Pumpkin's rant of the day: Do They Want Actual Blood?

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For the past three months, I have been out of work. For most of the past three months, I have been looking for work. I visited the Job Centre and was assigned a job coach. The one I had seemed OK. She could see that my unemployment was recent, and that I did actually intend to look for work. I explained that I needed some experience in other things, because I did not want to work in childcare any more. She sent me on a couple of courses, which were great. While doing those courses, I was still expected to look for work but the job coach was reasonable about it. One day, I had a different job coach. I had finished the courses and I was spending more time looking for jobs. Despite having filled up the given space, I was told that I was not doing enough. Apparently, it wasn't enough to simply write that I had visited job sites, employers, etc. and detail the fact that I had already applied for every possible job on each one. Because this other job coach asked what else I had done each day. I could have spent the entire day on the job sites but, because I did not write that down, it was assumed that I wasn't doing enough. So, I started to write down everything, in detail. That detail included the exact times, and amount of time, when I was on the computer. The one day I could not get on to a computer, I spoke to friends and family about jobs. I thought that would be better than not doing anything at all. But no, I still got asked what else I had done that day. After stating that I hadn't been able to access a computer, I was asked if I had a computer at home. Because, of course, everyone who doesn't have a job just sits at home all day! The majority of the job searching I had done was completely ignored, with the focus being on the two days (in a fortnight) when I hadn't spent hours on end looking for work. It seems that particular job coach expects everyone to be able to spend every waking moment looking for jobs (and I'm not sure she'd even accept being asleep as a good reason not to be doing something). I explained to her that there were times I simply could not spend much time looking, although I have spent every minute I could. Even after explaining that I often have meetings and appointments, I don't know if she simply ignored that or didn't understand that there will be days when it's not possible to do as much job searching as she thinks I should do. There should be notes on my case with them anyway, explaining some issues which should, even by their rules, should be taken into account. Anyway, I have spent as much time as I could looking for jobs. Other than sitting in front of a computer screen until my eyes bleed, and not stopping to pick my children up from school or to do anything else at all, I don't know what more I could do. The daft thing is, I was never going to find a worthwhile job through the Job Centre, searching where they suggested. Thankfully, I found one on my own and I am going to do a flipping good job of it. There was one more thing. The work experience I was doing. I sat in on one of the job coaches delivering a 'job club'. It's on for 4 weeks. I sat in on the first day. To be honest, I could have done a better job myself. She started and finished late, she seemed completely unprepared, and I don't think the four people who came are going to gain anything from it other than adult company (although, that is a nice thing for some of them). In the group was a man who had been told that, despite having cancer and about to undergo an operation, he was fit for work; a young man who had left college two years ago, never worked, and didn't seem to want to; a young mum who still has the delusion that there's such a thing as a job that fits around young children; and another single mum who's recently trying to start her own business after not working due to health reasons. So, the group found out a bit about each other but the conditionalities of the sessions, which were the primary objective of that session, were barely mentioned. Other than sitting in on that waste of time, I spent some time standing around. Well, I did help some people so that bit wasn't a complete waste of time. I helped someone with a job application. I said I would be there to help her again today but I wasn't (because I had an interview). Hopefully, someone else was there to help her. I helped some other people to use computers for job searches and CVs. I also had a chat with two of the other work experience people. One of them was an older man (probably in his 50s) who seems nice. He said he's always worked in factories but wanted to find something where he could use his brain! I got on with him, and we worked well together. There was also a girl, age 20. I don't remember what I was like when I was that age but I had a one year old, and I lived with his Dad, so I was like a proper grown up. This girl, well, she seemed nice enough but a bit guarded and seemed uncomfortable. She gave the impression that she didn't really want to be there. The job coach who was supposed to be co-ordinating the work experience people was the same job coach who ran the job club. She had to leave for a meeting at 12 so we were basically just left to our own devices. The other two had been there for a week, but I only started yesterday. The job coach, however, did say that I had taken to it like a duck to water. Of course I did, I am brilliant :P Also, it's not exactly challenging or hard work in any kind of way. I think that's the rant over. I am basically saying that it's impossible to keep up with the demands of some of the job coaches. Yes, they have targets but you can't burn people out so that you can reach them. That's not going to help people get jobs or stay in them. And how can people who are not competent at their own job be expected to be of any use in helping others to get one? That's all. TTFN :)