I've just had a BRILLIANT idea

[elnevio]

By my own admission, I'm a bit of a lazy swine.

Despite this, I have never claimed the dole, because I have always been prepared to do almost any job. The way I viewed it, I needed money, and even minimum wage was more money than the dole.

The easiest thing for me to do was sign up with an employment agency. I did this and generally earned between £3.50 and £4.00 an hour (back in 1995/6), and back then, agency staff had no right to sick leave or paid holiday. I was also still doing my Saturday (and occasional Sundays!) job on the checkout at B&Q (a legacy from my sixth form days). So I was often doing 7 day weeks, where the Mon-Fri stuff could be anything, and indeed was!: working in a sawmill and furniture factory (drilling holes all day), making sandwiches, helping remove industrial air conditioning systems from the tops of office buildings, kitchen duties, portering, newspaper order picking, greetings card order picking, and so on... I eventually got a temporary office job in transport, which I did for nearly two years - and then another temporary office job - in insolvency! (wtf was that, I thought...) And kind of stayed there.

My point is, that despite being a lazy sod, I didn't want to be receiving handouts when there was something I could do about it, i.e. get a job, even a crap one.

There are now 1.57m (or thereabouts) unemployed and signing on in the UK. I bet that the number of unfilled jobs as about the same - but they don't want to do the menial stuff.

[Nevman]

That's the problem Elnevio.
No one wants to do menial stuff. They all thought that the emigrants will do it for them. And when emigrants start to climb the ladder and making good money, many of natives gets really fussy about it. Interesting is that 99% of those unhappy ones are uneducated and doing low skilled jobs.

Anyway, I'd rather look every morning in the mirror with proud than feel like a leach.

Dickytim,
Yes, in germany you get an unemployment benefit for few months an after that is some other, slightly lower benefit which you have to pay back should you go back to work.

[djb160]

Nope don't like the idea of paying back benifit on top of anything you get "granted" from WINZ. That will just make people wnat to get a job even less.

Our major problem is that even if the unemployed wants to go to polytech or something to get some qualifications while trying to support a family as both WINZ and Studylink will let you down at the same time.

WINZ would much prefer to keep you as a slave to society than actually help you better yourself.

Even if I have to go back to working at McDs or a fish factory, at least I'll have my degree.

[Nevman]

Nope don't like the idea of paying back benifit on top of anything you get "granted" from WINZ. That will just make people wnat to get a job even less.

They are entitled to non returnable benefits for some time (I think it's something like jobseekers allowance) but if they won't get the job for 6 months or something they're getting just-enough-to-live benefits which is returnable when they get back to work.
The money they're getting is really low and they can't have expensive stuff, cars or even leave the country without permission. I think that's fair, why society should pay for someone who is a leech and doesn't look after himself? Or the ones who thinks they are too good to do low skilled, low paid jobs? It is only their decision to live that way.
If one doesn't care for himself, why others should?

[djb160]

No cars would be too ruff in this country as far to many things aren't suitable for public transport and I think I'm luck because of how good chch public transport is!

[Throbbe]

I did the same as a few others. When I got made redundant I went and worked in a factory for minimum wage until I got another job in my field.

Having said that though, if I'd signed on I'd probably have got a job quicker as I'd have had more time to write applications/attend interviews.