Apologies, yes I think it might be a volunteer service.
Anyway, managed to get two applications off today, so that lifted me mentally, even if nothing comes of it.
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Good luck with your search. Work can be good for the mind, and sometimes menial work can actually be stress relieving.
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As a school kid I use to collect the trolleys at Sainsbury, I was not employable enough to work on the tills. I quite enjoyed it wandering around the car park for a few hours a week, I got very good and naming what car was what.
And then when I was a student I stacked shelves on the night shift during the holidays, I quite enjoyed that too.
First part was dragging all the stock out, that was a bit of a bore. Then you basically stacked an Isle and was left on your own. So headphones in, listening to John Peel and then whatever was on over the night on Radio 1. I had some tapes for the walkman (yes that long ago), these days I suspect I would listen to Radio 6 as I do over here in NZ sometimes during the day.
If you did your job you were left alone, I quite enjoyed that as well. If I ended up needing to work again I would definitely do it again. One thing I will say is that if you have a job, finding time to get the correct job becomes harder
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Keep an eye on NHSjobs…I joined from the private sector seven years ago and quickly advanced to a salary almost equal to previous earnings.
Difference being I work locally, no travel/hotels etc. It has its frustrations but best thing I ever did.
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Ok, this may be a difficult post for some of you, but I write it to help, based on my personal experience. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
I worked my way out of a broken home, with an I’ll mum, in a Scots council estate, through Price Waterhouse, ran my own business and been a carer, for my physically and mentally ill wife, for a quarter of a century. I have also been a postman, worked in clubs, shops, a bank etc.
While I wish each and every one of you the very best, realistically some of you may never work again through no fault of your own. That will be tough to accept. My words below are designed to help you though.
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I was the ‘mum’ of the house, I brought my kids up, did the school runs, Brownie drop off and collects etc. Worth its weight in gold. Pre puberty is fun, post puberty hell on earth. Don’t underestimate the value of preparing the next generation of your family as best you can.
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It’s easy to look at me as being a nutcase loser. Equally I have over decades now achieved little things that quite frankly if I was in a ‘proper job’ would likely have been impossible (lack of time to think, question, etc). I have even, for example, gained a provable measure of global recognition in the Masonic world (while Disliked by others), not bad for a Masonic reject, who has been extensively recognised as a ‘brother’ across continents in person, by post and on the net. You too can achieve unlikely things.
My point, live life, you never know whose hearts you will touch, and what you will achieve without really trying. Being free from the rigours of a normal job might actually enable you achieve more. Even if you will be broke.
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Just now (well really a decade to a year ago) I could have contributed a great deal more to our world, but my help wasn’t wanted. Now I am running out of time (cancer) and past effective time (helping with some global issues). But, my point, even with point 2 above, if you do end up in a difficult place, things do change. Hopefully if you end up in a similar position, doors will open easier for you than they have for me. If they do you could then use your wider, rarer, skillset combinations to achieve much more, even if decades away.
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At least the government have eased the rules for jobseekers a bit for the duration of COVID19 so you probably won’t experience the same level of harshness that leads to fear, ill health, food bank use, homelessness, and deaths due to government policy that have destroyed others.
Now, the above all said, you are all go getting achievers and I am sure most of you will come out the other side well. If anyone gets into a rut and needs a friendly face to chat to pm me. I don’t really do the phone, but pm or email works well.
Keep strong, keep safe, don’t be afraid to ask for help and to help others if you can. It’s ok to cry. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Sloggers
Maat Ankh Re
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Not all sure what you mean in point 4 Sloggers. There has been no relaxing for me, I qualify for the same JSA as I did before nothing has changed. I can claim that for 6mths max, then it’s back to living off my savings, as I have before.
You talk of harshness but the real harshness is, those of us that have been fiscally responsible, contributed, pay a shedload of tax and didn’t rely on the state to hold our hand through life, get royally screwed over.
No universal credit for us, no help, no anything apart from a limited time on JSA.
This isn’t about being long term unemployed, it’s a question about how quickly you turn that around and what you would do.
If you want a success story, consider this. Mrs FP’s family used to be wealthy (very), long before I knew her. When she was 15 her mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer, she then spent three years in hospital at $400 USD per day, then died.
The family was left less than penniless due to some business debts not collected whilst she was alive. No brothers or sisters and a Dad that was sliding quickly into being an drunk, she worked nights as well as a full time job, saved and applied for a visa to Oz.
When she arrived in Oz, she took a crap job in a nursing home but her finance background landed her a job at Oracle (where we met), then she got married (not to me). Turns out her husband was a hopeless gambler. So once again, her life had gone to crap.
