What does the job centre do exactly

[Anotherproblem]

Aibu to think they are useless dp can't get a job we have tried everything and so we thought we would pop in yesterday to see if they can help but was sent away and told its all online.

I’ve signed on for short periods several times:
1 when I was a graduate. They were useless and kept telling me I couldn’t volunteer, even though it was the only way I could get a job (did it anyway, got a job)
2 when I was made redundant. They were vile. There were no jobs about they would grill me about getting something. Sometimes felt like crying. ‘Regulars’ would walk in and tell them to sort their claim and just walk out.
3 redundant again. Were very nice. Not hugely helpful but very supportive and didn’t make me sign on during school holidays. My work coach was thrilled when I got a temp job.
4 had to leave work when DH was unwell and signed on briefly. Work coach told me not even to bother looking and to take the time off. Hardly even had to go in.
5 signed on during covid, had one phone call and that was it. Just paid me for 6 months.

I was on jsa in 2010 for a few months after moving to a different part of the country. Even back then the job centre basically administered benefits. I wss told there would be no support to look for jobs for the first 6 months of my claim. Then as a graduate the type of jobs they had would likely be unsuitable. So at at leat they were honest!
But yeah unfortunately they aren't really job coachea or anything. Sorry for your negative experience.

My DD has recently finished a masters in a really sought after field of Tech. She tried to sign on whilst jobseeking but was so upset by the awful man interviewing her that she never actually completed her claim (for money she was totally entitled to). She says he was very scathing and openly mocked her for being unemployed with 2 degrees.
She said she felt so sorry for the other claimants who he spoke to as if they were nothing at all.
Thankfully she has an excellent job now, probably earning twice his salary.

I've had awful experiences with them and a couple of good ones.

When on esa I think late 00s they gave me 6 weeks of cbt. It was actually helpful at the time as I was down about being made redundant/unemployed.

But atrocious other times.

Twice made mistakes with appointments and tried to wrongly sanction me.

Stopped claim completely when I said I was volunteering (got a job later with volunteer place).

Wanted me to apply for nmw jobs with postgrad degree and several years of professional work experience etc.

It's just a punishment centre.

They deliberately make it awful to keep unemployment numbers down.

Ive just finished my degree in tech, and they're speaking to me like Im worthless. They've said if I dont have a job in 4 weeks you have to apply for everything you're capable of or you'll not be able to claim. I said, "Im capable of scrubbing toilets but I aint doing that" - I asked them to be patient with me as nothing excites me more than getting a full-time job - but she just scoffed her nose at me. In the end I felt sorry for her - sat at a desk speaking to people like they're crap must be exhausting and has to negatively affect you - she needs to be on the other side of the desk and searching for a job that may stop her being so miserable :-)

I haven't been in a job centre since I was a student looking for summer work, 25 years ago. But I've just been given notice to migrate from child tax credits to Universal Credit. So it sounds like I'm going to have to go to the job centre and see a work coach to 'explain myself'? I'm not really looking forward to this at all.

I run my own company, the income from it isn't huge, but it affords me the flexibility to work around my children's needs (primary age). As such, I'm entitled to child tax credits/UC, but the process for claiming UC looks horrendous for small business owners/self employed, and because my business income varies month to month, I think I'm going to be £1000's worse off compared to what I've been getting on tax credits. And the transitional protection won't protect my benefits.

@cool4cats2020 Would you mind me asking how you get on next week - I went to the job centre with the intention of telling them I want to do a startup. I put on my journal this was my intention, gave them my history, so I was expecting to see a work coach that specialised in 'self-employment, but they weren't.

I'd set up my business model, built the website for it - then at my job centre interview I landed up 'somehow' being talked into going into 'employment'. I'm 1 week into seeking employment and I cant help but feel I should try self-employment first, but I'm financially worried as I've exhausted all my savings going to uni - I am hoping there is 'some' kind of support for us.

Good luck for next week.

