assumed I was coming in despite what happened the day before.They knew I had no choice.I had constant IBS attacks while I was at Seetec and a particularly nasty bout of impetigo.I couldn’t take it any more It was making me ill. The GP agreed and signed me off.
Thankyou very much for showing your support for carers unlike other media who only seem to be interested in benefit bashing.
Carers Allowance needs to be increased but there is no point doing that if it then gets eaten up in council tax It needs to be increased without the council being allowed to touch it much like D.L.A.
October 15, 2009 11:27 PM

Caroline_a

@ darklady

Sigh. I promise you, there are a whole load of people who pay lipservice to jobhunting, but actually don't want a job. You may not know any of them, but I have come across a tremendous amount of them! What do you want me to do - name names??

'Economically inactive' is quite an emotive phrase. Do you mean people who don't work, or people who don't want to work. Two totally different things! You moved into the sex industry, which unfortunately as far as I know isn't yet covered by any training scheme. Additionally, providers make some of their money by job outcomes - that was why the person from Reed came round, although they would be unable to claim unless the rules have changed as we were unable to have any placements or job outcomes from the sex industry or from anything involving politics.

You seem to think that training providers are leeches making money from the unemployed - what would you have as an alternative, no benefits at all? or maybe let everyone just stay on the dole as the dwindling few struggle to pay for them? Trust me, training providers don't earn as much as you think, they haven't for years. They provide a service that the Government (whatever party you are) requests for people who have been out of work for a certain length of time.

Tell you what, let's get rid of them all.... see how the country gets on in in the next 5 years...

Vincent_Buenisedes

saintjammyswine wrote: »

Why are people being exploited? They are improving their prospects of gaining employment, not losing anything as they continue to receive the same benefits, potentially getting free training.

Most will gain no "experience" whatsoever, particularly as the xmas period 'tis upon us.
All the retailers and logistics depots will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of all the unfortunate "customers" the grasping, inefficient and lacklustre providers will send to them.
What is "experience" anyway - surely it can't take eight weeks to train someone to be at a certain place at a certain time, or to move some merchandise around a shelf!

sammyjammy

JoJox wrote: »

Thank u for understanding! I hav sooo much experince in admin and if the work programme tell ur doing a work experince then u hav no choice but to do it. So wen they say im doing one then if i say no DO I lose ALL my benifts? It dont seem fair but i will never giv up on finding a job!

I've worked since i was 16 and lost me job last Jan 2010. Giv me credit people lol :money::T

You have so much experience in Admin yet you can't spell/type.

I understand that your benefits would be sanctioned if you refused to take part.

Just because you've Admin experience it doesn't mean you have nothing to learn. All offices are different and do different things. Try going into it with an open mind, you never know you might get a job out of it!

donnajunkie

saintjammyswine wrote: »

Its up to 30 hours per week.

thats surprising. does that mean if someone gets sent somewhere that does 8 hours a day 5 days a week they will be able to get away 2 hrs early each day? its also an improvement from the old new deal where even though the rules only required the minimum of 30 hours the new deal providers took great pleasure in making sure the employer knew they could have people for 40 hours.