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  • EADD Moderators: Pissed_and_messed | Shinji Ikari

Jobseeker's Allowance Megathread ver. We're all overqualified!

As someone whos tried to get into substance use work for 16 yrs including voluntary its bn very difficult. Funding cuts nationwide causing many probs. Its been easier getting into Adult Mental health agagn including vojuntary.
 
Hmm... I shall enquire further next opportunity I get. She seemed to think they were crying out for drug counsellors. That may be a very local thing or may be purely in her mind though. WIll look into it. If any of our richer EADDers feel like investing in a drug counselling service that actually helps its clients do feel free to drop us a line ;)

Okay, perhaps we don't quite have the organisation yet but I truly believe a more realistic approach to HR could genuinely... well... reduce harm. Actual harm. The stuff that matters. The stuff that keeps people alive rather than caught up in an endless cycle of addiction, guilt trip, relapse, addiction, guilt trip, relapse, rinse, repeat, rinse.
 
If I won the lottery it'd be a great thing to set up. There's an amazing wealth of knowledge around here. :)

(Although one could argue that you're already offering a valuable drug counselling service.)
 
Thats brillian, mdb. I think I'll go back n do my diploma again. I was in a bad place at the time n didn't feel confident I'd be able to help clients. I've completed my basic, intermediate n certificate in counselling - just need my 100 hours but I think it would be better to start the diploma again rather than do the 100 hours as it's been years since I've completed the course - 2010 ( geeze that's gone fast).

I think its brilliant that your support service said you can do your 100 hours there.

I agree about them not knowing what we've been through. They tried to give me a "peer mentor" once who wasn't an addict n was a pensioner. I told them I was lonely n was looking for a "friend" who was like-minded. And they could not understand why I didn't want her! Oh n besides the fact she talked to me like I was a project. Then they gave me other peer mentors who treated me like I was thick giving me activities that a 6 year old could do n constantly "inviting" me to the weekly drop-in when I knew it was on. I soon dropped that service. I only wanted to find groups n like-minded people for friendship. Jeeze!
 
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Hehe. I was provided with a peer mentor too. Oddly enough, also a pensioner. Perhaps it's a conspiracy :sus:

In this case he was actually an ex-alky so at least had some idea about addiction. We mostly compared notes bitchin' 'bout 12 Step programmes as it happens. He was pretty kewl as pensioners go. Think he got a job in the end. Tory government innit. Couldn't afford to do voluntary work onna pension so had to go back to donkey work to make ends meet :\
 
My local DSP which used to be ran by Addaction but is now run by another group called Inclusion, have a scheme called 'Recovery Champions'.
As far as I can gather once you have proved yourself to be 'clean' of heroin for example you can then go through some training in their offices about how to deal with clients and rules about confidentiality etc.
Once you have completed that training you can act as extra support for people alongside a keyworker.
It benefits the centres users as a lot of them prefer to talk with somebody who has been through the same problems as them and can hopefully offer them advice on how to deal with cravings and tips on staying off the gear etc.
The keyworkers can also learn from them as well as the majority of them have never had a drug problem themselves so don't understand a lot of what folk are going through.
I have in the past been asked if I was interested in becoming a Recovery Champion but I wasn't ready at the time but I am thinking of doing it now as it would be good to try and put something back especially as I have a lot of spare time at the moment.
 
Ive just sent off 2 job applications for which i am overexperienced and overqualified, ive left out the things that might make me appear like that. I wonder if anything will come of this. I doubt it, it seems to be more like a 1 in 40 ratio to even get a phone call back from anyone for a prelimminary discussion when they decide whether to offer you an interview or not. And then at the interview you have about a 1 in 6,7,8,9 or 10 chance. It really is fucking tough to get a job, any job. Apart from customer service call centre jobs dealing with irate customers all day. Jesus Christ Id need to tripple my drug intake to do a job like that.
 
I read somewhere last week that 500 people had applied for 7 jobs in Wallsall.
That's plain ridiculous the amount of competition there is for job vacancies.
Good luck Mdb I hope you manage to find some work soon and get to enjoy having some cash in your pocket again.
 
Cheers. On sites like Reed.co.uk it tells you how many people have applied, it usually gets to around 200 people for every single job. The thing is though that a lot of those applications are going to be from people signing on and going through the motions of applying for jobs in order to comply with their benefit requirements, when a lot of them probably dont have the skills and experience the job requires. So i would imagine a lot of the applications just get immeditatelt deleted and whittled down quite quickly to a more managable number of serious contendors. Of course its also possible that each of the 200 people that applies is capable of doing the job, and the recruiters probably just delete the last 180 applications and whittle down the first 20. I seriously doubt they pay proper attention to every application when so many people are applying. The JSA thing is creating problems here.
 
