Just signed on (I'm in the local library). Gave a whole load of blather about the test I've had with The Psychologist and the doctor. I'm sure it means nothing, but it makes me look 'good', I suppose. It's all a game really: one has to be seen to be doing something. Unfortunately, in the process, I found myself agreeing to apply for a job that I'm not remotely interesting that is also both very low hours (I'd be much better off on JSA) and temporary.
Of course the argument is that it's better than nothing, helps get you 'back into work', and all the usual silly cliches. I wish there was a way out of the system. The job advertised 6-12 hours (they can't even be sure which). Splitting the difference at the NMW gives me around £55 a week. The problem comes not from our 'something for nothing, too lazy to work' culture, but from the fact that there are extra benefits from signing on; it's not just financial. I get the cost of glasses/eye appointments and the like paid for. All of this goes beyond the mere £65 that people receive. While transport costs won't necessarily be an issue, as the job is local, it just seems to me a waste of time. The jobcentre machinery threw this position up, and it's temporary (though it doesn't say for how long), so while people may think it's better than nothing etc, it's just really keeping you in the same place. Anyway I'll ring up the contact number (recruitment line) and see what they say; they've probably had a ton of applicants anyway.
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