To be baffled that I keep getting offered work

[cockyleeky]

So the unemployment situation is dire right?

I do believe this, and have family in Manchester who are really struggling for work, whereas I live in the South, so maybe that makes a big difference.

I very stupidly fell pregnant at 19, so never went to uni or anything. The father of my child was severely disabled, and terminally ill, and although he did much better than expected, it meant I was a carer on benefits for 10 years and then a widow on benefits age 29.

I have always done odds-and-sods for work (all declared) to top up my benefits, but obviously unqualified, unskilled work. My main work now, is delivering stuff for Hermes (next, amazon, debenhams, readers digest etc) and this has increased so much that I no longer really have any time anything else. Last year I earnt 31k doing this, although 9k is expenses, so 22k really. Still a fair sum for something unskilled that works around the kids (sort of, sometimes). I have in the past delivered for different companies, done leaflets, done phone books, done charity bags and done care work.

I have no time to do any of this stuff any more. I am still phoned to offer work all the time, by people I know who all claim that they can't find anyone to do the work. I help out with disabled people I know when I can, but am usually at work myself. I know from my first husband's needs how dire it can be looking for carers, but I thought it would have improved by now. Still, many won't consider care work, and most who apply seem very poor at the job, or don't speak English well.

And then there's the other stuff, unskilled apart from needing a driving licence. Yes, you're not going to make millions this way, but surely better than nothing. But I still get calls all the time from bosses saying they're desperate. When they do get people, about half the time, leaflets and phone books are found dumped somewhere, they don't even seem capable of doing it discretely and many a time I've been sent to a ditch to retrieve as many phone books as possible.

I know someone who runs a village shop, and she said she'd been trying to recruit for ages. Plenty of teenagers asking for work, but they don't like to have too many, because of selling alcohol. She said she would take on someone for school hours, so I said I'd spread the word while delivering in that village. Plenty of people at the door said they were interested, according to the shopkeeper, not one has applied.

So where are all the unemployed? That are keen to work? I literally get calls every week. Even from DHL who I seriously left in the shit once through taking on far too much. So it's not even like I'm super reliable.

I'm unemployed, and haven't had a job since October, (made redundant) have applied for over 100 jobs, the thing is, and you're missing this part out, they know that you're a good and reliable worker, I dont have that, so I dont have the credential you have, nor can I drive. It also depend on your area.

Keen, reliable people are extremely hard to find. I agree with you, a lot of people expect the work to appear from nowhere without being prepared to start at the bottom and graft.

That's the thing though, I'm not that reliable. Like I said I seriously let DHL down once, quitting on the spot.

And back in the days when I was a carer, I often had to let people down. I would do his night care, but if he had a chest infection i would literally be up all night, so either I wouldn't be in a fit state to drive, or the day carer wouldn't turn up and I'd have to stay and do chest physio all day.

You keep getting offered work because you've got a good work ethic. It doesn't matter if you are skilled, unskilled or come from outer space- if you want work you will find it.
I have done lots of 'unskilled' jobs- delivering pizzas, cleaning toilets in a nightclub cafe work, collecting trolleys in supermarket carpark ( CP attendant!).
There is often a high turnover of staff in this kind of job but some people don't see it as worth getting out of bed for.

Have also offered a £25k job to someone who has been out of work for two years but it was beneath him because he used to earn £50k. So £0 is better than £25k his wife doesn't think so.

Well, it's good reading! I keep thinking maybe I could do a job like that. I am stupidly overqualified, but not overqualified enough to afford the childcare.

Sadly many many many of the long term unemployed are viewed as unemployable. They have never had a job, or have not had one for years. No one will touch them with a barge pole. There is also an element of what people are prepared to do - the "no better off" argument that gets trotted out on mn a lot. It may be true that for the first year or two someone may not be any better off, but they would be working (which is proven to be good for your physical and mental health) and may be able to progress into better paid work in time.

