A job's a job..

patman99

I must admit I turned-down a job. It was through an agency so the JC+ never knew. The wage wasn't to bad, but I had to come clean to the agency and tell them that I was turning the job down because I was waiting for cataract surgery and would be unlikely to see the screen of the machine or read drawings until it was done.
Luckily, 5 weeks later, I got an even better paid job through another agency. This time, I was honest-enough to mention the upcoming surgery at interview and they still offered me the job.

When I was claiming JSA, the worst part was signing-on day, sitting there in the JC waiting my turn to sign on the line for a measly £75 p/w.

Would I work for NMW ?. No, I have a mortgage to pay and NMW would come nowhere close to paying that plus all my other bills.

red_devil

if you get off benefits and into a job basically the jc dont want to know then? It is made very hard for you to leave your job and go back to claiming. Virtually impossible.

Esoog

red_devil wrote: »

if you get off benefits and into a job basically the jc dont want to know then? It is made very hard for you to leave your job and go back to claiming. Virtually impossible.

Surely that's how it should be? In a way... They're there to get you into a job, not encourage you out of one if you don't fancy 9-5?

morganedge

red_devil wrote: »

if you get off benefits and into a job basically the jc dont want to know then? It is made very hard for you to leave your job and go back to claiming. Virtually impossible.

how so?
That's exactly what I done when I signed on for a few months quite a while back now.

I quit my job thinking that I had something better lined up, that never panned out, and then I signed on. No problems....

Or is that not what you meant?

Cherry_Bomb

Isn't part of the problem some people expect to just walk into well paid jobs therefore seeing the NMW type jobs as 'not good enough'?

Don't get me wrong I'd be depressed stacking shelves for 8 hours a day but if it's a stepping stone to something better then why not?

red_devil

morganedge wrote: »

how so?
That's exactly what I done when I signed on for a few months quite a while back now.

I quit my job thinking that I had something better lined up, that never panned out, and then I signed on. No problems....

Or is that not what you meant?

i think they ask lots of questions about why you left your job and can refuse to pay you benefit.

gettingready

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

That's absolutely fine, but the problem comes when you expect society to financially support your choice not to work.

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

You're right. Doesn't make the action right though.

Choices like that should be something you earn, not that other people pay for.

Right - and why not look at it another way?

I have been in a job for 10 years, my salary was taxed at 40% for most of that time so..... How are "other people" paying for me being off work now?

Personally I see it as I have paid for this myself, by years of working previously and paying massive taxes previously.

I have been off work for a year now and will NOT take on a job that pays much less than my previous job, sorry.

The "better off at work calculation" that JC does is not realistic. They only take into account travel expenses and based their calculation on that: what you earn - minus your travel expenses - what you normally get while on benefits = how much better off you will be at this particular job (whatever they are trying to push you into).

That is not correct. While at home my expenses are minimal - I can have my boiled economy egg s/w with tesco value coffee for lunch. I can not always do this while I am at work. I need to be able to allow for lunch from time to time - regardless of JC employee telling me this is not an extra expense as I would have to have lunch at home anyway so it is not extra... Yeah right.....

While I am at home - I walk my dog. While I was at work - I had a dog walker at £200 per month.

Yes, it is my choice to have a dog and my responsibility to look after it BUT I also made sure I have qualifications/certifications to afford a job that pays what I need and I am not going to do a NMW job now.

While at home I am not bothered about my chipped nails 6 inches roots or lack of haircut for months or elasticated waist jogging bottoms courtessy of George at Asda or other Primark. While at work I need to have my hair/nails in order, look presentable in decent clothes that may need dry cleaning too, decent shoes etc. That all adds up in REAL life.

The above are just examples - there is a lot more than that, everyone's circumstances are different.

Not sure my rambling above makes sense, it is 2 am now but it really gets me going when someone says that whoever is claiming JSA is living of "other people's taxes" .. No - I live of my own taxes that I have paid over the years - till I find a job that allows me to come off the JSA.

dandelionclock30

Severe depression is an illness not a lifestyle choice, do you really think its o.k for people to be at work when they might be planning to kill themselves, or be hearing things or planning to cut themselves? You would'nt expect someone who had just come out of hospital for a major operation to return staight back to work whilst they were still ill.
Its not a choice not to work that were initially talking about it when your job makes you ill, which is different. Like it or not welfare is there to support the sick in the form of esa and dla, and if you have severe depression you may be able to claim both. This is how it is.
Mental ill health is as valid as physical ill health, you know. Even if you dont like the fact the state will and does have to support the sick.

falko89

I agree with the OP, Its not worth it. I've just got out a job that made me sick and while now I am unemployed and on benefits I actually feel happier than I've ever felt. I can't say I hated my job as such more the people I worked with, the back stabbing, the politics, the bullying got to me and I was eventually diagnosed with general anxiety disorder,panic attacks and social anxiety I got put on meds and CBT which made me almost learn to accept, it wasn't right but I'd at least learned to accept it. I remember the only time I was happy was on an extended break from work like the Summer holidays, but even these where ruined by the thought of having to go back. Life was hell and I went through that week in week out for 6-7 years. The day I got made redundant was in fact one of the happiest days of my life so far. But you know what the worst part was? When you told anyone about this all you got was "A jobs a job" or "You should be grateful you have a job" Is it any wonder so many people die from suicide in this country, I also found the thought appealing at one time, but now I am free and am hopeful for something better however still having social anxiety isn't going to do much for my chances.

19lottie82

lori64 wrote: »

If a job pays little more than being on benefits, is it worth taking?

Of course it is, because why should I pay for that person to survive on benefits? This attitude makes me really angry :mad: It's one of the reason why our country is in the mess that it is in.

lori64 wrote: »

Also, not everyone is cut out for the 9 to 5 grind!

What, lazy, you mean?



OP, I agree with you in the sense that of course, no one should HAVE to take or work a job that they don't like. If you don't like the role it's self, or you don't like working until 9am, then sure, quit, you don't HAVE to do it, no one does!

But if you choose not to work, or take the first job that comes along, in order to pay your bills and raise your kids, please don't expect that me and other hard working tax payers have to fund your benefits for you.