In regards to what I was saying before I still believe that but just want to say that Sammy had a good point. I can't one minute moan about immigrants coming into the country n then say that the government are treating people on benefits as scategoats as in a way I am also doing so by blamming immigrants when really I'm just going by what I've heard others say. For exame, saying they come here n good 5 bedroom houses , rent-free n so forth. I don't truly know if that information was right so in that respect I was wrong n I apologise if I've upset anyone as I forget not just British people come onto EADD of course.

For instance I believe that the gov is dividing people: workers against benefits n vice versa n by blaming immigrants I may very well be falling into that trap.

Evey xxxx
 
Cant blame people for wanting a better life, its not like any of us are 100 percent English if you trace your ancestry far back enough you will be in for a surprise. The blame is pinned On lazy people and immigrants because its a smoke screen of anger to hide the fact that the real problems, such as All economic Bubbles going POP and Wealth distribution.
 
mydrugbuddy said:
Ive just sent off 2 job applications for which i am overexperienced and overqualified, ive left out the things that might make me appear like that.
Click to expand...

Don't. Keep stuff like that in. Employers know that it's an employers market at the moment with lots of people scrambling around for jobs. Graduates are working checkouts, employers will look towards the most capable staff they can get in the knowledge it's not going to be easy for them to move on at the moment.

Always, always, always have all your achievements in your CV guys and gals.
 
RLP said:
Don't. Keep stuff like that in. Employers know that it's an employers market at the moment with lots of people scrambling around for jobs. Graduates are working checkouts, employers will look towards the most capable staff they can get in the knowledge it's not going to be easy for them to move on at the moment.

Always, always, always have all your achievements in your CV guys and gals.
Click to expand...

isnt it possible different recruiters and ddifferent companies want to see different things ?

I had a phone call this morning but missed it. I hope that wasnt my one and only chance. Max's JSA advisors were advising him to do this modify CV thing. I've applied for shop work, i worked in a shop before i was at uni and during uni holidays so ive just left out the uni bit and the promotion i got in my last job. Ive had too many emails saying "the role is too junior for you" for me not to at least try 'massaging the truth'.
 
Yes I was told that if you are applying for a job where you are clearly over qualified for then the employer can look at your CV and think 'well this person will just be using this job as a stop gap until something better suited to them comes along and then when it does they will leave this job for that one.'
Not saying that would always be the case but you can see why employers would think that and employ someone who is more suited to the job & therefore more likely to stay rather than leave as soon as a job they are better suited to comes along.
 
I just wanted to say that the DWP really need to try and get their frontline staff to start treating people with some respect and not like they are the lowest people in society.
I am sick of seeing people reduced to tears and thoughts of suicide because of the way they are spoken to and treated.
Folk are already at their lowest point without these fools demeaning them even more.
It makes me fucking sick and angry.
Try using some compassion cunts!
 
yes some of them are just WRONG. They are on a power trip, and enjoy threatening people with sanctions, and getting on their high horses and 'laying down the law' This type of person shouldnt be allowed to do the job, there are some genuinely nice people with proper empathy and understanding that work there (like my disabilty advisor, he was so nice id have liked to have boight him a pint), but the guy i had to start with was a bullying cunt, taking advantage of the state i was in. The amateur psychologist in me tells me that these people have self esteem issues and can only feel good by belitting others. W/E no sympathy from me, sack them.

Unfortuantely unemployed people can be one of the post powerless groups in society so perhaps they dont compalin enough about bad staff, and so nothing gets done about it. Thats just conjecture and speculation before everyone gets on my case about it.

I need to do some jobhunting today. I got so much energy off my modafinil yesterdy but didnt put it to productive use. I will try to remedy that today.
 
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mydrugbuddy said:
The amateur psychologist in me tells me that these people have self esteem issues and can only feel good by belitting others.
Click to expand...

Or maybe they're on shitty money, overworked and under pressure to meet targets set by bullying, overbearing managers, and the end result amounts to a nightmare for all those involved?

The truth is usually that mundane. Not that it really helps that much.
 
yeah possibly. I did add that i was speculating, allthough not about that point preciscesly.

Anyway 15 apps fired off, one incoming phone call immediately. They said they have allready shortlisted for interview but if they dont find anyone suitable in the first round the agency will put me forward for the second round. Back to these applications. 1 phone call from 15 apps is a better hit ratio than i was getting before. Its a game of persistence and numbers i think.
 
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