My eye! Sweet Jesus, Ouch!

[Habakure]

VOSA and ford have been informed. It is my wife's car and as such (I should have stated this before), it was her choice to go to kwikfit. The fix/problem, in kwik fits eyes, is still there (a slight mark on the wheel). I don't want to go into more detail, as it is now being handled by professionals. As soon as the matter is closed, I'll update.

 

New rant:- I think this scheme (forced work) will keep people out of jobs (the people juts starting out in life who want a job to get them through college/uni, or who just want a job that requires a low experience threshold). You would have to be very naive, to think this scheme,doesn't keep genuine poeple looking for work, out of work. This is not the way of getting people off of benefit (long term benefit). There are already loop holes that are being exploited, so that people don't have to go onto this workforce scheme (anyone remeber new deal?). This is just another way for companys to save money and genuine jobs being filled by a low paided work force.

[amateurstuntman]

It is impossible to live alone on minimum wage.

If you have a job you have no time to look for another job.

 

Those are two pretty bold claims, both (in my experience) wrong.

 

I lived alone on minimum wage in Glasgow and in Nottingham.

 

Whilst working a minimum of 84 hours a week (often more with overtime) I was able to study for a qualification and subsequently apply for and get another job.

 

If you don't think you can live alone on minimum wage, don't live alone. Move in with someone.

 

 

I don't know anything about the "work for your benefits scheme" you are talking about -partly because I have never been on benefits- but it seems that you can't do anything about it so perhaps your energy would be better spent coming up with a way of finding work.

 

 

How is your mobility?

The only time I have ever really struggled to find work in my area I just moved to where there was a job.

[my_plague_666]

Ok so you're working full time, for your benefits. When exactly do you have the time to look for a job? You can do a few online applications, sure. Maybe even send out some CVs in the snail mail. These are mostly ineffective methods.

 

when i was given 2 weeks notice i continued to work full time while searching for a job (a specific job too, not just anything that will earn me money) and landed one after 4 days of unemployment. and let me tell you, i looked bloody hard for that job. it was only a temporary 6 weeks thing while the firm had work, but i carried on searching during that time too and was able to leave there and start another job literally the next day.

 

what about apprentices? apprentices under 19 or over 19 in their first year have a minimum wage of £2.60! i don't see you getting upset over that, and that's a wage that can potentially be given for 3 years, not just a temporary measure.

 

i'll be honest, im not sure what the full situation is regarding employers regulations for workfare. the only 'information' i can see is that boycott workfare site, and frankly i'd rather trust an uncyclopedia article. if the system is being abused, the solution isn't to scrap it, it's to make it so that it can't be abused. i would have expected the government to put such measures into place from the word go (that is if they havent already)

[Habakure]

I think what the comment (relating to when you are supposed to look for work), relates to the minimal hours you can do voluntary at a charity or studying in education. At last check it was 16 hours, as anything over that, meant you didn't have enough hours in the week left a side, to look for work (this is the job centre's words not mine).

 

So if you are in full time employment, by thier own admission, you can't possibly look for work and as such are entitled not too. I'm going to have a look into it and see if this still stands, with this new scheme (as it did with new deal which use to last 3 months, then you went back onto job seekers allowance).

 

Now if when you are on this new scheme, you don't have to provide proof (just like the old shceme called new deal) that you're looking for work, then I don't see the point of this new scheme . For the people will just make up excuses and get a sick note (if they are off longer than 3 days that is), to avoid doing the full time work.

 

Like I said, I don't know the ins and outs of this new scheme, but I honestly cannot see it working.

[paranoiddroid]

my boyfriend is really struggling when he drops cvs off walking with a cane for retails stuff he knows he wont get it, its really getting him down. its hard to watch for me becuase he just gets more depressed and frustrated that the cp is getting in the way of his life and education.

[Spudgun]

Getting back to a previous point. Kwik Fit is good for one thing and one thing only, that's air conditioning refills. They're cheaper than others, but they can't screw it up because Kwik Fit uses the same automated machine to do the job.

[hitmanNo2]

Jeans, why is so difficult to buy a pair of normal, blue jeans? I don't want any with stupid *fruitcage* stripes on them or ones with holes in. I have to buy new jeans because I put holes in them ffs. Then you think you find some and you find out the pockets are designed for children's hands and you can barely fit a bloody packet of chewing gum in them without it poking out. Grumble, grumble e.t.c.

