Advice needed regarding Mandatory work experience

Flyonthewall

Andrea2528 wrote: »

I've told the advisor that I realise I need to do something to get me out of this situation but I also explained what I believed would be the best way to do that. When I mentioned voluntary work to him, he stated that I could do that on top of my MWA. I think that is too much really.

Yeah, doing both would be too much. I'd say too much for anyone who wants to still be job searching and I'd have thought too many hours for the Job Centre to be happy (you can only do part time courses and volunteer up to so many hours normally. Both would be well over that).

If your advisor does force the MWA on you all you can do is give it a go, but try not to overthink it. Just go along and give it a try, if it gets too much then tell somone (a manager). You may be able to take a break and if not there's nothing to stop you leaving.

If it comes to the worst and the advisor tries to sanction you for leaving then appeal the sanction. Hopefully it won't get to that though and like I said before just keep focusing on sorting out volunteer work.

Andrea2528

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Yeah, doing both would be too much. I'd say too much for anyone who wants to still be job searching and I'd have thought too many hours for the Job Centre to be happy (you can only do part time courses and volunteer up to so many hours normally. Both would be well over that).

If your advisor does force the MWA on you all you can do is give it a go, but try not to overthink it. Just go along and give it a try, if it gets too much then tell somone (a manager). You may be able to take a break and if not there's nothing to stop you leaving.

If it comes to the worst and the advisor tries to sanction you for leaving then appeal the sanction. Hopefully it won't get to that though and like I said before just keep focusing on sorting out volunteer work.

I don't know why his attitude is like it is but it isn't helping people.

fluffypaws

Andrea2528 wrote: »

I don't know why his attitude is like it is but it isn't helping people.

do you know what and where the MWA placement would be?, or he has not discussed with you yet? let us know what happens.

sangie595

Andrea2528 wrote: »

I don't know why his attitude is like it is but it isn't helping people.

I'm sorry, but it isn't his attitude - it is his job. I am not without sympathy for your situation, and nor is anybody else here, but his job is not to have sympathy for you or to understand you. His job is to get you off JSA by one means or another. He doesn't write the rules, but it is his job to follow them.

Look at this objectively - you are fit for full time work (because you are no longer on ESA and are claiming JSA), and you say that you have a disorder for which you are having no treatment and taking no medication. How do you think that looks? Because anyone who is being honest here is going to say that that does not look very good. Unfortunately there are people who fake such things. I don't think you are one of them - to be honest if you were you'd probably be a lot cleverer about it, filling prescriptions and not taking the medicine is easy, and going to therapy. Honestly, in my experience, the one or two who are faking it are actually really good at faking it!

You have been on JSA for a year (you said you came off ESA last year) and so far, you have managed to make a phone call to an organisation who might be able to offer you a couple of hours voluntary work. You say that you can't possibly cope with working, but JSA is for people who can cope with working.

You may feel that your advisor isn't being sympathetic, but like I said, that isn't his job, and to be honest he doesn't sound like he is one of the really bad ones. Believe me, there are people who are much more rigorous in their application of the rules, and who would have had you proving that you were applying for jobs for 35 hours a week every week, or would have had you on a mandatory work scheme long before now.

The problem that you have is down to the fact that you are not fit for work, and JSA is for people who are fit for work. You can get another advisor, you can play the game, but in the end you will always end up back here.

The best way forward has to be to go back to the GP, and if you are not fit for work then have him or her say so. Get some advice from the benefits board people as to how you can reapply for ESA, and what you would need to do to make a claim. If a year has passed since your ATOS interview and you are still in this state, or worse, then you need support to find a method of managing this and moving forward. JSA isn't going to give you the space to do that. It can't. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the benefits board who will be able to advise you and will be happy to do so.

missbiggles1

Andrea2528 wrote: »

The problem I have is not knowing what to say to people after the initial meeting. I'm allright with meeting people the first time but after that, I get really anxious and don't know what to say to them. I think that is a part of social anxiety or AvPD (which is related). I am unable to join in with small talk. My mind goes blank and I don't know what to say. I really find that hard to deal with, especially when you have to be in the same place for a long time and see the same people all the time. I'm allright with the intial part of meeting people, so social anxiety isn't really the same thing as being shy.

Given the number of places where time wasting and small talk are not encouraged, I'm surprised this is that much of a problem.

Going by what you said earlier, I wouldn't have suggested call centre work but having read your post this could be just the thing for you. You tend to speak to customers based on a script and are virtually forbidden (in many places) from talking to colleagues.

Have you considered that kind of work?

Flyonthewall

Andrea2528 wrote: »

I don't know why his attitude is like it is but it isn't helping people.