But you were willing cockyleekie. I worked from 16 at odd jobs, waitressing, shop work at weekends, etc. - and never had any trouble getting work and have always been offered jobs, even from people I have met at a party - that's how I got my first job in the City. But I always said thing to them like - "that sounds amazing/exciting I would love to do that, could I get a job there". Have heard so many people pour cold water before a chance becomes a chance so no one bothers to offer them one.

Why are SO MANY unwilling?

I'm a chatty delivery person, so I know a lot of people in and near said village who are moaning about skintness. I thought people would jump at the chance of a school hours job.

Some of these people aren't even on benefits, they have other-halves that work, but complain that they need more money and specifically can't find schoolhours work.

A couple of points:

I can appreciate that delivery work will be booming what with the increase in internet shopping as opposed to high street. How do you find out about these jobs though? Are they advertised through the normal channels (ie job centre) or do they tend to be word of mouth opportunities?

Secondly, one school-hours job in a village shop does not a glut of childcare-friendly vacancies make.

Finally, care work is often subject to very inconvenient rota arrangements, ie zero hours contracts but availability for, say 25 hrs flexibly, and having to be able to get to work within half an hour of getting the call.

That said, I believe there are a number (I wouldn't say plenty) of people who are willing to pay someone to do cleaning / gardening / home help. It all depends on how much job security you need, and how comfortable you feel with working on a self-employed basis. It could be a daunting prospect, I imagine, not to mention a factor which becomes an issue when trying to renegotiate a mortgage.

One other thing marriedinwhite, would that £25k job have allowed the candidate the flexibility to continue searching for a job he was qualified and experienced in?

It depends on your area too. When I tried to settle down near my parents in Essex I couldn't get work, neither could my DP at the time. There were hundreds of applicants for every single job going and I tried for six months to get somewhere and just didn't get offered anything! I moved to Brighton in October and was offered work in my chosen field within two weeks of being here. People are still calling me asking me to work my days off or if I'm available full time. I don't have a good track record for jobs either due to the nature of my work the past few years!
Whereas my cousin living at home is working for £20 a night, two nights a week delivering food for the local chinese as it's the only thing he could get and he only got that as his girlfriend works behind the counter at the chinese two nights a week! He did the voluntary working thing that the Job Centre are doing now and worked at B&Q or similar for a month, and when a job was going at the end of it he applied and they gave it to someone else because he didn't have GCSEs, doesn't matter that they had him working for a month for 'free' before that.
My Mum is also struggling to find work, she's been in the workforce for 22 years doing odds and sods, is well known in the community but when she lost her job couldn't find anything, she's still looking and picking up small one day bits here and there but that's all that is available. And remember that if you are on benefits, one and two day jobs are not worth losing your benefits for!

Sorry for the lack of paragraphs

After DC2 I had two part time jobs. Five years down the line and have DC3. Cannot find anything. Local Tesco is not recruiting. Little shops I had jobs in gone. It is really really hard out there. Hate relying on DP's money. I have got a degree but I am quite willing to do anything.

When you say delivery work for shopping, ate you actually employed or offered work as a self employed contractor? I delivered phone books once and I wasn't an employee so had to figure out to declare earnings/tax/ni which I think could scare someone who has been an employee with a wage slip all their life.

The area makes a huge difference too, we moved to London about 2 years ago. Yes the rent is sky high but there are many more opportunities for work.

I agree there are lazy people, people to drunk/drugged up to get a job claiming JSA, people just too scared to start work and loose the safety net of benefits and be in huge trouble if the job doesn't work out and they have to resubmit all claims. there are also more complicated situations.

As others have said, your work ethic is probably the factor which is most important. You clearly expect to work, you don't think jobs are beneath you, you put yourself out there.

Too many people these days self impose so many 'conditions' on working - eg it needs to be school hours, or they need to make a good profit after childcare, or they only want part time, or they only want to live in a certain area... I know it's a tough old world out there. And I know there's also an element of luck. I stopped working for two years after dd1 and I thank my lucky stars I got a job offer after that. However I do think even if we weren't in recession, there would be some people who just see certain jobs as beneath them or can't be bothered to put themselves out too much. Not everyone is equally motivated or has a good work ethic, it's silly to pretend they do

Hello, you are clearly not "unskilled" at all, you are clearly a lovely and amazing person, with flexibility and a driving lisence - good luck to you!

