AIBU to want a different Universal Credit work coach?

Seen enough threads like this to think the smart move if you find yourself unemployed is to get a job as a DWP work coach

Many years ago I applied for a job at the Job Centre-the system was appalling, all sorts of errors. Yes, that was years ago, but as with the NHS, schools and councils, there are some amazing workers, but it seems some awful ones are tolerated.
You could ask. If everyone complained about incompetence, things might improve. This is the first time in history that a lot of very capable, intelligent, willing and experienced workers are having to use the Job Centre-it used to be that a greater proportion of their clients didn't want to work Not holding my breath though.

I had to claim UC for a few months after a contract ended and I hadn't found a new job - my work coach wasn't quite that bad but also fairly clueless (I've got a Masters and not had any previous breaks in employment since I was a teenager - not what they're used to dealing with). The worst bit was having to go to 'jobs fairs' which were just a few people sitting behind desks with posters, mainly for construction job schemes - I also don't drive so wasn't suddenly becoming a digger driver... I did get asked to apply for a job they had going in the job centre 😬🤣

It was a depressing few months. Just turn up to the appointments, keep applying for jobs and keeping your records of what you're applying for, to make sure you're ticking all the boxes.

They were so excited when I did finally get a job - my work coach was desperate to give me money from a fund they have for new work clothes - which I did take up, but turned out to be the slightly humiliating experience of having to send the exact links to the cheapest items at Matalan and tell them what size I was (I wrote a small essay about how I couldn't buy the very cheapest trousers because I'm short and needed petite length so could I please have an extra few pounds 🥹).

Exactly what I was thinking. I've had to apply a couple of times and my work coach was never the person who does the id check

Have you looked at agencies like Indeed etc for work? I skim read your responses so might have missed that?

It is part of the enshittification of society. We are all supposed to be pathetically grateful for scraps, know our place (bottom of pile) and stay in our lane.

The whole benefit system is actually very anti any kind of training or the concept of betterment - when obviously for society as a whole it would be good if they could support progress.

There is no concept of social mobility left anymore.

UC work coaches aren’t there to navigate the work market for you, or even to help you find work you want
They are there to ensure you are fulfilling your work commitments, so her offering you things like SEN TA is just her doing her job. You don’t need qualifications to do that. She really isn’t going to narrow down searches to your line for work or preference- she’s basically there to push you into (any) employment..

Reframe her role in your mind. Think of it as a couple of hours of your time each week, in exchange for the money. That way it feels worthwhile. Think of her not as an actual coach, which she isn't, but a gov employee checking that people in receipt of UC are actively looking for work. That's all she is.

Good luck with the job search. You sound very focused.

I don't think as others have said that changing your Work Coach will mean that you receive any useful support with finding another job. Most Work Coaches have very large caseloads and even if they wanted to wouldn't be able to offer much support. You sound very able and it is unlikely that a Work Coach is going to add much value to your job search. I haven't had recent contact with the National Careers Service but when I worked in the Job Centre as part of my role with an advice agency they helped a couple of my clients.

It clearly is possible to change work coach as a previous poster upthread managed to do it. I have also had client's ( I'm a benefits advisor ) who have been able to do it.

No, you can't demand/ask/request somebody else. You get who you've been given.

For the purposes of receiving UC, you are no different from anybody else who attends, you are no more special than anybody else and you do not require somebody who can 'comprehend' what you're saying - because it is entirely irrelevant. You need a job and you need to keep looking and applying for jobs in order to fulfil the job seeking requirement of the benefit - a SEN TA is something reasonable for them to suggest (in their eyes, and as they make the decisions, that's all that matters) when you take into account that you are literate, numerate and breathing.

Have you signed up with a general employment agency for temp (semi-perm / perm) work? Factory work etc - it's easier to get some / any work quickly & you never know where this or the networking will lead you.

I really hope things improve for you soon, it must be a massive worry especially when you have young kids. I was made redundant in April , I am 58. I have managed to find another job quickly, but yes the job market is dire. As mentioned above my newly graduated DS is on UC and all he has been able to find is a 16 hour a week retail job which he is grateful for but it's no ideal in terms of wanting to get on with his life, move out of home etc. When I was job searching I also considered a work coach role.

If you've got skills & are proactively looking & applying then the work coach can't really offer you anything & they all follow the same process so another individual won't offer you anything different

It depends whether or not you want to receive UC while you are searching as UC will be sanctioned if you don't attend.

If you think it's something you might be good at yourself it's worth asking her how she got the role. Being in a difficult situation yourself would make you more aware of the difficulties people face.

Your “work coach” is basically there to make sure you are looking for work and sanction you if it appears you’re not. They might give you some profound advice such as “use Indeed.com” or “have you tried Tesco?” but that’s about it.

I'm an accountant who lost a job last year sacked :( but, like the OP, not from a practice background.

I would love to move to doing "the books" for small businesses, but, these days the costs of compliance insurance and software would be at least £3k per year.

I'm now back in manufacturing. Lower level, but zero stress.

I can understand your concern. I had a work coach who never replied to my messages and claimed to have called me (we had a telephone appointment) but I had no missed calls. I messsged her 10 minutes after the appointment to ask if the appointment was going ahead - and got not reply. I messaged later the same day letting her know of my availability over the next week - again nothing. I filed a formal complaint and asked for a new work coach and got one. Incidentally if you do need to complain, the DWP does have an official form for this but it is hard to find. I had to get chatGPT to find it. The complaint was actually dealt with very quickly and reasonably.

In the meantime, you could ask her manager to call you and then ask informally to swap to a different coach. But yes as others have said, work coach is probably a misnomer. I had to complain to the Job Centre about something else and the manager did phone although I didn’t get much joy even though I think they were actually breaking the law.

The Job Centre is pretty useless IMHO. When I booked in, I asked them if there was an extra benefit for disabled people - they said no. There is one and I receive it. I should have complained about that too. Luckily, I found out about it a week or two later.

When my ds signed up in June I said to him that he would have weekly appointments and they would really hassle him but they've barely given him any appointments and certainly no hassling ! Maybe just overwhelmed with numbers?

They are definitely not work ‘coaches’
As others have said coaching in this context the coaching amounts to nagging you to apply for any old shite.

My DS’s cancels on him quite often and he doesn’t even have the hassle of going to see them!

Any option to learn to drive ? It could possibly open up a lot more roles. I am really pushing my ds who is on UC to learn to drive despite him seeming a bit reluctant because currently he's pretty restricted in his job search.

Is this person definitely your work coach ? At a lot of jobcentre's the ID appointment is done by a different person.
Have you had your First Commitments appointment yet?