Life on the bench: in my dressing gown

[NickFitz]

Needless to say, she's one of the career civil servants on the staff.

They're always the worst

I remember how, from the early Eighties to the mid/late Eighties, there was quite a change in the attitude of people at the DoE signing office, as it then was. Early in the decade they had the attitude that you were just some kind of low-life who was stealing their money. (They weren't like that if you were a student signing on in the holidays, as was then allowed, but you could see the way they treated other people. The dole office staff in Boys from the Blackstuff were absolutely true to life.)

As more staff had to be employed to cope with the increase in unemployment, those types became outnumbered by people, often graduates, who were working there because it was the only job they themselves had been able to find. As a rule, they'd finally bitten the bullet and taken the job after about a year on the dole, so they knew life on both sides of the counter. They tended to be much more sympathetic and realistic about claimants' situations, and usually did their best to help people cope with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy.

If an intelligent and educated individual such as RC has these problems with the numpties and their system, imagine what it's like for the poor sods further down the food chain of society - the ones who struggle to write a note to the milkman or to read the back of a cereal packet

[RichardCranium]

Why don't you take something at a lower rate?

I did try going for support gigs and got nowhere - I've been a PM for some years. I cannot get beyond "You are over qualified". It is hard to turn my decade of solid PM work on my CV into something else without resorting to fiction. Which I won't do.

So I produced a version of my CV specifically for PSO (Project Support Office) and PMO (Programme Management Office) roles; these pay far less well and I apply for them too. I stripped out the high-flying stuff and got myself the ISEB PPSO qualification; no joy yet in that direction, though.

I do try for lower-paying roles occasionally where I think I might be able to convince them I really am interested, but I can never get past "I don't think you'll stay when something better paying comes along".

[FiveTimes]

Maybe they think you are taking the piss a little with your spreadsheet ?

Just fill in 3 lines/week on the form and hand it over. They are only interested in counting the number of lines between the last signing session.

[FiveTimes]

I'll find out tomorrow when I go and see if the local place is open and happy to accept my 3 line/week sheet

[RichardCranium]

She'll be the one they all hate in the office, the one that bustles around in a self-important manner, bullying people into chipping in to collections and saying things like 'do you think that skirt really suits you dear?'

That's very harsh. Just because she joined as an Admin Assistant 30 years ago and in that time has managed to get just two promotions, and exhibits all the behaviour of being a bitter power-crazed bitch, doesn't mean the cow isn't a nice person.

Or maybe it does.

As more staff had to be employed to cope with the increase in unemployment, those types became outnumbered by people.

FTFY

As a rule, they'd finally bitten the bullet and taken the job after about a year on the dole, so they knew life on both sides of the counter. They tended to be much more sympathetic and realistic about claimants' situations, and usually did their best to help people cope with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy.

This has begun again. The Job Centre is about 50% people recruited within the last year. These sympathetic newbies are a pleasure to deal with.

If an intelligent and educated individual such as RC

has these problems with the numpties and their system, imagine what it's like for the poor sods further down the food chain of society - the ones who struggle to write a note to the milkman or to read the back of a cereal packet

I think they tend not to be hassled and living amongst people who know how to use the system.

I think it is the likes of us, the middle-classes wot pay our way then slip off the rails, that both get a hard time and do not get proper service. They are not used to dealing with the likes of us; life-long scroungers and the unemployable are easy for them to deal with.

[cailin maith]

Maybe they think you are taking the piss a little with your spreadsheet ?

Just fill in 3 lines/week on the form and hand it over. They are only interested in counting the number of lines between the last signing session.

I think you might be right... the dog was greeted with the same suprise and confusion when he presented his at one of the meetings.. it's frustrating when they haven't a clue what they are on about but determined to make you feel small.

I'll find out tomorrow when I go and see if the local place is open and happy to accept my 3 line/week sheet

Good Luck Monkey

RC - I applaud your clam-ness, I'd probably have lost my temper and made things worse. Chin up love

[SueEllen]

RC if you feel inclined - http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/...contactus.aspx

I was going to complain about a lazy cow in the job centre, years ago when I last signed on as she kept me waiting for 2 hours while she was doing nothing. Once one of her colleagues had seen my CV she begged me not to.

[Sysman]

I think they tend not to be hassled and living amongst people who know how to use the system.

I think it is the likes of us, the middle-classes wot pay our way then slip off the rails, that both get a hard time and do not get proper service. They are not used to dealing with the likes of us; life-long scroungers and the unemployable are easy for them to deal with.

This is a big problem. When I was on the dole in the early 1990s I started to frequent the rough pub at the bottom of the village. It was not only significantly cheaper, but full of those who had "been there, done that" before.

I picked up all sorts of advice that I wouldn't have received if I'd stuck to my local.

[Sysman]

Maybe they think you are taking the piss a little with your spreadsheet ?

Good point. If it's too professional they will either

a) not understand why you can't get another job

or

b) think you are a big headed show off

Just fill in 3 lines/week on the form and hand it over. They are only interested in counting the number of lines between the last signing session.

In hand writing on one of their pre-printed forms, especially if their on line offering is a pile of poo.

[RichardCranium]

Right, time to go to my "Back to Work" session where I get to tell Job Centre staff about the state of the market, strategies for finding work and what web sites are worth visiting ... whilst they think they are somehow helping me.