Can't get any job

[Desperatetime]

I'm so upset with everything please go easy on me.
My dp has been in the county 12 years with no work permission and has recently obtained his leave to remain so now as the right to work we have been together 6 years and I have been struggling along to support us both and I have also been using a inheritance to get by as well but now money has run out and we have nothing. I'm not in the best health either and we dont have enough money to cover house expenses currently we haven't a penny until the 30th of this month when I get paid low income by the way.
Since dp got his right to work he has applied for job after job only to suffer rejection after rejection this is most likely due to no work trail here in the uk so massive gap in cv which is impossible to produce. He didn't really have any skill back in his home country either. He can't get references nothing so we are stuck.
We are both in deep depression with no money I have left messages with training providers and nobody ever responds and we don't have money to pay for training he has signed on with agencies and they are not forthcoming with anything I'm not sure what to do but has anybody got any suggestions because we are heading into poverty.

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

Contact them. There are free courses available to build up skills.

Placese are so desperate he could get a job in a week with one arm and almost no English. There's no way he's actually trying.

What sort of jobs is he looking for?

There is a well known shortage in sectors such as hospitality, care, manual work. Many of them barely require a CV to be honest - he needs to phone recruitment agencies who often have work available the next day!

Even if that isnt ideal for him, getting a job and some income sounds like it is a priority for you both.

In the mean time - are you entitled to benefits? Will be get jobseekers?

A lot of jobs will require basic numeracy and English. Including written
if nothing else, between looking for work he should be studying for say a gcse in English and maths. Local FE providers should be able to point him in that direction and talk about that or other routes. To be honest he should have been spending the time whilst he wasn’t allowed to work doing this. What has he been doing with his time?
Similarly , not sure of rules under asylum, but sure He could have done volunteering in say charities etc? By now he’d have some references. He should certainly be doing that now if not - even 2 days a week

tbh, it does sound a bit like he has not thought about how he was going to get work once permission was given- have you really thought about whether he really wants to work or is too comfortable for you to do the heavy lifting? Apologies if this isn’t the case, but it does sound a bit of enforced helplessness

Has he applied to work as a carer - they are so short staffed all over the UK that they would likely take on and train someone fit enough and flexible with hours.

He could also advertise himself as a home help for elderly people living in their own homes, maybe get a first aid certificate, and learn CPR, do their shopping, take them for a walk or a drive etc. He could ask at a job centre (do they still exist) for any help towards training.

What is he naturally good at and what does he enjoy? Could he be an odd-jobs handyman if he's good at DIY?
Could he teach his own language or offer translation/interpretation services locally to people needing legal representation?

I'd get to apply for Kitchen porter, no experience or qualifications are needed and it's more than restaurants and hotels, there's kitchens in care homes too. Once he has something on his CV from UK it'll get easier.
Tell him chin up keep trying, it'll happen.

Definitely try recruitment agencies.

Are there business run by those from the community he comes from?
He might have better luck going in face to face if his paper communication isn't great.
Perhaps he'd be better to focus on temping rather than permanent posts so he can get some kind of experience. He just needs stuff to put on a CV and people will take more of a risk for a week's work.

I think he needs to get out and talk to as many people as possible. Hand out a CV with something that explains his gap but focuses on the skills he does have. These don't need to be industry specific, he must have done things in the past or in the household so he is adaptable, quick to learn, happy to take instruction, keen to develop new skills, has supported other asylum seekers, can multitask...... whatever it might be.
Get into temping agencies and talk to them

Why did he not do voluntary work in those 12 years. Asylum seekers cannot work but they can do voluntary work, we have just had an asylum seeker apply for a voluntary job with the charity I am involved with. He wants to do it mainly to improve his language skills and I say fair play to that young man.

www.gov.uk/find-a-job

Has he been to the job centre? They will help you train for suitable employment. My husband was in a similar situation ( new to UK, not highly trained/skilled) and the job centre immediately arranged for him to take a security/doorman training course and he was employed within the week. Then covid hit and all bars were closed, and so they sent him on a forklift training course and again he was employed within a couple of weeks. Has been employed and promoted several times since then.

There are so many no-skill jobs where companies are desperate for staff - packing, warehouse work etc.

I was just gonna say this.

What sort of jobs has he applied for?
There are so many jobs for care workers (even offering £500-£1,000 welcome bonus) at the moment, no experience required - the companies are desperate to bring people in. Same for cleaners and he would only need basic English.

When I walk around my local town (not a big city) there are so many notices in the windows of shops, cafes etc all looking for staff. He could print out copies of his cv and hand them in anywhere that has a notice. If his spoken English is good then it's also a chance to interact directly with shop owners / managers.

Agency work? There's usually plenty of warehouse and factory work around

I am thinking that he should go up town and walk into every single agency he can find Well, yes, I'm surprised he hasn't done that already

While he was waiting for his asylum claim to be processed, could he have done some volunteering, to gain skills in anticipation of paid employment in future?

Hello everyone.

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How well can he sew? Can he set up as a tailor or clothes mender, or set up an etsy shop?

He can do his functional skills in maths and English, I'm redoing my GCSE's in sept but functional skills is seen as just as good by employers they also take students at various points in the year. When I went to the college that offered it there was a lot of people going for the functional skills in maths & English who didn't speak it as their first language. It's also good for making friends and getting confidence! It's only a few hours a week so he can still job seek too.

In Ireland we have a volunteer charity that helps people who have poorer reading and writing skills, if you both do anything at all please find something equivalent near you (a government recognised one) and have him get some help with his reading and writing. It’ll stand to him no end.

My husband had similar issues when he first arrived here (though wasn't an asylum seeker). The one piece of advice I would give it to actually phone agencies and talk to people. My husband sent loads of online applications and was so despondent he wasn't getting any answers. We phoned two agencies and spoke to someone at the second one and he had a job offered there and then which he started within a few days.
I think sometimes they have so many online applications they are just overwhelmed. Speaking to someone is always your best bet.
We are also in the West Midlands and the agency we got work with was Quest Employment.

What about working in take away, fast food type business. They seem to be crying out for staff round my way. Care work, again a sector desperate for staff. Failing that, advertise himself as an odd job man in the local area?

Tbh, a 12 year gap isn't going to look great. Has he literally been doing nothing for 12 yrs? I know he couldnt work, but not even some volunteering or an evening course to improve his English?

I'd advise him to look for voluntary work in the first instance. Then at least he has something to put on his applications. And then probably look at warehouse type jobs, seems like probably the most likely opportunity?

If he has been here 12 years why hasn't he volunteered (im sure that doesnt count as work, I could be wrong) or done free courses online? There are no many resources out there that don't cost anything, I've used them myself to help me upskill. It begs the question what has he been doing all this time??

Warehouse work might be the answer, the warehouses around us don't require any qualifications, it's 99% people from other countries who don't speak a word of English. How do I know this, I had a month between jobs during covid so took any work I could, they'd literally employ anyone, assuming they could legally work here. Wasn't min wage, in fact if you did nights it was £13 an hour, for 0 qualifications and not a word of English I'd say that was pretty good.