Asked to look for 8 jobs a week

maninthestreet

Caroline_a wrote: »

Unfortunately if you want benefits you will be asked to prove your entitlement to them. I would suggest that you look at how you can widen your opportunities - this may involve moving!

Difficult to move if you are unemployed and only have benefits to live on.

Caroline_a

Yes but it looks like the OP who lives in a 'tiny village' and cannot seem to get to anywhere where there might be a chance of employment needs to do any sort of job she can find, be it cleaning or babysitting to put some money together to enable her to find suitable work. Otherwise she may as well not bother - I can't see there will be any great career opportunities in such a place!

princesskasren

Who the frak is OP? Yes of course I am looking for a job and no moving is not an option. My partner of 10 years became severely depressed and spiralled down and one day after not speaking to me or barely for about 3 months just left me...I am in HIS house living on MY savings. I ahve no family and at 44 i don't want a career I just want a job I can go to and come home and forget. I ahve applied for MANY jobs in the last 6 months and I have had interviews but I am sure my age and teh fact that I stayed at home and did not work for almost 10 years count against me. I am applying for any job...cleaning...bank...retail....hotel work. I need a full time job so I can pay my own way and not have to rely on this government. Saying that I should move is not only imparactical but is just plain idiotic as no wonder all our small towns and villages are dying if we all just move out of them. I wasn't complaining that 8 was too many work or time wise just that the whole making up the numbers to get to the 16 every week seemed a bit false. I post out cvs..I go into shops and I call people and leave my name. Most of teh jobs in the area are part time or at the fish factory which I cannot work at as I am a vegetarian and that is the only rule I will not break to get a job. I don't want a career...at this point I just want to survive. I have been to the jobcenter 5 times in the last 2 weeks...signing on,2 meetings with an advisor and one job interview that was held there and I haven't even got any JSA from them yet as I only made my claim 2 weeks ago. It costs me £5 each time to get the bus in and I was never informed about travel expenses. I did sign up for the new jobsite but I def did not tick the box to let my advisor spy on me. I am not a child and just because some people out there are benefit cheats and try to work teh system doesn;t mean we all do. Anyway, taht's the story. I did not really want to tgo into the whole song and dance sob story as we ALL have our stories and I didn't want to be like...oh woe is me but after some of those posts I did feel the need to defend myself.

cte1111

OP = opening poster, i.e. princesskasren

skivenov

Don't forget to ask the job centre if they've got any vacancies each and every week. 1 down..... 7 to go......

morganedge

just write down all the jobs you apply for, and fill in the gaps with make-believe jobs.
I have a friend who's been on JSA for an absolute eternity, and this is what he does, and he's never had any problems.

There was a program on a little while ago where a guy gave in a shopping list instead of his jobsearch paperwork to prove how little notice the JSA staff take.

choo_choo_2

Hiya,

8 steps isn't unusual. I was told to do 7 things each week. I think job centres can be pot luck - my friend hated going and found them really unhelpful, whereas my adviser gave me practical actionable tips, e.g. suggesting websites, on new ways to look. Perhaps next time you go you can ask for more specific suggestions from your adviser.

In your circumstances it may prove well to think outside of the box too - such as what skills do you have? If you can knit or create, perhaps you could start selling things online and register as self-employed, through eBay for example. Or maybe advertise your services as household or nanny help locally. There's a local lady near me who will do ironing, and a lot of people take her up on it!

I am sorry to hear about your situation. For sympathy, I will say some of the replies have been unnecessarily judgemental, it isn't necessary to comment beyond what the original poster has asked in my opinion.

All the best and good luck.

EDIT: Also the job centre will pay your travel expenses for an interview beyond a certain distance. I didn't know this until I mentioned I had an interview in London. Ask your adviser about this. And your local job centre may have a twitter account where they post vacancies as they come up.

princesskasren

choo_choo wrote: »

Hiya,

8 steps isn't unusual. I was told to do 7 things each week. I think job centres can be pot luck - my friend hated going and found them really unhelpful, whereas my adviser gave me practical actionable tips, e.g. suggesting websites, on new ways to look. Perhaps next time you go you can ask for more specific suggestions from your adviser.

In your circumstances it may prove well to think outside of the box too - such as what skills do you have? If you can knit or create, perhaps you could start selling things online and register as self-employed, through eBay for example. Or maybe advertise your services as household or nanny help locally. There's a local lady near me who will do ironing, and a lot of people take her up on it!

I am sorry to hear about your situation. For sympathy, I will say some of the replies have been unnecessarily judgemental, it isn't necessary to comment beyond what the original poster has asked in my opinion.

All the best and good luck.

EDIT: Also the job centre will pay your travel expenses for an interview beyond a certain distance. I didn't know this until I mentioned I had an interview in London. Ask your adviser about this. And your local job centre may have a twitter account where they post vacancies as they come up.

Thanks for teh suggestions. I have actually tried locally with the odd job here and there but unemployment up here is quite bad and there are people that have it covered. When you say local jobcentre vacancies you just mean jobs tehy post on their website not actual jobs AT the jobcentre? lol...Either way I check the jobcentre website 5 times a day along with Indeed,Reed,S1jobs and all the local newspapers and I actually have an interview for a job as an advisor at the jobcentre which surprised me as I totally guessed on all the math questions on their online test.
I would prefer to be working as at least when you have a job you get a break from thinking about it. All I think about 7 days a week is getting a job and money and being homeless. I don't get a break from it mentally.

thorsoak

princesskasren wrote: »

So I have never had to ask for help from anyone least of all the government but when I went to the jobcenter to sign my jsa agreement I was asked to look for 8 jobs a week. Now I live in a tiny village and Aberdeen is the closest big city but i don't drive so Aberdeen is past the 90 min travel allowance. So there are few jobs in my area so my advisor said to just look in the yellow pages and cold call or send in cvs. I have no problem doing that but 16 every 2 weeks seem a lot and i forsee running out of places to call...however, i also worry if I bring this up that she will think I am being lazy..is 8 a lot?

So where did you work before? Did you find it difficult to get to work before?

Had you thought that you might possibly have to move in order to find a job?

princesskasren

thorsoak wrote: »

So where did you work before? Did you find it difficult to get to work before?

Had you thought that you might possibly have to move in order to find a job?

I moved back here to live after living in the USA for 20 years. I moved in with my partner and for the last 10 years other than a brief stint as asst mgr at a bookshop I haven't worked in the last 10 years. I was a stay at home. I have never found it difficult to get work...the job at the bookshop was the first job I interviewed for when I came back to the UK...and yes I have teh right to work here I never gave up my British citizenship. Before I moved back I was at UNI for 3 years and then had to leave because of family bereavements and ended up working at a bookshop in America for 10 years and then moved here. I don't move jobs a lot. I found something I liked and stuck with it. Again, I am stuck in a catch 22. In order to move I need a job in order to get a job I may have to move.