AIBU to want a different Universal Credit work coach?

As a parent of a sen child who relies on Ta support it makes me unbelievably sad and angry that a work coach would suggest sen ta jobs to random people.

It is a highly sensitive and difficult role working with very vulnerable children who will be struggling even to attend sxhool in many cases. Absolutely ludicrous they are hawking job adverts around to anyone they can in the job centre and shows how poorly the education sector is treated. They should pay them more and use proper qualified professionals

I digress !

It sounds like my partner is a similar position; he's been a self employed copywriter for 12 years,but the introduction of AI made him redundant, almost overnight. He's been applying for every possible job (I work a 3 on/3off night shift pattern,and my 7 year old son lives with us so one of us needs to be able to do the school drop off/pick up, no family nearby, and DP doesn't drive),so his options are limited.
He has seen a few Career Advisors and Work Coaches through the Job Centre,but they've been no help whatsoever.

Hope Andy Burnham has a plan for supporting people that have been made irrelevant, due to AI.....

I’m not sure if the role was called a Work Coach at the time, but when I was on job seekers allowance 11 years ago, my equivalent thought I was an artist because I had a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Try school business managers or primary school receptionists. Not fantastic money but thats what my dad did after a career as an accountant

Where are you and what is your specialism?

I am always astounded by these job market posts as I (a tax accountant, albeit in practice) have never been in such demand nor have we ever found it so difficult to find potential recruits (I had a vacancy open for a full year with no applicants). You will have absolutely heard of where I work, and nationally we have about 30 open vacancies you’re likely to be qualified for (I don’t know your geography).

Have you tried applying for junior roles in practice? Say at even just the top 10 firms? I just can’t square your experience with mine.

It's the point of view of UC/the benefits system and is how you are regarded by them. The fact that you've worked before and have both qualifications and experience is irrelevant, as you are in the same position as claimants that haven't. You also said a SEND TA, which is a position that doesn't necessarily require experience or specific qualifications, and with the way things are now, most parents would be relieved that there was actually somebody with their child for a change.

In any case, it's shit, the system's shit, it's definitely not designed to provide a bespoke service, it's intended to make sure that you keep on applying for jobs in exchange for the UC payment. Genuinely, you keep doing what you are already doing, meet their requirements, keep the journal up to date, smile sweetly and take the money. You're entitled to it.

Stop apologising, you are entitled social security. You have paid your stamp and have children to support.

I'm on JSA so maybe different, I don't know if the people who ring me are coaches but they are quite hands off. They did refer me to Smartworks who are excellent.

I am also midlife, dumped from a technical career that is in theory in demand. I'm sure if I went down south there'd be more opportunities but I don't want to leave my home, I have little else to cling on to.

@MayaPyjama ’s post looks good OP!
Plus, never mind the SEN jobs, someone more suitable can do those.

Have you tried registering with recruitment agencies? They often have immediate start work that’s a lot easier to walk into then a. Permanent role.

I totally understand why you wouldn’t want the job - I absolutely love my job as a teacher in a special school and would be devastated if I had to leave it and the only option was to become an accountant. I wasn’t meaning to suggest it would be the long term role for you, but perhaps an option if you can’t find a job you want to do straight away. If you did take a TA job I would still encourage you to keep looking for something you actually want to do and I would always say the same to my team,

I really hope that you are able to find something more suitable to your skills, experience and interests than being a TA. My understand is that August is not the best time to be job searching as so many industries quieten down a bit with staff on annual leave and so there may be more options available in the coming weeks and months. I really hope this is the case.

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.

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

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.

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.

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..

Accounting - Civil Service

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

What area are you in?

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.