Job centre interviews - what happens?

[billsmother 10]

Hi all - I have been attempting to claim JSA for about a month and a half. Have been given lots of different answers - and today someone withdrew my claim and told me to call back. Which I did and now it seems my claim will only start from today. I have to go to an interview now - to try and get some money out of them. What happens at the interview and after? Can anyone help? Thanks in advance.

[BasilRathbon 10]

They ask you questions and you have to answer them.

 

 

Hope that helps!

[billsmother 10]

They ask you questions and you have to answer them.

 

 

Hope that helps!

 

Err .. yes, thanks! It does help ... but what about afterwards - do they send you to random interviews for jobs you don't want? I haven't got much confidence in them after all the hassle I've gone through so far to get nothing sorted.

[Kamble 10]

Now and then you will find a nice helpful person working at a jobcentre, but about 95% of staff there are EVIL EVIL PEOPLE who will try not to give you any money, whether you're entitled to it or not. If you have proof of the date you made your original claim then with perseverence you should in theory be able to backdate payments, but don't hold your breath. I spent many years on the dole and they're EVIL EVIL EVIL

You may find a nice one though.

[tom3t0 10]

im not too sure, but i think you have to sign on and show that you have been looking for work every 2 weeks, e.g. write down what papers you have looked through for jobs, what jobs you have rung up, called in person etc.

 

its hard getting a job when you havent got any money for food/travel/appearance though,

walking to an employer being a bit smelly cant be the best first impression.

hope your claim goes through so you can get back into work

[billsmother 10]

Now and then you will find a nice helpful person working at a jobcentre, but about 95% of staff there are EVIL EVIL PEOPLE who will try not to give you any money, whether you're entitled to it or not. If you have proof of the date you made your original claim then with perseverence you should in theory be able to backdate payments, but don't hold your breath. I spent many years on the dole and they're EVIL EVIL EVIL

You may find a nice one though.

 

Oh dear - that doesn't sound too hopeful! Thanks for the tip though. As it is on Monday at 0900 they are likely to be even more evil? Mind you, I can be pretty evil on Monday mornings!!!

[billsmother 10]

im not too sure, but i think you have to sign on and show that you have been looking for work every 2 weeks, e.g. write down what papers you have looked through for jobs, what jobs you have rung up, called in person etc.

 

its hard getting a job when you havent got any money for food/travel/appearance though,

walking to an employer being a bit smelly cant be the best first impression.

hope your claim goes through so you can get back into work

 

Thanks - I will write it all down in advance - maybe I won't be there for too long then. I am only claiming contributions based - which I have paid for donkey's years - makes you wonder what the contributions are for if they make it hard to get any help. I agree about hard when no money for transport etc. Thanks for the message.

[Himupnorth 10]

They will ask what you are doing about looking for work, and the type of work you are looking for. They will also see if there any vacancies which match your criteria, print the details off and give them to you. As far as I know they don't arrange interviews on your behalf. Thats up to you, but you do have to keep a record of the steps taken in looking for work.

[tom3t0 10]

tip: dont work "cash in hand", don't tell the jobcentre if you do

[Ms Macbeth 75]

Now and then you will find a nice helpful person working at a jobcentre, but about 95% of staff there are EVIL EVIL PEOPLE who will try not to give you any money, whether you're entitled to it or not. If you have proof of the date you made your original claim then with perseverence you should in theory be able to backdate payments, but don't hold your breath. I spent many years on the dole and they're EVIL EVIL EVIL

You may find a nice one though.

 

Doing a job like that must take its toll. When you are working for a living - and job centre clerks won't be fabulously paid, it must really tick you off when there are people with no real reason for not working trying to claim everything they can. I've been into several job centres, and I have this feeling that some of the people who go in there aren't really using all their energies in their search for work - or am I sadly misguided? I won't even ask why you spent 'many years' on the dole, as I'm sure there will be a valid reason.

 

billsmother, good luck, I hope you get someone helpful to sort things out for you.

[Kamble 10]

Yeah Ms Macbeth, working in a jobcentre must be horrible, certainly wouldn't fancy it myself. I spent about 12 years living on benefits, a combination of living in a nasty area with no jobs and not having any idea of what I wanted to do, which quickly spirals downward into scruffy depressed long - term unemployment, of course the longer you spend on the dole, the less likely employers are to take you on. When I moved to sheffield I really shifted gear looking for work, as there was actually work to look for, but I didn't find the jobcentre helpful. Now and then I'd find an advisor who genuinely wanted to help me find a proper job, but a week or two later they had always disappeared (proper invasion of the body snatchers style, I know.) It's all a VERY long story and not terribly interesting, but when I finally started to struggle free and become self employed, they actually tried to stop me attending the course at D.H.P. that got me off benefits.

D.H.P. has now (been?) shut down, I am employed and finally off benefits, in spite of, not thanks to, the jobcentre.

There are definitely people who are just wagging it to get free money, that's a fact, but that's not my fault, I should have been helped instead of being treated the way I was. It was all so grim for so long that it makes me terribly bitter. Life's too short I know, but the fact remains that they're EVIL EVIL EVIL

[Ms Macbeth 75]

Yeah Ms Macbeth, working in a jobcentre must be horrible, certainly wouldn't fancy it myself. I spent about 12 years living on benefits, a combination of living in a nasty area with no jobs and not having any idea of what I wanted to do, which quickly spirals downward into scruffy depressed long - term unemployment, of course the longer you spend on the dole, the less likely employers are to take you on. When I moved to sheffield I really shifted gear looking for work, as there was actually work to look for, but I didn't find the jobcentre helpful. Now and then I'd find an advisor who genuinely wanted to help me find a proper job, but a week or two later they had always disappeared (proper invasion of the body snatchers style, I know.) It's all a VERY long story and not terribly interesting, but when I finally started to struggle free and become self employed, they actually tried to stop me attending the course at D.H.P. that got me off benefits.

D.H.P. has now (been?) shut down, I am employed and finally off benefits, in spite of, not thanks to, the jobcentre.

There are definitely people who are just wagging it to get free money, that's a fact, but that's not my fault, I should have been helped instead of being treated the way I was. It was all so grim for so long that it makes me terribly bitter. Life's too short I know, but the fact remains that they're EVIL EVIL EVIL

 

I'm sorry that you didn't get the help you wanted, and glad things are ok now. I've worked on the front line in jobs including councils, and believe me, no matter how motivated and caring you are, you do get fed up with people who always think things are down to: the council; the government; their teachers; their bosses etc. As the face of the organisation, you are usually the least valued and the lowest paid, yet have to take the most abuse.

 

I can empathise with some clients - I've had experience of family members being unable to find suitable work, and the job centre were of no help at all. I also understand the difficulties people face when they go self employed, again due to my nearest and dearest's experiences. However, I can't believe its because the staff are evil! Perhaps poorly trained, demotivated, and unsupported would be a more realistic description.