People on the dole

TurkishDelight

Scarlett1 wrote: »

so you have been sitting at home for 4 years without a job, are you telling us that there isnt a pub, sweetshop, supermarket, hairdressers, garden centre, bakers, police force, fire brigade, farm, hospital, doctors surgery, petrol station, mcdonalds, fish and chip shop that you can get a job at, even if its serving on the till or answering a phone cant you even do that

Yes I am saying that. There are no shops in my village, there is one pub that has more than enough staff. Everywhere has more than enough staff, either that or they want work in the evening and sundays, which I would happily do but the buses don't run. Stamford, I was visiting my grandma in england when I met the poles, I don't know any up here.
Look everyone, do you really think that this is something I would choose?! I hate it- I have no money and far too much time to think and get depressed.

PasturesNew

I would say that it IS difficult to get a job. With/without experience. With/without qualifications.

There is a lot of competition for all jobs.

As the OP is I believe in a remote area, this means that the number of jobs within a commutable distance is low and those jobs are probably minimum wage. So you are fighting for a minimum wage job with somebody who lives close to it and you're battling with poor or non existant slow public transport to get to it (IF the bus comes, because quite often they don't).

Yes, it is possible to get a motorbike - although I'd suggest to anybody they get a scooter as it lends a bit more protection - the thing with narrow/remote roads tends to be the speed of other traffic and their assumption they won't turn a corner and meet something quite slow moving that they have to overtake. And the WIND can be awful - horizontal gales blowing a lot of winter, making it treacherous at the best of times.

As for courses. Again, if you are in a remote area, there's either nothing going or nothing you don't have already.

2 buses and 3 buses as a description means something different to different people. It can mean an inconvenience but in an hour you're there. But in remote areas it can mean 2-3 hours each way IF the buses come.

And why haven't you done something sooner about something different? Usually because you didn't know about it, you can't "just ask" if you didn't know there was something to ask about. And then, of course, you always think "THIS application will lead to something ...." so you keep plugging on.

I wish the OP good luck.

I have recently relocated 200 miles from an area where there were no jobs to a city. Nearest motorway was 100 miles away. Transport was dire (didn't match with job hours). Looking back at that move, it's taken me £5000 to move. That was for a cheap hotel when I turned up, then I got into a houseshare that didn't work out, so then I had to rent a self-contained bedsit - and because I wasn't working had to pay a deposit and six months' rent up front. I went to job agencies - agency temp work they said was on average £6/hour. Yes, there was work available, but I have secretarial skills to die for (I speed test at over 100wpm for typing). And I have about 30 years' work experience. So agencies would fall over themselves to take me on at £6/hour.

Things are not so black/white as other people who have benefitted from location, being in the know and sheer luck would think.

Good luck OP!!!!!

TurkishDelight

devon-gnome wrote: »

I'm one of those who run these training courses for the Jobcentre and would like to offer some encouragement for people who genuinely want to find work;
Once you understand that 25% of vacancies are not advertised, and if you are prepared to be flexible in the type of work you are prepared to do, there are a couple of ways to find employment. One is to try the speculative approach: make a list of businesses in your area and send a good CV and a speculative letter to them or ring them up.
Another way is get the placement officer to put you on a work placement with an employer and if you 'go the extra mile', you will most likely be taken on as staff.
We have helped people to pay for copy birth certificates, provisional licences, sign up for the 'wheels to work' (http://www.devon.gov.uk/wheels_to_work but this is throughout the UK), pay for work/interview clothing, pay for courses eg ECDL.
We would not be in business unless we had success in finding people work.
As I have said, people need to be flexible because though we have had extraordinary success in securing people in their preferred job choice (eg bus driving, gamekeeping, IT consultancy), sometimes, people have to take any work placement/job just to give them up-to-date references and current work experience. (It is easier to get a job once you are in one, even if it's a work placement.)
Hope this helps.

