My friend was part way through an employability course like this when she was offered a job interview. Her course was going to take place from 12.30-4pm and her interview was at 2pm, about an hour’s bus ride away. When she explained to the job centre that, for this reason, it would be difficult for her to make the course at 12.30, they said, “Well then come to the course at 1pm.” After patiently explaining to them that 1pm is in fact still before 2pm and that she therefore still couldn’t make the course, they concluded that the best thing for her to do was to miss the job interview. And of course, if you refuse to do what they say you will lose at least one week’s worth of money and have no means of buying food for the next week. And even if this wasn’t the case, is this the best advice they can give? Really? Miss your job interview to go to an employ-ability course? And they think we’re stupid!
Perhaps it is a way of cleaning up their statistics, or perhaps it really is the best they can do, but the government like to put unemployed people on various “courses”. At best they learn interview skills, team work and about their learning style and at worst they learn how to bake cakes, play card games and put up a tent. While interview skills are obviously very useful, I wonder how much help they are when all the other candidates have been on the same course. I also wonder what employers do with thirty sets of identical interview responses. Perhaps they work out who is best at making cakes.
My friend was part way through an employability course like this when she was offered a job interview. Her course was going to take place from 12.30-4pm and her interview was at 2pm, about an hour’s bus ride away. When she explained to the job centre that, for this reason, it would be difficult for her to make the course at 12.30, they said, “Well then come to the course at 1pm.” After patiently explaining to them that 1pm is in fact still before 2pm and that she therefore still couldn’t make the course, they concluded that the best thing for her to do was to miss the job interview. And of course, if you refuse to do what they say you will lose at least one week’s worth of money and have no means of buying food for the next week. And even if this wasn’t the case, is this the best advice they can give? Really? Miss your job interview to go to an employ-ability course? And they think we’re stupid!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a creative writing graduate living in Devon. I love writing either to express myself or to make people think.I have a lot of friends who are unemployed and was on JSA for a time myself. I think the treatment of clients at the job centre is so appalling that sometimes you have to go home and cry, take a deep breath and write about it in a way that will make people laugh. So I started this page. I hope to change people's attitudes about people on benefits but if I can't do that then I at least hope you'll laugh with me.Apart from this page, I usually write poems and prose poetry and I've recently started blogging. I'm happiest when I'm by the sea, getting on a plane, or at McDonalds with my best friend. As well as writing I'm passionate about dance, friendship and above all Jesus. One of the things I'm most grateful for in life is my wonderful Godson. I want to see the world and when I do I will write about it the way I see it. Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you enjoyed it. Archives
June 2014
Categories |