AIBU to want a different Universal Credit work coach?

You could also try councils, they often need people with skills such as yours and would not shy away from hiring you if you are over qualified in the same way a business would. Once in these types of roles the opportunities to move up can be very good.
And charities and housing associations

The Tories implemented a new system where work coaches were only there to get the job seeker to do their own work search rather then offer support, that has now been changed.
She was right that OP did have the qualifications and experience needed to be a SEN TA as there are not really any needed according to people posting here.
The caseload is not OP's problem, I was just explaining why the coach would suggest driving jobs to someone who can drive.
Work coaches are EOs, that is considered a jr. management level, admins are AA or AO. I was more pointing that out to the person who has worked in the civil service so should be aware!
Obviously there are shit work coaches and good work coaches.

Thing is, school SEN work is minimum wage pay (effectively) and not full time hours. It is always going to get grouped with other similar work

Why are roles being advertised or you being interviewed if they don't have budget or headcount approved? That seems odd.
There could be lots of reasons for this, all of which are nothing to do with the OP.

Internal politics #1: Manager X complains to Senior Manager Y that their team has too much workload. Y allows X to start a recruitment process but with no real intention of approving a new hire. This gets as far as the OP coming in for interview and is then cancelled.
Internal politics #2 (which happened to me recently): Director X is frustrated with Director Y and the feeling is mutual. Director X wants Director Y's team to do more work on a certain theme, Y is for some reason resisting this. Director X goes out for CVs, interviews the OP, then shows the CV to Y and says "if you don't do what I want I will hire the OP to do it in my team". Y, who is less politically cunning than X rolls over. Says "I will recruit a new person to my team. But I will do it myself and choose my own person." OP is not invited to apply as they are associated with X.
Budget changes: There's a recruitment process which budget has tentatively been approved for. OP gets interviewed and is in the running. Then the Director of IT tells the CEO the whole company is in danger of going down if he doesn't buy the latest cybersecurity patches for the computer system. CEO approves this but takes budget from Finance Directors team to pay for it. OP's possible job opening is then cancelled.
Sexism/ageism: this is also a possibility. OP gets to interview and "looks wrong" because she is too female and too old.
Also, a mix of some or all of the above.
There is almost nothing the candidate can do about any of the above because the internal politics are unknown, the budget pressures are external and 45 is 45.

OP, you are getting interviews. That is great news. You are further ahead than many of us. You sound like an excellent candidate and it sounds like there is life yet in your industry.

I don’t know why you think that? Read the OP again, she clearly says, ‘She kept suggesting applications to things far outside my remit and that I am not qualified for eg SEN teaching assistants, delivery driving (I don't have access to a car) etc.’

A teaching assistant role is a TA role, not a teacher role. TA is an abbreviation for Teaching Assistant!

Why are roles being advertised or you being interviewed if they don't have budget or headcount approved? That seems odd.

We got a change of advisor as I couldn't understand her and not cold she understands me
I made it clear they were professional but when it came to financial matters we should be able to converse

This IS the job coach. A rose by any other name and all that. There might be other linked govt bodies in your area who are more useful. (Still free.)
www.skillsconnect.org.uk/

But they werent suggested a TA roll by the job coach were they - it was a Teacher role!!!

I know this isnt what you are asking, but id recommend looking at management or governance and compliance jobs in the charity sector.
So many seem to want people to be qualified accountants, not because they'll be being accountants but so they've got the necessary financial understanding!

Also, with why aren't you getting redundancy pay? Not because it will affect you claiming UC whilst searching but you said there is no exit package but you should legally entitled to statutory redundancy pay.

In the eyes of the job centre, she's female, has kids, is numerate, can communicate in English and needs a job. That's enough it itself before you take into account she's had management experience, so would have had experience in training and explaining things to new staff.

Surprised she hasn't been asked if she's considered becoming a Maths teacher, tbh.

Hi,

Yes feel free to PM.

I wouldn’t be concerned about age hiring in my team (and would actually prefer the diversity, and think that would be mostly true across my firm as it’s big on DEI).

It is weird your getting to interview and then being told there is no role though - but happy to take into PMs if you want to be more specific and I’m happy to share my thoughts!

In what world or basic level of competency is a “junior manager” one who cannot fill in a form? And how in the WORLD is she “right” about suggesting a SEN TA role? Where is the over lap? The skills correlation?
Also, how is her caseload Ops problem? Op has enough problems of her own, her own unemployment and trying to support her children being one of them!
And what on earth do the “tories” have to do with it?
Junior Manager my eye.

Accounting - Civil Service

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=b3duZXJ0eXBlPWZhaXImcGFnZWNsYXNzPVNlYXJjaCZwYWdlYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaGNvbnRleHQmY29udGV4dGlkPTIwMzIyMDY3MSZvd25lcj01MDcwMDAwJnJlcXNpZz0xNzg2MjEyNzc3LWM2OGE1MDk5MTZiYmQxYmU4YjJiMzBjNWFiMjlhMWU1MGE3YzVmMDc=

What area are you in?

The other possible option is to work as a contractor within IR35 so you can work through an umbrella company? I’m retired now but someone may be more up to date with that way of working. I contracted but through my own limited and outside IR35 but I think a lot of that work has gone now.

i hope you find an accountancy role soon..

Sorry if you’ve already thought of this but have you searched for Fixed Term contract accountancy roles on the websites? You may be able to get something shorter-term in accountancy e.g. to cover a mat leave or something. You just need something to take you out of the system for a bit. The problem with the job centre, or whatever it’s called these days, is that they are targeted to get you into any job. If it wasn’t for needing to sign on you wouldn’t be there. You are going to be much better at finding a suitable role than anyone who works in the job centre.

Assume you’ve looked at your local authority op? As you’ve got finance experience that might be worth a try as they find it hard to recruit finance people - and they won’t have the same issue as (IME) as private sector with hiring you as a junior. If you’re prepared to learn pensions then that’s a shortage role in local authorities and they find it so hard to recruit people to the pensions team. Now although they’re trying AI, it is a complicated area with so many variables that it will always need a human to check it and apply some common sense.

If I ever leave my civil service role then I plan to try and get a job in local authority pensions.

Yes you are entitled to claim, do, you not only get new style jsa but your ni paid.

but, unless you are looking for an entry level position they are unlikely to help except referral for cv writing help

Bloody hell, I absolutely disagree with this. OP is a qualified professional, looking for work in a hideous market. She has been allocated a “work coach”, surely THAT PERSON should be literate and numerate at least? And for them to even wonder if an accountant should be a SEN TA shows that they know very little about employment and skills. Where is the crossover between the skills required for the two roles??
So yes op, go back and ask for someone else. If someone else was “making the decision” for me, I’d prefer that they were at least, basically competent.