Thank you ever so much even though I am reluctant, as I have said, with the small exposed vehicle thing I will definitely look into that. No-one has ever mentioned this to me before.

Scarlett1

TurkishDelight wrote: »

Yes I am saying that. There are no shops in my village, there is one pub that has more than enough staff. Everywhere has more than enough staff, either that or they want work in the evening and sundays, which I would happily do but the buses don't run. Stamford, I was visiting my grandma in england when I met the poles, I don't know any up here.
Look everyone, do you really think that this is something I would choose?! I hate it- I have no money and far too much time to think and get depressed.

you could put your name down for a vacancy at the pub for when a position become available, at christmas they are going to need extra staff what with christmas lunches and christmas and new years eve, they might even keep you on for the odd shift now and again, it might not be want you want to do but at least its money and giving you a social life at the same time, you can only be held back if you want to be, you even mentioned on a previous thread that you want to work for MI5, so why dont you apply to them online, they will obviously train you and you must have some basic school qualifications ?

Hereward

Can't you set up your own cleaning business, or try and get a job delivering the local free paper?

Your own cleaning business means that you can work the hours you want and the locations that you choose. You could start with friends and family, and, if you are any good, word will spread and you would soon be able earn enough money to get driving lessons and a car.

Delivering you local free paper would mean that the paper would drop off enough copies for your route at your home and you could walk around it in a morning.

Scarlett1

TurkishDelight wrote: »

Thank you ever so much even though I am reluctant, as I have said, with the small exposed vehicle thing I will definitely look into that. No-one has ever mentioned this to me before.

its good advice what devon gnome has given you there.

PasturesNew

Yes, the wheels to work scheme does look good.

If it is where the OP is.

I clicked the link but there is no link to other places that have it.... currently trying to find out if there's a central list.

PasturesNew

Have you thought about going to University?

I looked into it the other week - you need to apply by 15 December I think, so now would be the time to look into it.

It seemed to me that: with the student loan you get PLUS working in the holidays, it can add up to a full time income. Where Universities are, there are often (not always) lots of local companies who employ students, so it's easier to get a part-time/holiday job. And going in to employers saying "I am a student" makes them more likely to employ you than "I am unemployed".

It seems students get bar jobs - and students get Xmas shop vacancies. And once you're in the gang, they pass word round about where they're each working and will have a word with their boss, see if they'll take you on too.

It's only 3 years. Go for it.

TurkishDelight

Scarlett1 wrote: »

you could put your name down for a vacancy at the pub for when a position become available, at christmas they are going to need extra staff what with christmas lunches and christmas and new years eve, they might even keep you on for the odd shift now and again, it might not be want you want to do but at least its money and giving you a social life at the same time, you can only be held back if you want to be, you even mentioned on a previous thread that you want to work for MI5, so why dont you apply to them online, they will obviously train you and you must have some basic school qualifications ?

I have asked at the pub lots of times, but even at their busiest there isn't work for two people and they have all the shifts covered. I don't think that most people would consider "spy" a serious career choice, but no I don't have any school qualifications (another reason I am with the OU- you can get into a traditional college/uni without GCSE's but it takes a lot of explaining) as I was homeschooled, and never stuck to a curriculum (really stupid and I wish my parents had thought it through but ho-hum that's life)

TurkishDelight

Hereward wrote: »

Can't you set up your own cleaning business, or try and get a job delivering the local free paper?

Your own cleaning business means that you can work the hours you want and the locations that you choose. You could start with friends and family, and, if you are any good, word will spread and you would soon be able earn enough money to get driving lessons and a car.

Delivering you local free paper would mean that the paper would drop off enough copies for your route at your home and you could walk around it in a morning.

I don't think we have a local free paper, but it's a great idea thank you, research is definitely needed :T The cleaning thing is a little more tricky, as they don't pay the self-employed top-up credit to under 25's and I don't know anybody who would need a cleaner, but thanks anyway