What do I do?

[featured_spectre]

General Consensus question here...no guarantee I will take the choice selected in the poll...

 

I have applied for a job, but also have the possibility of going on a construction course through the Job Centre...I enjoyed the landscaping volunteering which I did and its given me a taste for the industry. Hmmm...what do I do?!

 

A bit about the job - Basic labouring, shifting stuff around the site, some drilling and hammering, pretty much it, 3 month contract.

A bit about the course - its a BTEC National Diploma, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, for 15 weeks

 

The course will give me a qualification and allow me to be more than just a labourer on site...it covers brick work (use of trowel, cement mixer, building chimneys, walls and brick BBQs), carpentry & joinery (hanging doors, joists, gates, fences and small wooden structures such as sheds), as well as Painting and Decorating (basic plastering, painting with different tools, preparation of surfaces, painting different surfaces - metals, wood, plaster, and hanging wallpaper)...Fine its stuff a person should know how to do from stuff around the house, but it doesn't hurt to have a qualification in it.

 

Thoughts and Comments?

[SYNACK]

It all depends on your current needs, is there a capital consideration given the messy job market is it better to have three months of income than more training. In the long term is the training going to help you out more than the tree months of employment now. If you have the capital to go to the course and still have a buffer to get another job and that job is likely to be better then I'd go for the course. If there is more of a need to aquire more capital imediatly and the course is unlikely to help a decent amount the job may be better. Overall I'd probably lean toward the course but as I am not even in the country my opinion is totally theoritical.

[featured_spectre]

Well the Mrs and I can survive for the time being on the level of income and income support received by the government (just, we are skipping 1 meal a day and stopped snacking and stopped buying treats). We are able to survive as I said, but the course allows a better prospect of finding a job as it gives more rounded skills, however the income for 3 months would be nice but I was told there is no chance of the contract being extended. So if I am unable to find work after that point I'm back to square one with no chance for going on the course.

[SYNACK]

As the course is a limited time offer and should provide better chances for more stable long term income I'd probably go with that.

[witch]

So would I. If the contract cannot be extended and you are managing then the course is what I would choose too

[laserblazer]

From the tone of your posts, seems you have pretty well made up your mind. Go on the course, if nothing else, it will make a dab hand a diy and save you a fortune in the future.

[michael2k6]

+1 for the course. Get yourself on it, and get the word out that you can do that kind of work. Open a seperate bank account and register yourself as self employed and needing to fill in a self assessment. Canvas as much as you can with places that people will trust, word of mouth has always been my best source of work. Keep aside 20% for tax (and some for NI, there's a standard rate but I can't remember what it is - though if you're making less than about 3.5k you can apply for NI exemption). Write everything down that goes in and out of that account, and you're sorted. Bear in mind you might need to register for VAT if you start turning over enough but that's incredibly unlikely atlast for now.

You'll make far more money doing that if you can get the word out than you will on a temporary job on site, and you've got the confidence and skills to do it from the course.

 

^

Is my ten penneth.

[featured_spectre]

Didn't think about that Michael...to be honest as I am looking to do a complete career change (whilst still young enough to fall back on my old one if needed) the course would put me in the right direction. I'm qualified to do structured cabling so adding that in with building would mean in theory I could work on new build sites

[michael2k6]

Sounds like you've already made the decision, as has been said

I think it's probably just another string to your bow.

Something else to do is look at these courses part time and see how much they'd cost... I was looking at similar things, and finding things part time to suit anywhere near me was a massive issue - if i'm out of work and looking to get back into it, there are plenty, but if i'm in work and just looking to learn new skills, it's difficult - so maybe turn your situation into a positive oportunity to get it under your belt while you can

 

I guess if I were an employer, i'd probably rather see on the CV that you've done the course rather than done the temp work (regardless of the job being related to the course or otherwise), but i'm not an employer, so I don't really know!

[dhicks]

Thoughts and Comments?

