To feel bloody sorry for some of the people who work in Job Centre

[NurseyWursey]

I had to go into today to discuss why I'm not working at the moment (few of you know, lets not get into that)

The lady who was seeing me said she'd be over in a minute, she was just dealing with another person so I waited. I was close enough to hear the conversation and I've got hawk ears and am nosy

Man: How am I supposed to print cvs out with no fckin money

Woman: X you missed your last appointment with us, you'd have money if you'd have come. You know it gets stopped if you don't come

Man: I didn't have any fckin money to come

Woman: I can see that you live less than a mile from here, or is there any disabilities or conditions you need to tell me about and I can arrange something for you

Man: no am not a cripple. why the f*ck should i have to walk to you. its too early in the mornin anyway me appointment i need sleep. i need money. you're not helping me

Woman: I'm really sorry X but if you want the money you need to come. You've come today so we can get the money reinstated. In the meantime the library round the corner lets you print for free, could you print some there?

Man: am not goin to no pssin library you stupid cow. wot you think I want to sit in a library for?

At this point he stands up being really abusive, the secretary had to escort him away. When it was my turn she was visibly upset.

:(

How can you help someone who isn't willing to help themselves? I know it's bloody hard when you're skint and emotions run high, and we get volatile especially if we have children to feed, but good grief.

On the plus side she was fab for me and helped me get access to some financial help until I'm ready to work again!
If this woman was you, to you!

[Dwerf]

It's the same as with all jobs. The job centre has some nasty, vindictive, up-their-own-arse snooty bastards working for them. But they also have some genuinely nice people there, who have constructive ideas, who understand that people's situations are not black and white and who have the patience of saints.

I used to have this advisor a couple of years ago, fresh to the job, always well turned out, cheerful and really nice. These days he's put on weight, looks sallow and just as miserable as the claimants. I don't think it's a job with much joy in it.

[whomadeyougod]

while i was waiting at the job centre a bloke was drinking cans of beer and shouting he needs his fucking money now, im surprised how the people working there can be so polite and helpful to them , i couldnt work there id end up in prison.

[NurseyWursey]

Oh fully agree Dwerf

I remember when I was on JSA for 2 weeks when I was 19, because of redundancy.

'you'll have to change your CV here and ... here. dont include that, no-one cares about your voluntary work either. oh and make all these into bullet points. '

'oh well actually I quite like it like that and it's been really successful so far'

'no, you will change it'

[Goblinchild]

I hate the fact that my DD and two of her friends have had separate appointments with the same person for JSA and she has been foul, tactless and aggressive to them.
They are polite young women who are looking for a job, not lazy, entitled snobs. You had one in tears, and it was only when they shared their experiences that they realised it wasn't them, it was you.
Your other encounters shouldn't affect your professional behaviour, and the fact that they are unemployed doesn't give you the right to bully them.

[Nocomet]

However, it's 13 miles to the job centre here and three miles to the bus stop.

So when next door phones up the job centre with the same problem, I can see his point.

[NurseyWursey]

^However, it's 13 miles to the job centre here and three miles to the bus stop.

So when next door phones up the job centre with the same problem, I can see his point.^

Oh christ that's terrible! I wonder what the man I encountered would say to that

[Goblinchild]

Oh yes, she doesn't see the logic in applying for a minimum wage job when the monthly season ticket to get there is £400 and will involve a journey of up to 3 hours on a good day.
She was calm and logical and you shouted and frothed over the top of her reasoning. She is afraid of you now.

[Goblinchild]

I am glad you said some of the people OP, because there are others I wish to tar and feather and treat like a pinata.

[Allergictoironing]

its too early in the mornin anyway me appointment i need sleep

Bearing in mind that the earliest appointment at my local jobcentre is at 9:30am, that (along with the mile distance being too far to walk) is possibly his worst answer. I'm job hunting at the moment, and get up every morning at 7:30am at the very latest so I can be up, showered, dressed and with sufficient tea in me to be fully with it if an agency calls at 8:15am (yes I've had them call that early). And if he needs his sleep that much what about if he ever DOES get a job, I usually get up around 6am ish to commute well over an hour into London when I am working.

People like that guy are the ones who give all currently unemployed people a bad name, and justify the DWP policy makers when they dole out sanctions at the faintest excuse.