@AnonWeeMouse end of 1998 was when it all started changing. Job boards replaced with screens and encouragement to not come in to look but to access online.

All downhill from there .

They have security because they send everybody there, including people with serious problems who wouldn't be able to cope with work, or don't have many coping skills for anything, and they treat everyone like shit so understandably some people kick off. When you're restricting someone's ability to house themselves or feed their kids (or, yes, feed an addiction) and they feel powerless they are going to act in desperate ways.

It did used to be separated out into DSS office (with bolted down chairs and plastic screens protecting the workers) and job centre. I remember going to the DSS office with my mum as a child and she was nervous and talked about "not liking the people there", I thought she had meant the people behind the screens, but she bumped into a friend in the queue and joked that she didn't mean her.

@YouSeenMyMarbles I've been given a couple of months to switch over to UC, so I'm going to put it off as long as possible, mid May at the earliest. Not sure how quickly I'll be called in to see a work coach. I've done loads of research online into how UC works for self employed/company directors, and it's an absolute nightmare. Depending on what your business is, and what it's cashflow looks like month to month will govern how badly uc treats you. Mine is seasonal and business income caries dramatically. If your business/trade is mostly labour income and regular work, you might be ok.

One important thing to be aware of is the 'minimum income floor' that UC imposes on self employed claimants. This assumes that your income is at least the equivalent of minimum wage each month. But you get a 12 month startup period when you first start as self employed where they don't apply the mif. But you can only claim startup period once every five years, so make sure you time it right to make the most of it.

Job Centre is useless. Deffo needs to be renamed. The only jobs on their website in my area are neurosurgeons and GP's.... oh yes the perfect job for the average job seeker.

Along with National Careers Service who tell you to put your DOB and housework on your CV!

I seriously think both need to be scrapped.

Thank you for the info re 'mif', that's the info I was looking for from the work coach but gave me none of that. When I questioned her, she snottly said 'you' ve got 4 weeks, and if you dont like it its tough, write to your MP'. I asked her why she was not able to provide me with more detailed info that I was expecting my work coach to have knowledge of (in other words - your incompetent at your role) and she kinda blushed. If I get her again, I will cancel asking for a work coach who has knowledge for the questions I need answering.

Have you used the UC calculator? I was only recriving 258 per month on Child Tax. Yet 630 on UC - What a difference.

They are only good for benefit claims and sanctioning people

I can only quote 2002 as that was the year I was on jobseekers.

Even back then they had touchscreen flat screen terminals and that was the first time I saw a flat screen. You looked for jobs on there and it gave you print-outs of anything you were interested in. To receive JSA, you had to show that you applied for X number of jobs per week. Think it was 10 per week. You had to report back every 2 weeks on your progress.

The main negative - it took me a good few months to find work.

The main positive - the jobcentre put me onto an apprentice scheme and I ended up working for that place permanently.

Trigger warning

ive always worked but about 9 years ago,I was raped by someone I classed as a friend

I managed to get away and walked into a nervous breakdown-my children ended up staying with friends (my family are narcissistic and thought it was funny)

I also lost my job

fresh out of the hospital,I had to claim benefits as I needed to pay rent and eat

the work adviser was a cunt-he seemed to hate everyone

he was also fully aware to my reasons for claiming

didnt stop him screaming ‘so!your kids are in the care of social services?!’ (They had social services in our lives but nothing I’d done wrong) at the top of his lungs
and telling me (again,at the top of his lungs) that I should have been ‘a better mother and stayed away from teasing men’-again,everyone in that building heard him-in fact,I know people waiting outside heard him

the following week,he screamed again that I hadn’t ‘looked for work on the Friday,or the Sunday-do you not want the money?’

I was barley standing at that point,let alone walking round looking for full time work

he knew why I’d lost my job-and the reasons why-he enjoyed the power

i ended up on esa for six weeks and found another job,which was way too early-I wasn’t coping but I refused to see him ever again

hes known for it apparently