This is not for me, I am glad I have not had to do this for many a year.
A friend has a 19 year old daughter who has been trying to sign on for weeks and getting nowhere. When she goes to the job centre she is always directed to a phone in the wall. When she dials she is connected to a call centre. Eventually someone takes her name and address and phone number and says someone will ring her back next week. They never do.
She has been at this caper for about six weeks, and still has no sign of even filling any forms in.
Is this normal?
Anyone got any ideas about how to get her signed on? What is she doing wrong? Are they ignoring her because she is not assertive?

But her claim should date from her first visit :confused:

She should be given a set of forms to take home and fill in and given an appointment to come in in a couple of days time :confused:

Has everything changed whilst I wasn't looking :suspect:

http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/cms.asp?Page=/Home/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits

Ugh, the job centre are dumb ****sticks IMO.

Sorry for the language, I had a bad experience of being on the dole several years ago which I still find upsetting to talk about even now.

When I was no longer working, I phoned up JobCentre Plus (it was a call centre) and they sorted everything out. I got an appointment to see someone at the JobCentre Plus office and was sent some forms in the post to fill in before the appointment.

It was a little bit daunting going into the office, but they were so friendly and helpful I found it not as bad as I thought it would be.

I went to the office on West Street - she really should have had an appointment made and some forms sent out - otherwise she may risk losing out on the benefits due for the previous weeks.

Has she got anyone who can sit with her when she calls? Maybe use a speaker-phone so whoever is with her can hear what is being said?

Let me know how she gets on.

Yep its normal. They are supposed to phone you back at a mutually convenient time because they conduct a telephone interview which takes around 30-40 minutes, before giving you an appointment at the jobcentre to actually go in and 'sign on'. The claim should be back dated to when she first made contact with them.

The whole system is a bit of a mess. When I had to use it last year just after finishing uni, it took ages to sort out, I didn't get any payment for almost 3 months, and they'd just shut the jobcentre in my town down south so I had a 20 minute train journey and 1/2 hour walk when I had to go in (every 2 weeks). How they thought I could pay the £3.00 train ticket when they hadn't made me any payments I have no idea :loopy:

Originally posted by Twiglet
I had to go in (every 2 weeks). Last time I signed on, they were encouraging me to do it online :confused:

Originally posted by Twiglet
Yep its normal. They are supposed to phone you back at a mutually convenient time because they conduct a telephone interview which takes around 30-40 minutes, before giving you an appointment at the jobcentre to actually go in and 'sign on'. The claim should be back dated to when she first made contact with them.

The whole system is a bit of a mess. When I had to use it last year just after finishing uni, it took ages to sort out, I didn't get any payment for almost 3 months, and they'd just shut the jobcentre in my town down south so I had a 20 minute train journey and 1/2 hour walk when I had to go in (every 2 weeks). How they thought I could pay the £3.00 train ticket when they hadn't made me any payments I have no idea :loopy:

BEWARE. The muppets in the call centre can hardly speak or understand English. I did a phone interview which they managed to completely mess up. They really need some education.

However, the job centre staff were great.

I don't wish to be rude.. and this is assuming alot. But wouldn't your friend be better off getting a job whilst in the job centre instead of the claims form.:confused:

Originally posted by fox20thc
I don't wish to be rude.. and this is assuming alot. But wouldn't your friend be better off getting a job whilst in the job centre instead of the claims form.:confused:

I quite agree fox20thc there is plenty of work out there - I can't find people to work for me even though I pay good rates as I am in the building trade it seems people don't want to get their hands dirty and would rather just sign on - what ever happened to pride; I would rather do anything than collect handouts. I do so hate this benefit culture

Originally posted by dudu
I quite agree fox20thc there is plenty of work out there - I can't find people to work for me even though I pay good rates as I am in the building trade it seems people don't want to get their hands dirty and would rather just sign on - what ever happened to pride; I would rather do anything than collect handouts. I do so hate this benefit culture
I'll third that also.
If your friends 19 year old daughter was to go into West Street Jobcentre Plus office and ask to be placed on the clerical register, they'd be in work within ab out 5 days.

