job center moan

[kittykat10]

i have a job interview this weekend but its about a 45 min drive away not a problem apart from paying for petrol.
i have been walking most places even when doing my shopping to save money as i have been pitting ten pound of petrol every other week which basically pays for me to travel to the job center.
any way rang this morning 25 mins freezing my backside off in a local phone box ( i have no landline) to be told that yes they will pay for minimal travel costs i have explained that where im going is not on a bus route!
but heres the laugh or not i have to spend about 5 pound tomorrow to go to the job center plus costs off printing off the emails from the agency regarding the job to sign for it! i have a horrible feeling theyl try and palm me off as a voucher for petrol never herd of that??? or had any one??

no wonder people dont make effort in getting a job !

what happened to the digital age when i could forward the details nad then they reinburst me on next signing on day!

Whenever I had to attend jobcentre (going back few years now though) they gave you your bus ticket money back or 40p per mile if traveled by car at the end of the appointment they didnt cover interviews at all

I'd make very certain that they are infact going to pay you before driving there.

Petrol costs are discretionary, and were awarded for a while for interviews, but they are very difficult to get hold of now. It may well be that you need to take all the evidence of the interview in, plus a reciept for the petrol when you've filled up, and they'll print off a map showing how much petrol should be used. Then they'll pass it to a decision maker to decide if it can be paid, and a good 98% of these are rejected. There's simply no money to pay it.

I'd try and get someone's word that it will definitely be paid, and you'll get the money tomorrow. I'd also make sure that they are 100% clear that this is petrol for an interview that they are paying for.

I don't want to sound negative, but I'd be very surprised if you actually got this, and you'd have wasted a £5 getting there.

Knowing the job centre, they'll probably give you one of those daily bus tokens and tell you to keep changing buses until you get there, if they help at all.

there is no bus service !

DP got a job. But we are still owed money today to get us to the first payday.

It didnt go in. Why? Because our change of address form got lost. He only filled it in on Monday ffs. But it got lost. So no payment.

They know the new address too, as a new address form arrived in the post this morning, sent from a central office. Its bloody ridiculous.

I swear, they havent a brain cell between them. DP still hasnt got his travel expenses from a steps to work course he had to do a month ago. I think its very unlikely you will get the money back.

I was told when i did a Mandatory work placement, i couldnt get my fees back because i was using my car. irony, they say the pay for the cheapest from, well my car is the cheapest form of transport.

I went to an appointment yesterday to do with my mandatory work placement (was at JHP, the company who are overseeing it) and I got my petrol costs back. Everyone else used public transport. TBH I didn't think I'd get it back because you can't prove it, but they just asked for my postcode and then worked it out per mile. Cost the same as a day bus ticket.

Kitty Yes, I know, I read that. But I still think they'll give you one of the daily passes, rather than hand over any actual cash, because they don't cost the job centre anything.

I thought Mandatory work placements were the only thing that travel was still funded for.

It's up to you, I was just trying to ensure that they weren't going to call you in and mess you around :)

well if they do that i wont be able to go the train station 20 min drive to the house .
starting to have serious doubts now as i keep seeing the advert and now although i said to agenncy i cant do live in and would she consider live out the ads all say live in plus its 7-7 5 days a week plus 2 nights baby sitting.
i just wonder if they struggling to find some one as agency sounded relived when i said id not got anything.

Just be aware of sanctions if you don't go as they may class it as not actively seeking work.

I haven't been to a job centre for many years, but when I was looking, I plagued them on an almost daily basis. I ended up being put forward for a fantastic job.

I know it's expensive when you have to travel by car (mine was postal sign-ons as it was so far away), but I'm sure if you get to know the staff, it'll pay off in the end. I would imagine these days they get a lot of abuse and are maybe wary (on the other hand, you may be unlucky enough to get a jobsworth!), which may come over a bit stand-offish.

Maybe I was just lucky, but the staff back then seemed lovely.

I also plagued an agency - they had different types of jobs and, it seemed, a different type of people looking for them.

Good luck - I hope you get something suitable.

well up stressing over it now beeb up since 4 am i hasve sat and worked it out it works out less than 5 pound an hour and the working week would be 70 hours , it sounds pathetic but id not see my family plus the travelling would be 1and half hours every day so by my guess id be up at 5 am and not home untill 8pm at earliest plus heard from a friend that the family want babysitting at weekend!
im not afraid of hard work but think these hours are excessive

went in and didnt see my own advisor but he came over to wish me luck
also spoke to agency and i said i was no not happy about teh hours she has suggested i go to interview and see if a comprimise can be made x

£9 in petrol money given!