 

Do the course for all the reasons mentioned above, plus it'll quite likely be warmer than your average building site at this time of year. At the rate you're going, in a few weeks time you'll be a qualified sysadmin + builder + cable guy, which sounds like a pretty capable combination.

[elsiegee40]

I think the course will give you another string to your bow... it gives you options. If you can afford it, go on the course.

[mdrabble]

Short term the contract would be ideal, but you need to be thinking long term, in which case the course would be the far better option. As mentioned the course is a limited time offer and will give you better oportunities in the future.

[featured_spectre]

I think the course will give you another string to your bow... it gives you options. If you can afford it, go on the course.

 

The course is free - however looking at where they do it, if I was earning it would cost nearly £3000!!

[sparkeh]

From the info it sounds like a no-brainer, the course is an investment in the future whereas the job is short term and its possible that nothing more may come of it. If you can survive financially then do the course.

BTW good luck with the career change

[featured_spectre]

For me to go on the course for 15 weeks, the other half has to drop 5 hours from work for me to go on income support as JSA would stop (nice of them to tell me AFTER I apply for the course).

 

Going to CAB tomorrow afternoon to see what my options are, as I really want the course but cannot afford to lose any money

[witch]

For me to go on the course for 15 weeks, the other half has to drop 5 hours from work for me to go on income support as JSA would stop (nice of them to tell me AFTER I apply for the course).

 

Going to CAB tomorrow afternoon to see what my options are, as I really want the course but cannot afford to lose any money

Oh for goodness sake - I think if I were you I would seriously think about going to the press as you are a perfect example of someone who is desperately trying to sort themselves out and being thwarted at every turn due to the stupidity of the system

[featured_spectre]

What do I write in the email to the papers though...will be writing nationally as well as locally.

[witch]

Just set out the facts as they are - the steps you have taken, the problems you have encountered. Brief but to the point.

I would also contact your local MP as well - whichever side he or she is on, they should take up your cause

[featured_spectre]

This is what I have so far

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

My name is xxxxx xxxxxxx, aged 26, and until October, was in full time employment. I write to you to highlight the struggles people are going through on the breadline within this country.

 

I was made redundant from full time work on 23rd of September 2011 and went straight into a contract job which lasted for 1 month and finished on 24th October 2011. From that point on, my life has been hell, and it has been primarily due to the mistakes made by the Job Centre. Below is a timeline of what has happened thus far in my quest to get employed and the help (or lack of) from the Job Centre.

 

• 24th October 2011 – I applied for Job Seekers Allowance online

• 26th October 2011 – I had an interview at the Job Centre Plus in Dunstable, I was informed my sign on days would be Fridays, and the first one would be 4th of November.

• 4th November 2011 – I phone the Job Seekers Call Centre to explain I have an interview on that day via telephone, which could take place between 09:00 and 17:00. I was informed by telephone to go in the following Friday (11th).

• 11th November 2011 – I ring the Job Seekers Call Centre to confirm I attend the Job Centre today to sign on, and was misdirected by a member of staff there and told to go on my normal sign on day, and that it did not matter that I missed the first one as they keep the claim open for up to 4 weeks.

• 18th November 2011 – I attend the Job Centre Plus to sign on for the first time and told my claim has been closed due to me missing the sign on. I explain the circumstances and told to do a rapid reclaim (which was done on the same day) with a backdated claim to cover my original claim.

• 26th November 2011 – I receive notification that my backdated claim has been refused and I should call up to ask for a change of decision.

• 26th November 2011 – I ask to sign up to a construction skills course and get accepted, and look towards retraining to broaden my skills.

• 26th November 2011 – I call up and ask for a change in decision and I am told I will be notified in the post within 3 working days.

• 2nd December 2011 – I did not receive notification so I ask the Job Centre for help whilst I sign on. Advised to take a letter in and they will send it off for me.

• 9th December 2011 – I bring a letter in and was told it will be sent off via registered post and should call up on Tuesday 13th afternoon to ensure it has been received.