[Spudgun]

There's worse. Why oh why do people buy jeans that don't fit? Hell, there was even one company that produced jeans with 'anti fit'. Dudes, you don't look cool with jeans that don't fit! You look a complete dork when the *albartroth* hangs around your knees. Who the hell wants to see your 'skiddies' when you won't wear a belt to keep your jeans up? Oh, you think it looks cool do you? NO, you look a complete DORK!

[paranoiddroid]

clothes shop sizes not being standardised ###### me off, I can be a m&s 12 and a deb 10.

[Stuey]

Jeans, why is so difficult to buy a pair of normal, blue jeans? I don't want any with stupid *fruitcage* stripes on them or ones with holes in. I have to buy new jeans because I put holes in them ffs. Then you think you find some and you find out the pockets are designed for children's hands and you can barely fit a bloody packet of chewing gum in them without it poking out. Grumble, grumble e.t.c.

 

Oh wow, tell me about it. Ordinary jeans are becoming something of a novelty...

[Brick]

clothes shop sizes not being standardised ###### me off, I can be a m&s 12 and a deb 10.

Apparently there is a web site that compares all the main shops for sizes. Dunno what it is cos I'm a bloke but I'm sure your Google Fu will sort you out

[Hedganian]

Of course, if they just sold clothes by actual physical measurements instead of a randomly altered arbitary number system that means nothing and is different in every country around the world, we wouldn't have this problem...

[WhiteHawksan]

mine today. Pennies (Primark) catering for fat people but not tall people. I'm a 31" waist with a 36" leg. This cannot be found. I can find you a 36" waist without effort but finding a leg longer than the waist. Impossible.

[Xaccers]

Re working at Tescos while gettting benefits, they're getting experience, and considering one of the complaints from some of the long term unemployed is that as there is such a long gap on their CV they get ignored. This helps tackle that. No one is forced into it, so if you don't think you'll benefit, then you don't go for it. Simples.

The Daily Heil reported on an "IT Expert" who'd been out of work for 2 years since completing his IT BTEC (strange definition of expert if you ask me). Now as someone who works in the industry and has interviewed candidates, a BTEC would not be considered an IT qualification and the candidate would need a lot of suitable IT experience to compete with other candidates who have industry qualifications such as MCPs. Now when I was last unemployed at the end of 2009 I looked into updating my qualifications, and at the local college I could do Cisco or Microsoft courses for under £100 where as if I was employed they'd be 15 times that. Of course if you don't think "Hey, I wonder what I can do to upgrade my qualifications, I'll have a look at the colleges and see what is available" then you're going to remain unattractive as a candidate.

From my experience, despite how good MK's job center is, they're not set up to handle job sectors like IT. If they could type in to their computers that the jobseeker is looking for IT, and have it come up with questions such as "Have you considered looking to update your skills?" and list the local college and any IT training companies that do discounts for the unemployed, that'd be a huge help.

Also in my experience, people don't work hard enough on their CVs, many are poorly laid out, and often with bad English. I read them all because it's not just qualifications I'm after, it's personality and how they'll fit in with the team/handle clients.

 

Re Kwik Fit - they do some good deals on tyres, although usually I use blackcircles and the local Formula 1 (the only tyre place around here that seems to know how to align wheels properly). If you need an air-con regas, go to Kwik Fit in the winter as they're normally half price.

 

Re clothes sizes - I've got chucky thighs which normally means I have to buy trousers that are too big around the waist. Finding jeans that fit is a real pain. For women there is a website, can't remember the address, but it tells you what size you are in different shops.

[scorch]

mine today. Pennies (Primark) catering for fat people but not tall people. I'm a 31" waist with a 36" leg. This cannot be found. I can find you a 36" waist without effort but finding a leg longer than the waist. Impossible.

 

H&M usually come up mega long.

 

I am 6'2" and had to have a good 5" or so taken off the bottom of a pair of trousers I got there.

[WhiteHawksan]

Re working at Tescos while gettting benefits, they're getting experience, and considering one of the complaints from some of the long term unemployed is that as there is such a long gap on their CV they get ignored. This helps tackle that. No one is forced into it, so if you don't think you'll benefit, then you don't go for it. Simples.

 

That was the problem they were being forced into it. And that companies were holding jobs for unpaid staff instead of employing those same people because they could get them without paying them.

 

The Daily Heil reported on an "IT Expert" who'd been out of work for 2 years since completing his IT BTEC (strange definition of expert if you ask me). Now as someone who works in the industry and has interviewed candidates, a BTEC would not be considered an IT qualification and the candidate would need a lot of suitable IT experience to compete with other candidates who have industry qualifications such as MCPs. Now when I was last unemployed at the end of 2009 I looked into updating my qualifications, and at the local college I could do Cisco or Microsoft courses for under £100 where as if I was employed they'd be 15 times that. Of course if you don't think "Hey, I wonder what I can do to upgrade my qualifications, I'll have a look at the colleges and see what is available" then you're going to remain unattractive as a candidate.

