At the moment could someone stay on JSA for 4 years?

LisaB85

moneysaversupremo wrote: »

Is this a totally "off the wall" idea? If so, feel free to ignore it...but I was just thinking:

Well...if I were unemployed and was looking for an unskilled and/or manual type job anyway (okays....I wouldn't be...but just saying...) then I would get out there with a litter-picker and some bags in hand and pick up litter whilst out for country-ish walks anyway. It would help clear up all the litter that louts/thoughtless types leave around, give me some exercise. The clincher is that I would phone up the local newspaper and get them to come out and do a little article/take a photo of me doing it. I'd smile with "job satisfaction" in the photo and the article would consist of comments from me saying why I'm doing the litter-picking (as in I do like to keep fit walking in the countryside/do hate all the litter that "people" leave lying around - SO I'M DOING SOMETHING USEFUL AND KEEPING MYSELF FIT WHILST LOOKING FOR A JOB...hint...hint...gizza job:)).

Well it beats standing there with a placard on saying "gizza job" and it's doing something useful/keep fit instead of the something humiliating that I feel the placard was. I admired the guy wearing the placard - and it worked for him - but I personally would find doing that too humiliating to do. What a potential employer would see (looking at a photo like that) is "Oh..that's someone fit/genuinely wants a job/got a bit of initiative..as he has chosen to go out and do that, rather than sit and watch telly all day". Might be worth a punt?

Is that maybe an idea?

There is a man who cleans up the market place in the local town as even those employed to look after it can't be bothered and covers stall holders if they need a quick 5min. He is on long term sick and is disabled but would love to come off benefits and do it as a job. One day he went out scrapped ice off the pavements and another time scrapping chewing gum off the bus station despite it being obvious he is disabled, he is also severely epileptic.

Council refused to give him a job as A) someone was doing it for free and Apparently the lazy so and sos do a good job and the residents of the town are happy, which is a lie because most signed a petition to say he should be paid for the work and the market place needs a cleaner.

LisaB85

LadyMissA wrote: »

Ok sorry if I already know this but are you on the Work Programme? When did you last work and how long were you at your last company?

Would you say you were shy? Do you ask enough questions? Do research on the company? Ever failed to answer a question asked by the interviewer?

I've been unemployed since May, not on work prog.

I tend to go a bit shy, I try to ask questions but it is hard when your interviewer is on the ball and goes through everything, I try to remember answers I need to give but as in my last interview he only wanted to know what I did in my last job, if I could use IT and deal with customers and explained their only worry was I don't drive but asked about buses and seemed happy.

They both kept refering to it as my job and said 'We need to wear ties on certain days'

They said they have others to see and will let me know though.

Does it sound like a good thing? x

dandelionclock30

Its interesting to hear if I were unemployed.. and then strange or boarding on humiliating suggestions. You know you would nt do these things if you were unemployed so why suggest that unemployed people do them.
Its like saying if I were unemployed i'd run around the town centre with a pair of knickers on my head with give us a job written on the crotch!!

exprog

gibson123 wrote: »

Lisa - here is a link to a down-loadable workbook, it has a really good section on interviews using the STAR technique, hope this helps.

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/4306/get_on_into_work_guide

it is for Scotland so not all relevant but the interview section is really good.

More like not really bad.

LadyMissA

LisaB85 wrote: »

I've been unemployed since May, not on work prog.

I tend to go a bit shy, I try to ask questions but it is hard when your interviewer is on the ball and goes through everything, I try to remember answers I need to give but as in my last interview he only wanted to know what I did in my last job, if I could use IT and deal with customers and explained their only worry was I don't drive but asked about buses and seemed happy.

They both kept refering to it as my job and said 'We need to wear ties on certain days'

They said they have others to see and will let me know though.

Does it sound like a good thing? x

You need to be on the ball too. Treat an interview as a converstaion not them talking, then you talking then a million questions fired at you. As they are talking about the job ask questions and relate that to what you have done in the past by making comparissions.

It is true however the interview can only be as good as the interviewer and some I have had have been very bad, not even asking me anything where at the end I have even asked them if there was anything they wanted to ask me!!! :eek:

What sorts of questions do you ask and how many?

Try not to be shy as if they like you they will give you the job and if they don't you will never see them again.

lmp0507

Oh you can definately be on it longer than 4 years, a certain member of my family first signed on when he was 18 and has been on ever since, He's now 32!
Obviously he isn't actively job hunting, Just too lazy to work....

donnajunkie

moneysaversupremo wrote: »

From what I've been reading recently, I think there's every chance you would be correct on that:cool:

I don't think the commonsense fact that I don't have a car and couldn't drive it if I had one would cross the mind of a Jobcentre employee desperate to cram in job referrals on people - which would end up in the ludicrous situation of me turning up at interview and having to ask the question "You say applicants need to have their own car and I can't even drive. Does that matter?":rotfl:

i have known people to get sanctioned for not applying for a job they werent qualified for. i have known people to get sanctioned for not going for a job that they couldnt get to etc. i think they all won their appeals though. still you wouldnt want to go through that stress. so my advice to everyone is when refered for a job you can politely point out why it isnt suitable. if they still insist then just apply for it to cover yourself. dont fall for the you dont have to apply for it line. if you get refered then you have to apply for it to avoid any chance of being refered for a sanction.

donnajunkie

LisaB85 wrote: »

My adviser who I used to work with is a tit! He has no local knowledge so doesn't believe me if I say I can't get somewhere.

He matched me to a job which wasn't one of my jsag options but because I said I could get to a certain large village/boat yard but only from 830am - 3pm so he matched me to a job to start at 7am!!! told me I could apply and ask about hours....erm the hours were on the advert :mad: so I applied but guess what? I never heard back from them.

jc staff have tried to refer me for jobs in a nearby town where the companies are often located somewhere that would not be possible to get to for the start time. when i point this out everytime they say you could get the train. the train station is at one end of the town and the companies are usually located at the other end of the town. when i use the word town i dont mean the town centre i mean the whole town.

donnajunkie

lucymelissa wrote: »

Oh you can definately be on it longer than 4 years, a certain member of my family first signed on when he was 18 and has been on ever since, He's now 32!
Obviously he isn't actively job hunting, Just too lazy to work....

did he do nothing from day 1? it could be the case that he has given up hope. lets face it he doesnt really have much chance if any of getting a job.

dandelionclock30

Well he could get a job if he started getting some work experience and going to college.
He would have to lie a bit about what he had been doing the last 14 years and say that hes been self employed/worked abroad or looked after a child or someone disabled. He cant just say signed on and done nothing.