To ask what's the beef with benefits?

I believe there will be many people lurking who agree with Daisy and Hand - and they'll agree with them not because they're "hard of thinking" but because D&H actually make some very good points.

They probably won't post in support because they have no wish to be called a twat...

DaisyFlowerChain Do you remember typing this? if they knew there would be no state assistance for simply having a child then fewer would be born.

I can tell you there are not jobs everywhere in my area. I apply for anything, even if theres no hope of me getting it, I apply for it.

I have an employment advisor at a contracted company, who is a very nice man and helps wherever he can. Some days, I struggle to apply for 4 jobs a week, some weeks I can apply for loads of them, if not its CV's to any company in the area, no matter who they are. But if there aint the jobs, people cant do much about that.

theres not jobs for everyone. everyones situations are different. people cant just take any job.

EatShit-

I have heard people such as my cousins wife (SAHM with kids in school, lots of family help with childcare anyway), speak with disgust about cleaners, those in KFC, bar staff, bar managers, checkout staff, dinner ladies and she would be appalled if someone suggested she do that. She'd rather just claim TCs and CB.

Hypothetically, if she became single, she'd be expected to look for work and I know she'd be the same and think it was beneath her.

Witches I can assure you that appointments are still very much with us. They also make them at random times and random days.

i was told it will all be on line soon as well... i wonder how many job centre workers will loose their jobs....

I refuse to even entertain 0 hour, for one you cant sign off JSA and two, you dont have guaranteed income. I have a home and child to support, I want at least 16 hours. I also have limited childcare so that makes it harder.

What good is a zero hour contract if you have a family to support?

No hours to do, no pay given.

Therefore no money to pay for bills, food etc.

Yes, ok if you're living at home but a waste of time otherwise.

Witchesglove....taking a job at any place with zero hour contracts could literally have you homeless within months. The country is well and truly fucked.

EatShit-

No, I didn't see your previous post. But I dont understand. If you have to go there every 2 weeks, why were they interested in 48 hours? Besides, I always applied for at least 10 jobs a day when on JSA. It takes seconds on the Mcdonalds/Wetherspoons website to apply for jobs.

I'm not saying you've been picky. Are you in an area of the country with particularly high unemployment? Or very rural with no transport?

Have you applied for fast food and cleaning jobs?

As I said the job centres must vary greatly, because the one I went to wasn't strict at all, and had a lot of bilingual staff for job seekers who couldn't speak much English.

I was also told that it was soon all going to be online and there would be no having to go to appts, just email in your evidence on the right day.

I would like to say, it took me 2 years to get a temporary job and it werent for the lack of trying, anything I though I could do, I sodding applied for it. Oh I had only 6 interviews in that time too. If I could snap my fingers and walk straight into a job, I bloody would.

Witches these are zero hour contracts. Were zero hour contracts so prevalent when you were on jsa? How can you support a family when shifts and hours might not be guaranteed? Having said that if the job centre mandate you to apply for such jobs you'll be sanctioned if you don't.

zero contract hours... hopeless for someone with a family to support. might be ok for a student living as home. thats about it.

just because someone lives in london does not mean its easy to get a job...

Whitesandstorm-

There ARE jobs. Ive seen loads advertised by McDonalds in all sorts of areas.

And imagine this: there are millions and millions of people in the UK who don't live in London.

Oh... and I was at a welfare conference in early December. One delegate asked Esther McVey's sidekick (she didn't attend in person) about the one month payment in arrears when universal credit rolled out in his area. It was confirmed that the claimants' last payment before universal credit would be at the beginning of December and their next payment would be on 31st. She couldn't say how they were supposed to survive in the meantime.

'I also object to those claiming TCs when they don't really need them. My cousin and his wife do it just to pay for luxuries like holidays abroad and a decent car. '

The cut off for them for a couple is quite low.

Okay Handcream let's take the bait, we've had the hard of thinking out in force tonight so you're not really a problem.
There were quite possible more jobs available when your mother was looking for one.
Your mother perhaps had different life circumstances to others.
Have you ever considered that some of these women on benefits are there through the help of refuge - now think about the connotations of that, if you are able.
Shall I continue?