From my experience, despite how good MK's job center is, they're not set up to handle job sectors like IT. If they could type in to their computers that the jobseeker is looking for IT, and have it come up with questions such as "Have you considered looking to update your skills?" and list the local college and any IT training companies that do discounts for the unemployed, that'd be a huge help.

Also in my experience, people don't work hard enough on their CVs, many are poorly laid out, and often with bad English. I read them all because it's not just qualifications I'm after, it's personality and how they'll fit in with the team/handle clients.

 

This is partly true, I mean I class as an expert in my field, I have 2 degrees, (and a BTEC ) and years and years of experience in business environments, The job centre I'm afraid to say, during periods of unemployment was the single most useless, pointless entity I have ever had the misfortune of ever attempting to help me find work. Or rather not bothering to even attempt to help me. Demoralized staff and over-stretched budgets mean those who want help simply can't get it. I had to chase them up for WEEKS regarding getting a place on one of their CV re-writing courses. Which if you are currently unemployed I highly recommend.

[hitmanNo2]

Job centres are weird. They seem to be run differently in different parts of the country. I have a friend that was out of work for a bit after working for many years somewhere. She got an interview somewhere and contacted the job centre about getting advice/mock interview seeing she hadn't had one for years and was a bit nervous. They said she had to be out of work for over 12 months to get help with that... She then moved areas and got the help she needed in a week or so, along with CV restructuring and advice. And they wonder why we have so many unemployed people.

 

Also, while I'm bashing job centres, get this. I know of someone from Tenerife that was unemployed. The way the benefits system works over there is they are allowed to leave the country for three months to look for work in another country whilst their government pays them whatever the jobseekers benefit is. He comes over here. Walks into a job centre and asks them to help him find them work. Fair enough. They get him setup on the system and ask about his banking details e.t.c. and he explains he's already getting his benefits from Tenerife but they don't seem to care and set him up with UK ones as well. Madness.

[scorch]

Apparently EU citizens living here can claim child benefits at the rates for our cost of living, for kids that are still in living their home country. And do no have to provide much in the way of proof that the child even exists.

 

 

 

 

Rant of the day: People who are too ignorant to spell.

 

I'm talking about the types that say they can't spell because its not spelled how its said, and they reason that is is because they don't say it properly.

 

 

If you don't put in some effort to pronounce things when you talk, how is the rest supposed to fall into place?

[WhiteHawksan]

aye, wut u chettin bei?

[my_plague_666]

Jeans, why is so difficult to buy a pair of normal, blue jeans? I don't want any with stupid *fruitcage* stripes on them or ones with holes in. I have to buy new jeans because I put holes in them ffs. Then you think you find some and you find out the pockets are designed for children's hands and you can barely fit a bloody packet of chewing gum in them without it poking out. Grumble, grumble e.t.c.

i've been rather impressed with animal's jeans. i check their out outlet section to see what's cheap. their sizing is all over the place, but delivery is free and comes with paid postage for returns.

 

Rant of the day: People who are too ignorant to spell.

 

the main ones that catch me out are 'nefing' (anything) and 'fort' (thought). i dont understand it, typing the word properly only takes about half a second longer and lets people know that you aren't mentally disabled.

[scorch]

One my moronic cousin from London uses is "wuu2?" which apparently is equivalent to "what are you up to?" in the regular English language.

[my_plague_666]

One my moronic cousin from London uses is "wuu2?" which apparently is equivalent to "what are you up to?" in the regular English language.

 

that's not so bad, acronyms that shorten phrases to a few letters are acceptable IMHO

i just get caught out a lot by 'fort' and 'nefing', seeing as in my mind a fort is some sort of stronghold and nefing... i'm really not sure, it sounds like an australian word for dogging.

[scorch]

Most of my friends have learned that I don't reply to messages containing deliberately bad English anymore.

 

 

Unless its done ironically by people that genuinely do know the difference.

[hitmanNo2]

i've been rather impressed with animal's jeans. i check their out outlet section to see what's cheap. their sizing is all over the place, but delivery is free and comes with paid postage for returns.

Cheers. I'll take a look. I haven't had Animal jeans for a few years since I found some DC ones that were perfect but they no longer make them anymore.

[amateurstuntman]

Think yourself lucky.

 

Two nights a week I have to teach young squaddies how to do functional skills in Maths and English.

Nightmare.