• 14th December 2011 – I call the Job Seekers Call Centre and ask to be put through to Watford. I ask the person on the phone if the letter has been received, and was informed that not only was the letter not received, but nobody registered my initial call.

• 16th December 2011 – I finish my construction skills course and pass the CSCS Card test.

• 16th December 2011 – I sign on again and receive the first payment for 8 weeks since beginning the claim, and the amount is for £115.70 (which is £19.30 below the amount I should have received for the 2 week period).

• 19th December 2011 – I call the Watford Centre again to see if the letter has been received and they replied that it still not arrived.

• 19th December 2011 – 2nd letter written up and sent by myself (registered with proof of posting) to the Job Centre in Watford.

 

I must say that I am utterly disgusted that due to a mistake by the job centre, that my backdated claim was denied through no fault of my own, and as such I have defaulted on all of my payments and will likely soon be homeless due to the lack of finances. I have made the payment of £115.70 stretch as far as possible with my partners income however we are unable to make the money last and used it to pay token payments for our bills in order to show we are doing what we can. I have borrowed money and taken donations of food from friends and family, however that has since stopped as they are no longer able to help, due to the fact that they themselves are stretching their food and finances in order to help.

 

I have cut down on my food intake and have lost almost 10 kg in weight (1.5st) and have had to reduce my 2 year old daughters food intake by almost 1/3 in order to stretch her food for as long as possible. I have also stopped paying for my medication and my partners medication (anti migraine and anti epilepsy pills) as we cannot afford them, and as such we have been suffering in regards to our health.

 

I am asking that it is made known that the people that use the system properly and look to do all types of work (be it agency, temp, contract, shelf stacking, cleaning, or any other type of work) and get continually rejected due to currently being unemployed or missing out to better candidates, get mistreated badly by the system. When phoning the Job Centre call centre in Watford in regards to help (in terms of an emergency loan in order to pay council tax and other bills) I was informed that my partner and I would be better off if she goes unemployed so that we are able to claim £27’000 in benefits (more than what we earned combined).

 

In our present situation, we get ridiculous sums of money from the government to help us out. For example, working tax credits and child tax credits for my partner and I comes to a grand total of £9.83 per week (which granted is better than nothing and pays for my daughters meals for a week), job seekers allowance (£67.50 per week) which barely covers the cost of getting to the job centre every other week, paying for the travel to get to interviews, the cost of the internet and phone calls used to look for work (as many agencies use 0870/0845 numbers, and ringing around on a daily basis costs a lot of money). We do not qualify for any other benefit, and in our current situation my partner and I have defaulted on almost all payments apart from Rent and council tax. We have let the companies know the situation, and some have been lenient, but we are still in an awful position.

 

I am looking to retrain to broaden my horizons, and when notified by the Job Centre that a course in construction is available I jumped at the chance, however after applying, I was notified that if I went on the course I would lose my job seekers allowance as I would "officially" no longer be looking for work, which is crazy as I would still be looking and if the opportunity to attain employment came up, I would go for the job.

 

I write to you so that you can help highlight the issues that people like myself are facing and to show you that people that use the system properly get hampered at every turn.

 

Thoughts, comments, changes?

[Steve21]

"Personally" I'm getting lost myself reading part of the letter. Maybe I'm just not understanding it fully but as an example:

 

• 26th November 2011 – I ask to sign up to a construction skills course and get accepted, and look towards retraining to broaden my skills.
• 26th November 2011 – I call up and ask for a change in decision and I am told I will be notified in the post within 3 working days.

 

So you didn't go on the course? Change in decision for what?

 

Not trying to be picky, just reading through it a lot of it seems counter-arguements to itself.

 

Steve

[featured_spectre]

ahh ok, will be a bit clearer, thanks

 

should read as

 

• 26th November 2011 – I ask to sign up to a construction skills course and get accepted, and look towards retraining to broaden my skills.

• 26th November 2011 – I call up Job Seekers Call Centre and ask for a change in decision in regards to my backdated payment and I am told I will be notified in the post within 3 working days.