In a job on roughly £12k a year!

When my second child was 3 months old I decided I was sick of being a 'housewife' so went out job hunting.

Was offered 3 jobs by the second day, began work on the 5th.

Its not difficult.

I don't know about the situation in Sheffield, I assume its better than down south as I have two jobs at the moment (there's your problem, I'm hogging them all!). But when I signed on I had absolutely no alternative. I'm from a very small town where almost everyone goes to University so there are far fewer jobs than people to fill them when it comes to summer and the students all come home. I couldn't take a permanent position because I was starting my postgrad course in the September (I tried lying when I got desperate but it didn't work). The Jobcentre also couldn't offer me anything suitable. So sometimes the situation is unavoidable.

Originally posted by Twiglet
I don't know about the situation in Sheffield,

Sheffield is a huge city, and the job market is swamped at the moment. Employers are crying out for staff.

phones?? really?? blimey how things have changed in sheff since i was last there

Ive been signing on since i left school in 1985, but up here, you go in and start a new claim the "normal" way

ive just got myself a fulltime job by the way so im not doleskum anymore :(

Yes, the best thing would be to get a job, but at the moment she can't do any of this as she needs a P45 etc.

This apparently needs to be done through the Job Centre along with everything else. No chance until she breaks through the nightmare system.

They have been told that she has to register to get national insurance sorted out. She can't work until she has national insurance sorted out.

This just seems like Catch 22- anyone read it?
What a mess....

Originally posted by fox20thc
When my second child was 3 months old I decided I was sick of being a 'housewife' so went out job hunting.

Was offered 3 jobs by the second day, began work on the 5th.

Its not difficult.

But not everyone want to be a *Insert lowlife job here* :hihi:

dunno only been a doley in Teesside!!

For my sins, I work for Jobcentre Plus. Luckily my sins weren't all that bad and I'm in head office, not a Jobcentre or call centre. But I do still have an insight. I'd better also say that nothing I'm about to post reflects Jobcentre Plus policy (well it might but I'm not allowed to say whether or not it does).

It is not acceptable that no-one contacted your friend's daughter. She has little option other than to try the Jobcentre Plus Direct call centre again. But make sure she takes the name of the adviser she speaks to. If there is no call back, she should make a complaint. It will be taken seriously. I'm not sure what the official route for complaints is, but if she struggles with it, PM me and I'll see if I can help.

Her 'treat as made' day for a benefit claim will be the first date she contacted them. I just hope it was recorded properly on our systems - if it turns out it wasn't, get hold of the itemised phone bill showing the call, which should be sufficient evidence to convince them.

If she's waiting for a National Insurance number she may be waiting for a few weeks at least - it often isn't a quick process. But she can work without a NINo, although not having one may well affect her tax code.

Hope this is useful.

In defence of Jobcentre Plus staff, the vast majority of us do care about our customers. Please bear in mind some of the conditions under which we work though...

...we're the lowest paid civil servants and have been palmed off with a derisory pay increase (and we didn't get last year's until this month!).
...our pensions are under threat (and the good pension is what attracts us to a job that pays a third less than equivalents in the private sector).
...we have the major political parties trying to outbid eachother on how many of us they'll sack. In Jobcentre Plus we went through a major downsizing a couple of years ago. Now we have another. Everyone knows that a lot of jobs will go, but no-one knows whether theirs is one of them.
...we have a fundamentally flawed and unfair appraisal and promotion system.
...etc etc

In short, we're all depressed and angry about our working conditions. No wonder that in a recent staff survey only 18% of us answered positively to a question about our overall satisfaction with the department, and that even fewer had confidence in senior management.

Whilst this isn't an excuse for shoddy customer service, it does perhaps explain why. It's hard to be enthusiastic and efficient in an environment of doom and gloom.

rant over!

