Unpaid internship - Job Centre will deduct travel costs from my benefits

AnnoyedGuy

I hope I'm not breaking the rules by posting an update on here. It's been a while, hasn't it?

I completed the internship and they offered me the job worth 19k a year + benefits. I was promoted 6 months later. A year and a half later, I quit, and moved to another company where I'm now earning over 30k a year. I now have career plans and I genuinely love the work that I do.

This whole experience was devastatingly horrible for me as I was living on a very small amount of money. Now I'm actually able to live and I'm feeling great about life. It was that single unpaid internship that got my foot in the door. Had I not done that internship, I would likely still be on JSA or probably working a minimum wage job somewhere.

Thanks to all those that helped me. Luckily for me, I didn't even have to worry about the original issue as I had managed to get the job before they could claw away at my JSA money. The lady at the Job Centre told me to forget about it because I had got the job (she probably received a bonus or something as she was overjoyed at the fact that I had got a job by not following any of their advice [yes, I'm still a bit bitter]).

Slinky

Wow, well done you for your persistence in going after what you really wanted.

Flyonthewall

Well done. I'm glad it all worked out for you

asajj

AnnoyedGuy wrote: »

I hope I'm not breaking the rules by posting an update on here. It's been a while, hasn't it?

I completed the internship and they offered me the job worth 19k a year + benefits. I was promoted 6 months later. A year and a half later, I quit, and moved to another company where I'm now earning over 30k a year. I now have career plans and I genuinely love the work that I do.

This whole experience was devastatingly horrible for me as I was living on a very small amount of money. Now I'm actually able to live and I'm feeling great about life. It was that single unpaid internship that got my foot in the door. Had I not done that internship, I would likely still be on JSA.

Thanks to all those that helped me. Luckily for me, I didn't even have to worry about the original issue as I had managed to get the job before they could claw away at my JSA money. The lady at the Job Centre told me to forget about it because I had got the job (she probably received a bonus or something as she was overjoyed at the fact that I had got a job by not following any of their advice [yes, I'm still a bit bitter]).

A great news - Happy it worked out well for you!
Hope it will be better in the future!

Perhaps one day you will lead the way for another intern of yours Good luck!

AnnoyedGuy

asajj wrote: »

A great news - Happy it worked out well for you!
Hope it will be better in the future!

Perhaps one day you will lead the way for another intern of yours Good luck!

Thanks all.

I'm actually at uni part-time, since September last year (I didn't go when I completed college), and I'm going to do take part in the London marathon for a charity. Perhaps my username should be changed to HappyGuy.

To be honest, I've been very lucky. But at the same time, I've worked my socks off to get here. Hopefully those that are still looking for a job will find a similar path to my own. :beer:

asajj

Nice Well yes sometimes working hard isn't enough. You also need to be lucky! I'm happy for you and indeed change the name eh

Takeaway_Addict

AnnoyedGuy wrote: »

Thanks all.

I'm actually at uni part-time, since September last year (I didn't go when I completed college), and I'm going to do take part in the London marathon for a charity. Perhaps my username should be changed to HappyGuy.

To be honest, I've been very lucky. But at the same time, I've worked my socks off to get here. Hopefully those that are still looking for a job will find a similar path to my own. :beer:

Sometimes luck is what you make it, it seems to be you are the builder of your own foundations and now are reaping the rewards. Well done.

nearlyrich

Good to hear you got a great career from an internship, my own career came from stepping back to a school leaver job at 28 with a record of working in the then unemployment benefit office ( now the jobcentre).
Good luck for the future.

p00hsticks

AnnoyedGuy wrote: »

she was overjoyed at the fact that I had got a job by not following any of their advice [yes, I'm still a bit bitter]).

Glad to hear it worked out so well for you.

It's a shame that, for whatever reason, your employers refused to engage with the Job Centre. If they had, then as previous posters have said, your internship could been set up as work experience with the job centre paying your travel expenses, leaving both you and the employer financially better off.

It would also potentially have allowed other job seekers following you to have a similar opportunity

AnnoyedGuy

p00hsticks wrote: »

Glad to hear it worked out so well for you.

It's a shame that, for whatever reason, your employers refused to engage with the Job Centre. If they had, then as previous posters have said, your internship could been set up as work experience with the job centre paying your travel expenses, leaving both you and the employer financially better off.

It would also potentially have allowed other job seekers following you to have a similar opportunity

After working a year and a half at that company I found out why they wouldn't do that.

Unpaid internships are a bit of a gray area and the legality of them is sketchy at best (depending on the work involved). Involving a government body would make something like this 'official' and could potentially get them in trouble. The company I worked for is one of the top media agencies in the world, so the actual experience of working there was reward enough for me personally. I just wish the Job Centre at the time would have seen that as an opportunity to gain entry into employment - rather than taking away my travel money!

I actually wrote to the local MP and she responded actually. She actually would have helped me quite a bit. She sent a letter directly to the Job Centre to get more clarity on the situation, so that was definitely a good shout.