"Benefits are a lifestyle choice for so many these days"

[Bellerina2]

I'm on the bus and two women behind me are having a long conversation about perceived benefit cheats and one of them just said the above phrase. WIBU to hit her over the head with a rolled up copy of the Guardian??

But seriously, it's so depressing that people think this. Well done to the government and likes of the Sun and Daily Mail for convincing people that those on benefits are leading some sort of charmed life

candid
You must still be very young, if you are unable to understand why hillingdon*opinion is feeble.
Life doesn't work out as planned.
Do l really have to explain that?

Not opinion.

More like argument.

candid, I was just a bit shocked that she had written someone off for a potential job because their child was sick. In my experience of interviews, if the interviewers like what they see on paper, they will generally be willing to re-schedule the date. Obviously this is not always the case, as in assessment centres where venues are pre-booked in advance and they have a whole interview panel and team interview exercises set up.

Hillingdon is right,.
Also some people just do not want to help themselves. They don't turn up for things. They are a bit lazy. Then they suffer - well that's life and tax payers are not putting up any longer with funding people who cannot be reliable and don't turn up for job interviews. Yes it might get a bit more unpleasant on benefits and that's a very good thing. the answer is to get out there and get a job, get up at 5am to work like the rest of us, work 7 days a week of you have to. You will have to make your own way more. you wil be responsible for your own destiny and the state will not provide as much as in the past - and you know what - it will hugely help you that this change comes and you will look back and later be grateful.

It was just that rocket up the backside people needed.

We need to change the system to make not working and only working part time be much worse financially for those who can work.

So we need to change the system to make it exactly the same as it is now? Genius you are

"Hillingdon, these things do happen you know. People do have to cancel things because they have a sick child, even a job interview. I would imagine a decent employer would re-schedule for a different date if the potential employee looked good on paper." sorry ihateGO but that's just plain daft.

Interviews take place after sometimes complicated logistics to get the interviewers in the same place on the same day with the backup support they need. I do a lot of interviewing, because we follow good practice and fair recruitment processes we interview all candidates who meet the person specifications (which are rigorous). I have interviewed 20 people for one job, over a number of days. If someone did to us what Hillingdon's candidate did to them they simply would not get interviewed. We had 19 other good candidates to choose from.

The problem is that the one who stands out like this (like the one or two people I might know who choose 'a benefits lifestyle') have a disproportionate impact on public perception. They are the exception not the rule which is why they stand out. It doesn't do (y)our argument any favours by defending them.

• Some people take the piss wrt benefits.

• They are not to be admired.
• They are an insignificant blip in terms of their economic impact on the country when compared to the tax avoiders.

you will look back and later be grateful

I'd love to get you into my workplace and have you look my clients in the face and tell them that.

Should have added that I speak as someone who has experience as an interviewee and interviewer. In my first job after I graduated, I was too ill to attend the interview. I rang the HR department to explain and they re-scheduled for the following week. I turned up and got the job. I also had to interview someone who couldn't make the date for personal reasons. We re-scheduled the interview and he got the job. God, do employers really not re-schedule interviews if someone is ill anymore?

Feminine - I know it doesn't. I don't deny that at all. However, there are too many unemployable people / people who don't want to work having babies. It's where I'm from I've lived it. No shame in admitting it. They aren't going to hell and they aren't even bad people. It's not just benefits bashers who are brainwashed. Some claimants are too.
The Royal Family are the biggest scroungers of all.
Whenever someone criticizes an obvious problem which helps no one "liberals" pop up like daisies with pre rehearsed dribbly rhetoric. I clearly said if you are too disabled to work so be it. I clearly said carers need way more money. I also clearly said more support to work from home and more support being mobile. Everyone should want to work and contribute. These poor kids are bloody trapped.

Also tax avoidance is a way bigger vice than sally having an extra kid for a bigger flat / 50 quid extra a week.

I did say that I knew that was not the case with big assessment interview dates Loiner. I'm talking about a specific post, probably in a specific field, where there are normally 2 to 3 interviewers, generally, someone from HR, your line manager and your manager's manager or similar set-up.

Every one pays for each other... Now you know that isnt true

Do I?

'Some people take the piss wrt benefits.

• They are not to be admired.
• They are an insignificant blip in terms of their economic impact on the country when compared to the tax avoiders.'

This x1,000,0000. It's quite simple, isn't it, really?

I've had two men in front of me crying this week because of the lack of support they're getting from the job centre in their job search. They want to work, not claim ESA. One of them was in tears because he doesn't want to claim ESA again.
All he wanted was someone to sit down with him and be interested in his attempts to re enter the workplace he was part of for years before he had a breakdown and had to leave his last job.
He didn't expect to be treated like a leper when he tried to find another one.

I'd love to get you into my workplace and have you look my clients in the face and tell them that. angry

Ditto, though not clients per se. I know middle aged men who have paid in to the pot for the best part of 40 years, who lost their jobs a few years ago and have been unable to find permanent employment. These men are now on sanctions and some of them have become homeless because of it.

We're not talking about disabled people

We dont mean real diabled people

Well of course carers are underpaid

We're not talkin about diabld people, of course

Apart from those who look a little bit like they might be shamming. That next door neighbour who walks out to their 15 plate car, the shop owner who gets pip and a new car even thoughhe works (i clearly know fuck all, but i'll complain anyway, how dare some shammer get something i dont), the woman who cant walk as she has spd but fucking dares to continue popping out sprogs and getting fat cause shes just fuckin lazy.

Nope, no examples ofdisabled people in this thread

Selfish cunts.

Have they tried moving like many of the rest of us have, to get work?

Oh look, theres "genuinely" disabled again.

oh yes because just 'moving' is so easy isn't it Jilly?
Right now it would cost me at least £3000 to move.

I bet they've been sanctioned for "not trying hard enough" - no evidence needed for that to be applied - and probably been laughed at whole the adviser put the sanction through as they stood there.
The job centres aren't even consistent. One locally to me gives individual help to customers with barriers. Another won't give any help and won't signpost either 1 just threaten sanction for non compliance.

Have they tried moving like many of the rest of us have, to get work?

Jesus Christ.

Can I ask what people think should happen? I have an invested interest as I have just found out I am pregnant after contraceptive failure (condoms and MAP ffs) despite the baby being unplanned I cannot face an abortion, I'm not anti abortion but for me I can't terminate a healthy pregnancy despite the circumstances, I also cannot continue with the relationship with the father, so despite being able to continue to work (part time, parents will provide free child care) I will be reliant on tax credits until the child goes to school and I can go back to FT. So what should happen in these circumstances? Enforced abortion? Child taken into care or reinstate work houses, surely both would be more expensive? Or the child left to 'suffer the sins of its father' as it were? I'm only asking as I am genuinely interested to know the type of judgements I will be facing when people become aware of the situation, and I fully expect to be poorly judged. (I already have 3 DC by ex partner, we had to leave the family home due abuse/drug abuse by ex following a bereavement so you see, we are already a burden on the state!)

And sometimes they find they haven't complied because no one knows what the fucking rules are.

Have they tried moving?

Oh for fuck's sake. You really have no idea do you?
I'd like to see people like you removed from their comfortable existence and live other people's lives preferably for at least a year.

Oh look, 1000 posts. Shame.