The Work Programme New Thread

dandelionclock30

At this college which is a further ed college, you have to show proof of benefits to qualify for the free courses. The jobcentre or the work programme dont pay anything for them.
The courses are basic hairdressing, ECDL, The classroom assistant one,LEVEL 1 and 2 Maths and English as far as I remember.
Its appalling that they hassell people about getting jobs but will not provide any training for people. Basically its to make people feel as uncomfortable as possible and get them to sign off.

dandelionclock30

Thats not on, at most workplaces they give you a few days following the death of a parent or child. I would have complained as thats really bad.
Just let it wash over you, they have to pay you your JSA and as long as you show you are looking for jobs and writing them down they cant stop your money.

Elvisia

My background is I was doing a PhD and got a job as a professor in a university so I have a little experience of what you're doing.

Firstly I would do things just to keep the WP quiet, and spend the rest of your time working out your plans for world domination. Find your ideal universities and see who the programme directors are, and write to them. Don't be afraid to write to more than one person in a university, they are an odd place and they may not pass around good CVs. Even write to the Dean if you think they might be useful. Write a good letter outlining what you'd like to do and your CV, even ask if you can come in for a chat before term starts. Ask if you can come in and do guest lecturing, they often have courses and need people to teach at the last minute or cover and absent prof if they're off on a course somewhere.

For the private tuition don't sell your skills short, it sounds as though you could easily teach science at GCSE level at least, and I assume at ALevel too. You really just get the textbooks and work through them, I've taught applied maths before and I am an English prof. Simply google whatever you want to teach for example "biology GCSE tutor" and then see what websites come up tops, and put an advert on those. Look at what other people in your area are doing, how they advertise themselves, what their rates are. Don't be afraid to go in high as you have lots of qualifications. Think about other subjects you can do, maths and english are popular, are you able to do maths if you're a science person? You would be surprised how desperate parents are to find good tutors and pay good money for them.

What else - can you write for publications? They usually send round requests to universities, so are there publications in your speciality, they may pay a little but if nothing else you've got very good standing to apply to a university with that. I would very much aim at teaching BSc/BA and MSc/MA stuff and don't bother with schools as that requires way more experience and qualifications. Many profs in universities are still students themselves. Do your research, find the people to write to, do a good covering letter and CV and start sending out right now as they'll be desperately looking for people. It's also worth sending out CVs at the end of term as often people leave in the middle of the year.

And don't expect the WP or the JCP to be able to help! They have no idea about these things.

Elvisia

Oh you could also PhD advise, I ended up doing that even though I was still studying it myself! Universities love that sort of thing.

wantsajob

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

Basically its to make people feel as uncomfortable as possible and get them to sign off.

I see it differently. WP makes money when people get jobs, and presumably when they sanction people. Signing off doesn't serve their purpose (unless that person wouldn't have got a job anyway).

wantsajob

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

I moved house in may 2012, and since then not been to the work prog once, they told me it may take 'a couple of weeks to switch me to another provider' as i moved out the area, yet 3 months on, no ones sent me letters, rang me nothing. Same with my house-mate.

I like it. Goes to prove their incompetence, perhaps they don't expect people "on benefits" to move home?!

kizzie_nikita

wantsajob wrote: »

I like it. Goes to prove their incompetence, perhaps they don't expect people "on benefits" to move home?!

I will have to mention it at some point though, as i will probably get sanctioned for a long time otherwise.

Gaz1971

The new, hotshot adviser at my WPP is a tool. My last appointment lasted 20 mins, I never got a word in, apart from hello, as he spent the whole time banging on about how good he was and that he would basically fill out my cv with a load of !!!!!!!!. He claims he lied on his cv and said he had a degree so he could get a job wit Reed Recruitment, as they have company policy that you must have a degree to work there.

I wonder if InTraining know they gave him a job on the info given in a bogus cv?

Elvisia

The main problem with the WP and the JCP is they don't employ proper recruiters, WP employ people to follow their procedures to get people into basic jobs so they can get their commission, JCP employ civil servants to hand out benefits and get people off benefits. So when we go into either thinking we're going to get expert advice we don't, we get a moron telling us stuff we already know. When I was at the WP I was the only person in my group WITH A CV so I was already miles ahead of the basics. One person in my group didn't even know what a CV was. I felt like saying "are you kidding me, why am I here". These are the sorts of people they can help, not people who have had some sort of career and already have a good idea of what they're doing. I think the WP should only be for people who do actually need this help. I was offered the chance to use a computer for half an hour twice a week. I was like, are you high, I have a macbook in my handbag right now, why am I going to a hot smelly room to sit using a slow computer that god knows who has been wiping themselves over. I had plans on sitting in Starbucks applying for work after I've finished talking to you, to get myself out of the house, not sitting in an office underneath a sign that says don't threat our staff with violence and don't look at !!!!!!.

Gaz - I would be tempted to report this guy!!

donnajunkie

wantsajob wrote: »

I see it differently. WP makes money when people get jobs, and presumably when they sanction people. Signing off doesn't serve their purpose (unless that person wouldn't have got a job anyway).

i wouldnt be surprised if they get paid when someone signs off.