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Whats the worst thing about being unemployed to you?

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  • Orville
    Orville Posts: 1,906 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker PPI Party Pooper
    I'll be totally honest, i never really suffered from anything when i was unemployed. Well i did get the "sign on day blues" when the thought of going there again put me on a downer, but TBH it wasn't the actual stigma of being on the dole that got me down, it was listening to all the chavs and the "f" words that usually flew about...lol. Apart from that TBH i just made the best of it. Living within a few meters of the beach helped, i could spend time down there enjoying the sun etc. Being on the dole didn't really bother me, looking back on it, but i suspect like most of you i had the odd "off" day :).
  • ktothema
    ktothema Posts: 494 Forumite
    Orville wrote: »
    I'll be totally honest, i never really suffered from anything when i was unemployed. Well i did get the "sign on day blues" when the thought of going there again put me on a downer, but TBH it wasn't the actual stigma of being on the dole that got me down, it was listening to all the chavs and the "f" words that usually flew about...lol. Apart from that TBH i just made the best of it. Living within a few meters of the beach helped, i could spend time down there enjoying the sun etc. Being on the dole didn't really bother me, looking back on it, but i suspect like most of you i had the odd "off" day :).

    I love and loathe sign on day. I love it as I get amused by all the chavs outside smoking dope, wearing track suits and complaining that they just attended an interview an failed, seeming genuinely to not understand that showing up to an interview in a track suit smelling of dope is not a good impression. Then I loathe it as I don't want people thinking I'm like that! :rotfl:
    Data protection is there for you, not for companies to hide behind
  • red_devil
    red_devil Posts: 10,793 Forumite
    The worse thing is these stupid rules about going away, and having your claim stopped and restarted and all the admin work they cause themselves. Even my advisor agrees its madness.

    You also dont get hb run on and back to work grant if you have a break in your claim which nobody tells you about. They want people into work but at the same time penalise them.

    The amount you are allowed to earn on JSA has never risen from £5 either. If wages hadnt gone up in that time and people were still on the same wage as they were 20 years ago there would be hell to pay for.

    Time some of the outdated rules were changed.
    :footie:
  • MissSarah1972
    MissSarah1972 Posts: 1,648 Forumite
    falko89 wrote: »
    Does anyone else get insomnia? As an example I went to bed lastnight at 9.45 at 1.45 I was still wake, you go to bed and your mind just goes into overload thinking about work, the future etc, Happens quite regular this.
    9.45?? Why so early?
  • falko89
    falko89 Posts: 1,687 Forumite
    9.45?? Why so early?

    I'm used to it, I've went to bed between 9 and 10pm ever since I started working as I used to be up at 5am, and besides, damn all on the TV, I'm glad to get to bed, early to bed early to rise.
  • MissSarah1972
    MissSarah1972 Posts: 1,648 Forumite
    falko89 wrote: »
    I'm used to it, I've went to bed between 9 and 10pm ever since I started working as I used to be up at 5am, and besides, damn all on the TV, I'm glad to get to bed, early to bed early to rise.
    I used to be up at 6.30am but still never in bed before 1.30am
  • Saturnalia
    Saturnalia Posts: 2,051 Forumite
    red_devil wrote: »
    The worse thing is these stupid rules about going away, and having your claim stopped and restarted and all the admin work they cause themselves. Even my advisor agrees its madness.

    You also dont get hb run on and back to work grant if you have a break in your claim which nobody tells you about. They want people into work but at the same time penalise them.

    The amount you are allowed to earn on JSA has never risen from £5 either. If wages hadnt gone up in that time and people were still on the same wage as they were 20 years ago there would be hell to pay for.

    Time some of the outdated rules were changed.

    Yep. Same if you are a temp worker, you can't just "freeze" your claim for the weeks you work 16hrs+, you have to sign off and back on again (which could mean signing off on Sunday and back on on Saturday!) All the Jobcentre staff I've seen over the past couple of years have said the system is rubbish for this.

    Also if you've been out of work a certain amount of time (I think 13 weeks) you get half-price bus fares, run-on of your JSA, back-to-work costs help - but I'm never out of work for that long so don't qualify, and when I do get a week's work I have to find £31 for the tube fares.

    And it also mucks up your housing benefit claim. I have to inform them when I work and then take in my payslips for the period of working once I receive them, but then it can take a month to calculate what my HB is and for that to kick in again.

    But I'd never dream of not taking on the work when I am offered it. Every company I've ever temped for has hired me back so I'm always eager to get new ones, I earn more in 2 days than a week's worth of benefits, and it is keeping my brain in gear and my skills & CV up to date. So while I rather would be doing perm work, I'll do what I can for the time being.
    Public appearances now involve clothing. Sorry, it's part of my bail conditions.
  • falko89
    falko89 Posts: 1,687 Forumite
    I used to be up at 6.30am but still never in bed before 1.30am

    I need my sleep or I am in a horrible mood the following day, Even on a rare night out I am in bed before 1.30am, I'm 30 going on 80:D I often wonder how people entertain themselves to the wee hours of the morning, I'm glad to get to my bed.
  • Saturnalia wrote: »
    Yep. Same if you are a temp worker, you can't just "freeze" your claim for the weeks you work 16hrs+, you have to sign off and back on again (which could mean signing off on Sunday and back on on Saturday!) All the Jobcentre staff I've seen over the past couple of years have said the system is rubbish for this.

    Also if you've been out of work a certain amount of time (I think 13 weeks) you get half-price bus fares, run-on of your JSA, back-to-work costs help - but I'm never out of work for that long so don't qualify, and when I do get a week's work I have to find £31 for the tube fares.

    And it also mucks up your housing benefit claim. I have to inform them when I work and then take in my payslips for the period of working once I receive them, but then it can take a month to calculate what my HB is and for that to kick in again.

    But I'd never dream of not taking on the work when I am offered it. Every company I've ever temped for has hired me back so I'm always eager to get new ones, I earn more in 2 days than a week's worth of benefits, and it is keeping my brain in gear and my skills & CV up to date. So while I rather would be doing perm work, I'll do what I can for the time being.
    That's the thing that really winds me up, that in this day and age it takes a public body so long to make a simple calculation that can done with a spreadsheet. I remember when I went from Jobseeker's Allowance to a part-time role of 13 hours a week and it took them SIX weeks to calculate my new payment, which was exactly the same as it was on JSA:mad:
  • MissSarah1972
    MissSarah1972 Posts: 1,648 Forumite
    falko89 wrote: »
    I need my sleep or I am in a horrible mood the following day, Even on a rare night out I am in bed before 1.30am, I'm 30 going on 80:D I often wonder how people entertain themselves to the wee hours of the morning, I'm glad to get to my bed.
    Looking for jobs at the moment
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