There is one reason I can see why someone on benefits might feel unable to take work likethis though, you would have to give up security on benefits, for unreliable work. There might be plenty of delivery work out there, but it would take time to build up contacts, and in that gap you could end up going hungry, and even unable to feed DC. I know you would be entiltied to make various claims if your income fell below a certain level, but claims take time, and children need feeding every day! That would be my reservation, even if I had a driving lisence, which I don't.

Autumnsnow- you have hit the nail on the head there too.

Some of it is down to people not wanting to work, but a big part is down to systems. The benefits system is hugely complicated and does nothing to encourage people to take occasional work. I think the universal benefit concept is the right way. If every citizen received enough money for the absolute basics (but no more) and what you earned was then added to that without losing benefits, we'd suddenly see a lot more people prepared to work. There is currently not enough of a gap between being on benefits and being in work. Especially when you take into account things like free school dinners , prescriptions, dental care etc. if you work and you start to lose these things then you can see how people aren't incentivised to work.

Yes, Tarty he would have had the flexibility to look for another job. I do - lunchtimes, evenings and if I get an interview I ask for a 1/2 day holiday if required. How do you think anyone gets a better job - they do the leg work in their own time and apply for holiday for the interview.

Let's not forget that for most delivery work you might be interested (heck with those earnings I would be!) but you might not have the cash to buy the car you need to do the job.

Those jobs all sound like temp jobs to me , People need long term jobs imo,not a few weeks work here and there.

I think some of it is down to being known as well. I have always worked (although am currently a Carer for DS) and like many I started at 16 in a supermarket to give me an income ( which I spent rapidly ) while in college.
There will be work if you are qualified or experienced at something or your face is known. I can supplement my Carers Allowance and Income Support by up to £100 a week which I plan to do because I am a nurse and need to do a certain number of hours to keep my registration active.
I have met many though who are unemployable simply because they have never worked or have literacy problems or chaotic family lives. Often they will want to work but life goes against them or in some cases they simply have no work ethic.

Locally we had a small store open which advertised 20 jobs and had over 600 applicants . So plenty DO want work.

Lots of interesting points there.

Interestingly, i am quite near Brighton, so maybe it's just a good job situ here.

I think quite possibly I was lucky, in that initially when I was doing the temp jobs, there was no real pressure on the money front. Because my first husband was so severely disabled, he got non-means tested disability benefits, and his care money came from the independant living fund. So I never really had to take the plunge as such.

The delivery work I do now is permanent, I've worked for this lot for 4 years, but it does have zero security. They could in theory chuck me out whenever, for no reason, because I'm self-employed. They do have terrible form for this, and I have to organise my own cover when on holiday, which is a pain in the ass, and they threaten me with withdrawal of work if the cover goes awol, or I'm ill or anything and don't have cover sorted. I don't actually believe they would do this though, because I cover such a large rural area and I know they'd never get anyone else to do it at short notice. It takes ages if you don't know where all the farms and stuff are.

I think probably sorting out your own tax and stuff probably scares some people off too. So I get that.

But the properly employed positions, I don't understand. I know disabled people who recruit time and again for all manner of secure hours, and they often literally get no applications at all. I get that care work isn't for everyone, but NO applications at all?

And the village shop, no-one at all will try a school hours job? Probably minimum wage, but I was under the impression that people were gagging for child-friendly work.

I've got three jobs, but it does mean I have to be very strict about availability. I do care work for a family one afternoon a week (fixed day) and care work for a person two afternoons a week (flexible days), so I top up my income with flexible shifts in the local supermarket for the mornings and weekends.

You're lucky if you know lots of people and are demonstrably reliable, not regularly ill, etc. I am sometimes unreliable because I suffer from a depressive/anxiety disorder, so I struggle.