Thanks for taking the time for this Rich F. Your info will help I think. I totally sympathise with you in a difficult job, and know it is not the fault of the "workers" that the system is rubbish. Same way I never shout at bus drivers for the totally bad service we get in Heeley.

Originally posted by melody on
Thanks for taking the time for this Rich F. Your info will help I think. I totally sympathise with you in a difficult job, and know it is not the fault of the "workers" that the system is rubbish. Same way I never shout at bus drivers for the totally bad service we get in Heeley.

Lol, if you think the service is bad in Heeley, you should trying living above the Sportsman pub in Stannington.. Clearly First Mainline thinks everyone in Stannington lives on the estates in *cough* Upper Malin Bridge *cough* and *cough* Lower Stannington*cough*

Sorry for the coughing, I have a cold you see :D

Originally posted by Trever
But not everyone want to be a *Insert lowlife job here* :hihi:

It pays the bills! and Im not scrounging off the tax payer!

Originally posted by fox20thc
It pays the bills! and Im not scrounging off the tax payer!

I know fox20thc quite well, and having worked with her, and having done the same job a few years ago, I can assure everyone her's not a lowlife job at all! :|

Thanks Kristian

(you were excellent at your job!)

xxx

Need a P45 to get a job... what a load of tosh.
If someone doesn't have a valid P45, then all they need to do when they start employment is fill out a P46 form (available from any Jobcentre Plus or Inland Revenue Office).

P45 just gives an indication of previous employment, tax code, tax paid etc... they're not valid forever.
You dont need one to get a job, you fill out the P46 and bobs your uncle the inland revenue do the rest.

Seriously if someone chooses to sign on rather than get a job, it's because they're lazy and nothing more.
If they've tried to get a job and not managed to then that is a different situation.
Using the P45 as an excuse is... quite frankly not a valid excuse.

Originally posted by DaBouncer
Need a P45 to get a job... what a load of tosh.
If someone doesn't have a valid P45, then all they need to do when they start employment is fill out a P46 form (available from any Jobcentre Plus or Inland Revenue Office).

P45 just gives an indication of previous employment, tax code, tax paid etc... they're not valid forever.
You dont need one to get a job, you fill out the P46 and bobs your uncle the inland revenue do the rest.

Seriously if someone chooses to sign on rather than get a job, it's because they're lazy and nothing more.
If they've tried to get a job and not managed to then that is a different situation.
Using the P45 as an excuse is... quite frankly not a valid excuse.

I didn't choose to sign on, I was forced to cos they took my disability benefit off me when I declared my intention to work :shocked: :mad:

If it hadn't been for that, I'd always promised myself I would never lower myself to being a dole scrounger, especially given the retardedness of Hillsborough job centre staff.

Originally posted by Rich
I didn't choose to sign on, I was forced to cos they took my disability benefit off me when I declared my intention to work :shocked: :mad:

If it hadn't been for that, I'd always promised myself I would never lower myself to being a dole scrounger, especially given the retardedness of Hillsborough job centre staff.
Jesus Rich get over yourself I wasn't referring to YOU hence the portion underneath which you seem to have overlooked which said:

If they've tried to get a job and not managed to then that is a different situation.

I was referring in my entire post about the girl wanting a job but can't get one cos she thinks she needs a P45.
:roll:

WTF?????

I know times have changed but the system sounds 100% useless.......last time I "signed on" was West Street circa 1983, and all I did was fill in a small green claim form at a long desk, which was about 2 sides big and no more. All they needed was name and address and Nat Insurance number, and vague details about last job, it took 4 minutes. No phone calls, no interviews, no waiting around for hours, and I went home and a giro arrived 2 days later.

I think it sounds like the system has not exactly been streamlined and improved since the old days....sounds like a totally alienating and soul destroying experience now.....

But the downside was gloomy dark and smelly unemployment benefit office on West Street, which in 1983 was unmodernized and looked like a Salvation Army hostel with a long wooden desk and trellis tables at one end. I believe the "modern" version of the signing on places are bright and carpeted even?