Anyone been watching Benefit Busters?

I felt pretty sorry for the guy this week that got himself a job he clearly loved only to get laid off after only a week, just goes to show how bad the situation is for jobseekers at the moment.

After my jobseekers debacle I think this series is showing the system up. The couple of episodes I’ve seen have shown how the money available is not being distributed fairly, with some people admitting they’re paid too much and others saying how the longer you’re on benefits the easier it is to stay there, something that I noticed during my experience.

I’ve been an advocate in the past of giving the unemployed something to do to earn their money but these A4E courses are a farce. To have people spending thirty hours a week job seeking with the occasional junk modelling session thrown in is ridiculous. Firstly I know from experience that it takes an hour a day tops to check the daily jobs and complete any applications, and what making childish models does for your self-esteem I dare to think.

Personally after watching this series I think I may have got a lucky escape because I definitely wouldn’t be sitting on an A4E course for thirty hours a week in return for £65.

So it’s been a strange year, and post miscarriages I finally decided to rejoin the workforce. I set about finding myself a job about six weeks ago, and what can I say, I’ve never found it hard to get work but it’s tough out there. Very few jobs, poor wages and a zillion applicants, it’s all very depressing. In a eureka moment I suddenly thought that I may be able to apply for jobseekers allowance to make life a little easier until I found something, it’s only temporary as I plan to apply for Uni in December. I rang the number and they seemed convinced I was entitled. My husband ribbed me a bit, we’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to take benefits but I figured if I’m entitled then why not?

I duly attented my appointment at the jobcentre where I waited for nearly an hour to be seen before they realised that I’d been sat in the wrong area, apparently some new receptionist had been left to man the desk whilst the more experienced member of staff went on her break. I was hurded to the next enclosure where I waited patiently, the first lady took my details and then I was asked to wait again to see the next person. At this point I had been in there for nearly two hours and am getting a bit anxious, I waited about 15 minutes before checking with the experienced receptionist that I was definitely in the queue waiting to be processed, turns out my application was being used as a training exercise with a new member of staff. I was finally called over and after providing further details, bearing in mind this was the third time I’d provided details that I may in fact, not be entitled as I left my last position ‘voluntarily’. I tried to explain that I left my last position after two miscarriages and a flare up of crohns and that I was physically and mentally unable to do my job. My explanation fell on deaf ears, this part of the application had to be processed elsewhere. Two and a half hours later I was on my way understanding completely how people become depressed when faced with this sort of treatment.

A week later and still no payment in sight I returned to the jobcentre to ‘sign on’, it has such negative connotations that anyone with any self respect can’t help but feel low even saying it. I begun to be processed, sit in this area….I took out my mobile which was on silent mode and was swiftly told off, not allowed to use mobile phones at all as I could be taking photos?? I was finally called over to another employee who I’d never met who told me that my ‘signing on’ time was changing, she assured me this would happen several times during my time there. She barely acknowledged my ‘jobseeker diary’ which I’d completed with dilligence and didn’t bother to enquire nor encourage about any job seeking activity I may, or may not have done. She wasn’t interested, didn’t have the time? I was on my way in under five minutes. It occurred to me how easy it would be to just remain on benefits if you wanted to. I begun to wonder if job’seek’ers allowance was only really for a certain segment of society.

A week later, still no payment. I chased. “You’re in the system, won’t be long now”. My brothers fiance, a recent graduate and ‘to-be’ police officer in January had been turned down for jobseekers allowance, I started to wonder if any genuine job seekers actually receive this benefit. A day later and the answer to my question arrived. I too, had been refused on the basis that I did not make enough contributions in the tax years 2006/07, the only two years in my lifetime that I did not work, I was at home putting every ounce of energy I had into bringing up our daughter, my husband supported us entirely throughout.

It seems to me that it’s pretty difficult for genuine job seekers to get job seekers allowance, but very easy for people who are not interested in getting a job at all to remain on jobseekers allowance for a very long time.

And the cheek of it all? After being refused after nearly a month and a fair bit of commitment from myself they have they contact me by letter to accuse me of missing my signing on appointment. So either they still expect me to attend even though I get no help at all, or the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing. Either could be true but I know something for sure, I will never step inside a jobcentre again, I’ve never had such a demoralising experience in my whole life. The office and it’s staff are unprofessional and not really interested in helping genuine people get jobs. You are treated like a second class citizen from the moment you enter their ‘system’. I feel for anyone that has no other choice but to go through that every two weeks.