She left him and didn’t have a cent to her name, and was on her own for a good while. None of her Korean high school certificates recognised in Oz, so she had to go to TAFE (college) to make up 12 credits, which she did at night. Then she applied to Uni as a mature age student, just about the same time we got together. She worked a very stressful job in Oracle Finance and did 2 subjects per semester part time. (3 n her last semester). She graduated with a degree in Finance. We paid for her studies as we went, it was tough as I was paying child support. ($600k over 19yrs)
We came to the UK and she then applied to become a CPA, which meant studying for another 6 modules. (Australia has exam centres in the UK). She did this, whilst helping me with all my back problems, she worked full time temp back then. Then we had Little One, then I lost my job with Hants CC and we had zero income, so I looked after her whilst Little One whilst Mrs FP finished her last two CPA modules.
Through all this, apart from 6 wks worth of JSA, neither of us has claimed anything from the Oz or UK Gov. In fact, the child allowance we thought everyone got, we have to pay back.
In her last semester at Oz (just before actually), I had an bike accident, broke 5ribs, my hip, smashed my collarbone and punctured my lung. She looked after me, worked full Time and studied for 3 Uni modules.
She’s now a fully qualified accountant, gives back to community for working tirelessly on various church and childcare committees because they can’t afford to pay someone for expert finance advice and never moans about how life, or the Gov has treated her.
When I think of someone who done it tough and come out ‘not bad’ I think of her and her work ethic. She’s my fucking hero. 
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This - entirely.
A good few years ago when I was within a week of my 6 month limit I went in for my final signing on (refused to pay petrol to get there for no payment after that) while I was stood waiting for my appointment a couple of late teenagers came in, the slightly older one went to the desk and said “she’s my sister, she finished school yesterday, what can she have?” rather than being told to go away she was given a bunch of forms to fill in to claim god knows what. I lost my shit and was asked to leave the office until I’d calmed down. It’s ridiculous. I’d been paying twice as long as she’d been on the planet and guess who got something for nothing, aaarrrggghhhh.
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Yep. That.
When i left the army, my first job lasted about 6 months and i went to sign on only to find that in the military we had paid reduced NI contributions and i was therefore not entitled to anything…
i still ‘owe’ several years of contributions apparently if i want a full state pension…
at the moment i am unsure whether to apply for any benefits or not…
i have contacted my bank about a mortgage holiday and the first question was whether i had any savings. I guess I will not get any help until I am broke…
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FatPom, point 4 was relating to Universal Credit, sorry for the confusion.
As we have been going off topic a colleague has a Swiss background and a few years ago they decided that rather than state benefits being means tested they could just give a universal minimum payment to all. Because of the savings in red tape and investigations chasing the fraudsters etc they could actually give more money than they had been. It was 30k CHF pa which was enough to get by but most would still choose to work. Unfortunately It was voted down in a referendum. Sounds like a fairly decent idea to me.
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This seems a great idea until everyone gets their 30k chuffing francs and still realise that they can’t get everything those that work get…
…and everyone that works and gets a little more than 30k then realise that by the time they have commuted, paid for parking etc… could have got more by staying at home…
Yep, been there…lots of thinking time…
Not sure there’s much I wouldn’t do, although I haven’t really got the nose for cleaning bogs etc!
When I was doing my degree I had various part time jobs including glass collector in a pub, also worked part-time as a technician and librarian at a local college.
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Its reasons like yours that probably meant it was voted against in the referendum. Might be something that seems far better on paper than in real life. I suppose there’s a whole load of job losses also resulting from this change
Im also an ex supermarket worker back in the day, Sainsbury’s. Spent 4 happy years there, also did trolley duty which was great, no one bothering you, just wandering around. I also liked warehouse work, manual felt like you worked hard and also left alone largely. Because you were always busy time flew and some good people who liked a drink as well (i was young) . Id definitely do that again is needs meant i needed to. I washed cars in a showroom when i was 16 also. that was rubbish though. smarmy salesmen who though they were “made men” and treated you like shit.
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When I was young I worked in restaurant. Waiting was ok, only problem with that was the kitchen would routinely cock it up and it you who go it in the neck
One of the best jobs was washing the dishes. We had a wash room at the back, the bus boys/girls would bring trolleys in you would scrape, fill the industrial dishwasher, unload, stack another trolley to take back to the kitchen and serving areas. In the summer the restaurant, bar, and garden / bbq area would be full with a double side A4 waiting list so it was non stop. Put your music on, pints of coke (free) from the bar and just do it.
Was nice, no rude people, not having to think, get a rhythm going.
Paid utter buttons though
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likewise - although it was the era of chicken in a basket and they were really hard to hand wash…
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Like many of the utopian schemes to flatten society…
Deli counter at Somerfield for me during school. Working the graveyard shifts in the evening with a bunch of mates. Hardly any customers, chasing each other round the supermarket and warehouse, generally being stupid. Oh and hiding in the big fridge munching on sliced ham and cheese. My cheese cutting and estimation skills are still strong when cutting blocks for a recipe!
Then I upgraded to looking after (instructor would be a bit too grand a title) little kids on 50 and 80 cc quad bikes at a local Shire Horse farm and ‘adventure’ park in the hols when i was at uni! Now that was fun! All summer outside, pulling kids out of hedges and tyre walls. Muckign about on the bikes when it was quiet.
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