Please note I am NOT having a go at the poor guys who work in the jobcentres, I too have plenty of sympathy for them and I know that at least at my local one most of the staff are unhappy at the way some jobseekers are treated. But what can they do about it - if they don't apply the rules to the letter then they themselves will be out of a job. Not that it's a brilliantly paid job, at about £15-17k to have all that abuse thrown at them

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Im on JSA atm (over a year, I fecking hate it, but no one will employee me, no matter how many jobs I apply for or CV's sent out), I barely send 2 minutes with an advisor, they literally check my jobsearch, sign me on, and I leave.

My friend did tell me about her colleagues mum, who dealt with special cases, and had to sit there and listen to a bloke describe how he raped a 6 yr old, the poor woman went and cried her heart out after.

Some who work in my local jobcentre are up their own arse, one sneered at me for daring to do Open University.

[NurseyWursey]

I remember a friend on mine who worked at the job centre telling me a story, from years ago mind.

Fella who she'd seen regularly came in, enquired about benefits for when a baby comes.
She congratulated him and said she didn't know he was a dad
He said it wasn't planned, so she did the ah sometimes contraception fails.. yadah yadah.
He turned round and said well it's them bloody asda bags, didn't know they had holes in them.

She said she asked him if he was joking and he actually said no, they used an asda bag and went on about how crap it worked.

I know it doesn't sound true but she's not one to lie!

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Ewwwwwwwwwwww, feel sorry for that kid, having to complete idiots for parents.

[Theresadogonyourballs]

A friend of mine works in the Job Centre. She tells many hair raising and distressing tales, but my favourite one was the man who paused half way through berating her to shit in his own pants. No SN, he just did it to piss her off. Charming.

[DrewsWife]

I used to work in a job centre and it was an eye opener.

I used to be a mouse. Would sit and take abuse and not think about it.

I had a man stab his neck with a pen and bleed over my desk, I had paedophiles describe their fun, I have been approached in the street and threats whispered in my ear whilst walking with my toddler.

When at work I was yelled at, threatened, smiled at. And made friends.

I miss the job but not the stresses.

Yes there are some bad staff and good. Just like everywhere.

If they are bad....call them out on it.

[NurseyWursey]

I've just written her supervisor a letter to say how lovely she was and how much she helped.

Hopefully it'll cheer her up and make her realise some of us do appreciate it when they try.

It's one of the first times I've been out since I've been ill and she made me feel so comfortable so I think she deserves some recognition.

[Callani]

Sorry, why do job centre staff have to listen to paedophiles talk about their latest exploits? How on earth is that within the job description???

[VikingLady]

All but one of the dozen or so staff I've dealt with at my local job centre have been lovely. The ones at the centre I went to when I was 21 and unemployed after graduation were ALL arses who were gratuitously nasty. I haven't changed much other than to look older, my manners were always good. Either they hated students (not uncommon!) or it was the branch!

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Callani I dont think it is, in the case of my friends colleagues mum, he apparently just wouldnt shut up, she had to do her job which meant signing him on. Sad for her and the others who suffer abuse, they cant just have them removed.

[Smilesandpiles]

5

[fromparistoberlin73]

i agree OP.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

I think an Asda bag would be very effective contraception. There's literally no way I'd have sex with someone if he wrapped his penis in a carrier bag (so no danger whatsoever of pregnancy).

[littlemisssarcastic]

Theresadogonyourballs How awful for that job centre worker. That is truly vile.
What sort of person would even think to shit their pants to Piss someone off. The mind boggles.

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

I think an Asda bag would be very effective contraception. There's literally no way I'd have sex with someone if he wrapped his penis in a carrier bag (so no danger whatsoever of pregnancy).

Lmao!!!!!, theres always one though.

[wonkylegs]

When I had to go to the job centre following redundancy one or two of the staff were lovely and some others were shockingly patronising & rude.
One member of staff kept saying I would definitely need more training, despite the fact that I have 3 university degrees & several professional qualifications he thought I was 'a waste of his time' because I pointed out that there was no point in me going on a computer basics course to bolster my CV, it would be a waste of a place that somebody else who could use it could take up.
He was extremely rude and patronising and said my point of view really didn't count as I clearly only had myself to blame for not having a job.
Yep clearly the world global economic crisis making a key client go busy & forcing my company to declare itself insolvent & make all it's staff redundant was all my fault!
I only signed on for a few weeks because when you get redundancy through the insolvency service they deduct your JSA claim from your payment whether or not you claim it, so I would have been out of pocket had I not claimed.
I sorted out my employment situation without their help & felt very lucky to have not needed real help & support as I don't feel it would have necessarily been available.

[wonkylegs]

*bust not busy