Job Centre Vacancies
Job Vacancies at Job Centre Plus
Job centre vacancies are no different to job vacancies online. You could think of the job centre as a free job bank for employers, reason being is the Job Centre doesn’t charge employers to post jobs. All other job sites out there like Monster, TotalJobs etc all charge recruiters and employers to post job vacancies. I know, it can be a little embarrassing walking into a job centre, get over it. The job centre is not a bad place as most people make it out to be. To be honest if you’re looking for a job then you must be visiting the job centre every 2 weeks to sign on. Yes, you will find the iconic British chavs and the benefit frauds, but amongst them all are some very honest, dedicated, hard working individuals.
To find job centre vacancies you simply need to pop in to your local job centre and use one of those job point machines. Print out a few vacancies and go home and apply for them. It’s simple and easy. The Job Centre Plus provides help and support for those who can physically and mentally work or those who need financial support during their job search. Society and the media really have portrayed a bad picture on the Job Centre. Many believe the job centre to be for low lives and scroungers, it’s not true. It’s actually very true! Sorry to put you off, but carry on reading.
I’ve personally have used the job centre myself; it was a daunting experience and frankly, quite depressing.
If you’re not familiar with the procedure let me take you through it.
After you have lost your job for whatever reason you simply walk into your local job centre and tell the receptionist. They will then hand you a slip and tell you to go and see someone. You will find that there are lots of people actually waiting to be seen. The wait can take some time and the people working in the job centre really do like taking their time. You’re basically going to make a new claim, a job seeker allowance claim.
When you finally get to speak to someone they are going to ask you a whole load of questions e.g. Where did you work, why you lost your job, are you paying rent, what jobs are you looking for, your partner’s information etc, some personal questions. You will also be filling in some forms. This generally takes around 30 minutes for the whole procedure to complete. At the end you’re giving a little green booklet which looks something like this.
Job Seekers Book
It’s called the Job Seekers Allowance Booklet and you should make sure you keep it safe. You’re also given a record sheet which you have to use to write down a list of things you are doing to find a job. The interviewer would normally say that you need to write at least 6 things. I used to write about 4 or 5 e.g. online jobs, read the paper, asked a friend, recruitment agencies etc just make it up, doesn’t really matter. After all this you’re going to need to come into the job centre every 2 weeks to sign on. They give you a time and date to start signing on and that’s it! Your officially on the scrounge, sorry I mean the Job Seekers Allowance!
The JobCentre Plus will send you letters to your address, make sure you attend any interviews they ask for or they will immediately cancel your job seekers allowance. Depending on your current situation you get around £50 - £70 a week, it goes straight into your bank account or check, whatever you prefer. They pay you every 2 weeks and the money comes from Belfast where the headquarters are. If you need emergency cash, you can apply for a crisis loan which is interest free. Only use it if necessary to be honest, as there is a lot of paper work involved.
When I was on job seekers allowance I really felt frustrated. I had been paying my taxes for 5 years and when the company I worked for went bust, I was forced to claim job seekers allowance. The government made me feel as if I have to work hard to get my money back, the whole job centre plus experience was time consuming and frustrating. It really makes you not want to go back and have a secure job for the rest of your life. It felt a little like prison; personally I’ve never been to prison. I’m just quoting!
The procedure sounds simple until you put it into practice, it’s a lot harder. Anyway, like I said I have nothing against the job centre and I did see it as a good resource for those who genuinely wanted to get back into employment. The help and advice is all there and we should in effect be grateful having such a service in a country we live in.
So if you’re serious about finding a job, check out the job point machines and print out a few slips. The machines are very easy to use and are touch screen; you simply print off the job vacancies you want. But don’t let the Job Centre Plus be your only resource, search online, read news papers, network with people and eventually you will find a job. If you’re really after a job, check out job vacancies at tesco. Job centre vacancies are worth looking at, give it a try!
To find your local job centre in London, visit the Job Centre website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk or here’s a list of uselful numbers for you to call.
New claim contact centre 0800 055 6688
Customer Service 0208 426 3000
Apply for a crisis loan 0800 032 7952
I wish you the best of luck in finding job centre vacancies.
