tiam, on 01 August 2011 - 01:28 PM, said:
Ive just finalised signing on/claiming job seeker allowance. While this inspires me more than ever to get a job anywhere it is soul destroying having to justify my existence to the woman in the job centre who Im fairly certain isnt as qualified as myself. I need the money for travel costs pay off my overdraft etc but I actually regret doing it now. I need to do voluntary work to make myself eligible for applying for a PGCE/Teaching certificate but this isnt an option apparently as volunteer work, despite building my CV and allowing me to gain more experience therefore contributing to me getting a job, is not allowed. The short sighted nature of it is what annoys me. I need to claim this for a few months but because your not lettin g me do volunteer work I might be on it longer as I wont get the job I want.
Bureaucratic frustration will be taken out on cuddly nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros soon enough.
Unfortunately them's the rules, she has about as much say in them as you do; and I suspect she's well aware that they're totally counter productive in your case. One of the frustrations of working within the benefits system is that you can see how the rules disadvantage the people you're dealing with and can do nothing about them. She can't break the rules just for you; she would actually be prosecuted, and probably gaoled, if she did that - the Civil Service Code of Conduct is enshrined in law and therefore Serious Business.
If you do go down the route of voluntary work, keep it under 16 hours per week. If you do any more than that it counts as full time work and you lose your entitlement completely. As long as you don't get paid for it and you also keep up with your end of the Job Search agreement, you should be okay. If you can get the voluntary work classed as a training course you might be able to keep your full entitlement for the duration. But don't take my word for it; have a word with a CAB, they should be able to give you a bit of salient advice.
And you might be surprised about the qualifications of the people who work in Job Centres - I know a couple of PhDs and plenty of people who have degrees. Another of the frustrations of working in the benefits system is dealing with people who think you're an uneducated idiot merely because of the job you do. And be glad that you don't need the money to pay for food and a roof over your head.
This post has been edited by stone monkey: 01 August 2011 - 07:48 PM
If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If some one maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. … So whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard; you will probably find, on examination, that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants. Bertrand Russell
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