He's not there to help, he's there to make sure you're job searching and advisors are told to get people on Word Programmes and Work Placements. They have set times in which they organise these things (for example, after 6 months JSA you go on the Work Programme).

He probably doesn't understand your anxiety and while to you contacting the place to help you find a volunteer position was hard, to him it wasn't enough and those above him will expect him to be following the steps. So his next step is go back to the MWA and organise you starting that.

A nice advisor would try and be more understanding, maybe give more time. A really nice one may give you websites to look at organisations to contact. Your advisor, however, is just sticking to the steps and not going out his way to help.

I get it's annoying that he seems to have gone back on what he's said and he's given no reason and the whole thing is obviously stressful to you, but he doesn't realise that - he knows the reason and he's not in your position to realise the effect of his actions.

Which is why you've got to do all you can to help yourself and focus on getting the volunteer position you want.

The MWA won't be the end of what the Job Centre want you to do.

Andrea2528

fluffypaws wrote: »

do you know what and where the MWA placement would be?, or he has not discussed with you yet? let us know what happens.

I remember him saying something about working in a charity shop or something like that. Anyway, I also remember him being quite open towards me trying voluntary work after I explained to him how social anxiety is affecting me and that I hardly go anywhere. What I can't understand is his attitude a fortnight later as though he had forgotten that we had talked about volunteer work.

Andrea2528

sangie595 wrote: »

I'm sorry, but it isn't his attitude - it is his job. I am not without sympathy for your situation, and nor is anybody else here, but his job is not to have sympathy for you or to understand you. His job is to get you off JSA by one means or another. He doesn't write the rules, but it is his job to follow them.

Look at this objectively - you are fit for full time work (because you are no longer on ESA and are claiming JSA), and you say that you have a disorder for which you are having no treatment and taking no medication. How do you think that looks? Because anyone who is being honest here is going to say that that does not look very good. Unfortunately there are people who fake such things. I don't think you are one of them - to be honest if you were you'd probably be a lot cleverer about it, filling prescriptions and not taking the medicine is easy, and going to therapy. Honestly, in my experience, the one or two who are faking it are actually really good at faking it!

You have been on JSA for a year (you said you came off ESA last year) and so far, you have managed to make a phone call to an organisation who might be able to offer you a couple of hours voluntary work. You say that you can't possibly cope with working, but JSA is for people who can cope with working.

You may feel that your advisor isn't being sympathetic, but like I said, that isn't his job, and to be honest he doesn't sound like he is one of the really bad ones. Believe me, there are people who are much more rigorous in their application of the rules, and who would have had you proving that you were applying for jobs for 35 hours a week every week, or would have had you on a mandatory work scheme long before now.

The problem that you have is down to the fact that you are not fit for work, and JSA is for people who are fit for work. You can get another advisor, you can play the game, but in the end you will always end up back here.

The best way forward has to be to go back to the GP, and if you are not fit for work then have him or her say so. Get some advice from the benefits board people as to how you can reapply for ESA, and what you would need to do to make a claim. If a year has passed since your ATOS interview and you are still in this state, or worse, then you need support to find a method of managing this and moving forward. JSA isn't going to give you the space to do that. It can't. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the benefits board who will be able to advise you and will be happy to do so.

I've been on JSA since the summer after appealing against the ESA decision. I was on anti-depressants a long time, and as I said previously, they had very little affect. I tried more than one type of medicine and they weren't effective. I have been to see more than one psychologist and spoken to several professionals regarding social anxiety and related depression. It's not as though I haven't tried to overcome it. Since ATOS made their decision that I should no longer receive ESA, I have had no choice but to claim the JSA allowance. You have to experience social anxiety to know how much of an affect it has on someone socially.

Andrea2528

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Given the number of places where time wasting and small talk are not encouraged, I'm surprised this is that much of a problem.

Going by what you said earlier, I wouldn't have suggested call centre work but having read your post this could be just the thing for you. You tend to speak to customers based on a script and are virtually forbidden (in many places) from talking to colleagues.

Have you considered that kind of work?

If it's in the same room as other people, then no, I don't think it would suit me as it would be too stressful to talk to customers when other people are listening to me. There aren't many of those types of jobs in the area that I live. It's quite a small area. If it was working in a room on my own, then possibly it would be preferable.

missbiggles1

Andrea2528 wrote: »

I remember him saying something about working in a charity shop or something like that. Anyway, I also remember him being quite open towards me trying voluntary work after I explained to him how social anxiety is affecting me and that I hardly go anywhere. What I can't understand is his attitude a fortnight later as though he had forgotten that we had talked about volunteer work.

I expect he had - have you any idea of the number of people he'll have seen between your two visits?