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Post by steve63 on Jul 26, 2022 18:06:09 GMT 1
Well as the company I worked for went and collapsed the minute I went on holiday (it may be a coincidence) I apparently have to start looking for another job.
I have not been in this position since about 1984 so here's my observations.
To receive my £77.00 per week Job Seekers Allowance I have to:
1) Spend 35 hours a week looking for work and somehow prove it. 2) Agree to commute up to 90 minutes each way to a job if offered. Basically I can't say no, it's too far to travel unless it's over 90min. How they work this out is still unclear. 90min by car on a good day? Walking? F15 fighter jet? 3) Meet my "Work Coach" and prove that I'm doing a dozen other things in my "Claimant Commitment."
At the beginning of my face to face interview last week which became a phone interview just as I was leaving the house to go due the imminent nuclear attack, sorry heat wave, she said It also would depend on my national Insurance payments. I said i've been paying them non stop for 42 years so I should be OK.
Now this is between us but I'm not massively interested in getting a new job yet seeing as this might be the only chance I get to work on my bikes before I snuff it but I obviously can't tell them or the Mrs. that can I?
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Post by geoffers997 on Jul 26, 2022 20:05:12 GMT 1
£77 for 35 hours a week? Wow. Generous.
I’d turn the tables on them and ask what their expectation of you is.
Likely they’ll have a big case load and just want to tick the boxes so as long as you’re polite and appear to be playing the game they might just leave you alone.
There’s lots of delivery driving, warehouse, supermarket and logistics type work out there. Avoiding those may need some creative thinking, maybe a bad back or some age related affliction.
You never know you may find something completely new you actually like doing
Good luck.
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Post by steve h on Jul 26, 2022 20:21:28 GMT 1
Your mistake was, you told them you were a worker..... what do you expect? help? If I had known I could of lent you a dingy for a couple of days..... you would of have to have left the VF in France though.......
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Post by steve63 on Jul 26, 2022 20:22:56 GMT 1
£77 for 35 hours a week? Wow. Generous. I’d turn the tables on them and ask what their expectation of you is. Likely they’ll have a big case load and just want to tick the boxes so as long as you’re polite and appear to be playing the game they might just leave you alone. There’s lots of delivery driving, warehouse, supermarket and logistics type work out there. Avoiding those may need some creative thinking, maybe a bad back or some age related affliction. You never know you may find something completely new you actually like doing Good luck. Apparently because I've done the same thing for so many years, mechanical project engineer, for 16 years, I can limit myself to applying for jobs doing the same thing for 12 weeks I think she said. I could go back to being a sheet metal worker, I haven't lost the ability to mark out or weld but I have probably lost the ability to be on my feet for 38/40 hours a week. I am quite open to trying something less stressful and more interesting but they don't seem to pay as much 😁 Until this came about my best case scenario was two more years working there and then be made redundant so it's half worked out as I wanted just a bit early.
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Post by steve63 on Jul 26, 2022 20:32:48 GMT 1
Your mistake was, you told them you were a worker..... what do you expect? help? If I had known I could of lent you a dingy for a couple of days..... you would of have to have left the VF in France though....... My Mrs. said today we should have stayed in Spain. She's worked her @rse off for weeks before we went away, had a great time in Spain, worked her @rse off again trying to catch up since we got home and now unable to work after testing positive for a week she going to have to play catch up next week again. Presuming she tests negative next week. She works with a lot of elderly people so legally or not she couldn't possible work this week. Logically it would make more sense to just spend 35 hours a week in the garage sorting my bikes out and dare I say it, selling one or two. It would net me more than £77 per week! I've got a main stand worth 5 weeks dole!
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Post by shaunthe2nd on Jul 26, 2022 20:36:54 GMT 1
If I was you I would go self employed, work for yourself and do the hours you want. Maybe use your redundancy to buy a run down property, and spend a couple days each week doing it up, and the rest on your bikes. Sell when done obviously. Good luck whatever you chose to do.
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Post by steve63 on Jul 26, 2022 23:15:02 GMT 1
If I was you I would go self employed, work for yourself and do the hours you want. Maybe use your redundancy to buy a run down property, and spend a couple days each week doing it up, and the rest on your bikes. Sell when done obviously. Good luck whatever you chose to do. It's only the statutory government redundancy so just enough to buy a decent size shed not a house, even near Hull 😁. I wouldn't have the energy, enthusiasm or time to spare on a run down property. I spent most of what I did have doing the house we live in now and the thought of do ing anything else makes me shudder. I might offer my services on a contractor basis. When I suggested to my boss that the company could pay for a pay rise for us out of the bottom less pit they find money to pay the contractors out of his reply was that "they weren't on much." I later found out the one on the least was on £25 an hour and the one on the most was on £38. At least I know what "not much" is defined as and it will do for me.
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Post by veg on Jul 27, 2022 1:21:52 GMT 1
Being self employed was the greatest ‘risk’ I ever took yes it can be challenging yes it can be worrying at times but the good outweighs the bad I have loads more freedom and I’ve said it before sometimes the boss can be a prick but I totally respect him 👍
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Post by Norbo on Jul 27, 2022 7:14:34 GMT 1
I remember all the crap i had to do when i was signing on . they make your life a misery .
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Post by steve h on Jul 27, 2022 13:36:22 GMT 1
They have some balls giving you a "work coach" after all those yrs.... shitehouses. Because of the abuse I got yrs ago off them, I never had anything to do with them ever again despite being out of collar many times. Something will turn up Steve, it always does
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Post by cb250g5 on Jul 27, 2022 13:51:04 GMT 1
I signed on a few times between contracts. Just to get some of the £ back they kept taking off me.
Once the job centre realised I could count above 10 without having to take my shoes & socks off, they just left me alone, and just asked if I had looked for work, I nodded, that was it, once a month.
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Post by steve63 on Jul 27, 2022 13:57:34 GMT 1
They have some balls giving you a "work coach" after all those yrs.... shitehouses. Because of the abuse I got yrs ago off them, I never had anything to do with them ever again despite being out of collar many times. Something will turn up Steve, it always does I don't particularly want anything to do with them but I'm going to get a tiny fraction back of what I've paid into the system over many years mainly out of principal. £2.20 per hour is what it works out at. Time/money wise I would be better off clearing my garage out and selling everything I will never have any use for and there's a lot of that. You know if you don't claim they can take what you could have claimed off you lieu of notice money? I have my 'chat' with them tomorrow, negative test dependent, I'll try to suss out how strictly they monitor these conditions and how they check. I can bull$hit reasonably well. That's something I did learn in my previous job (I'll add that to my CV while I'm thinking about it). Been offered an interview for a job for sometime next week. Similar role to what I was doing but about 10 miles a day more travelling (across the other side of the town) and a bit of site survey work out of town. It sounds interesting and would might be great if I was closer to the beginning of my working life/life in general than I am but I might go along with it. It will be interesting to see how the whole interview/rejection/ridicule process works It would be ideal if he said a start date of September or October, maybe November
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Post by steve63 on Jul 27, 2022 13:58:33 GMT 1
I signed on a few times between contracts. Just to get some of the £ back they kept taking off me. Once the job centre realised I could count above 10 without having to take my shoes & socks off, they just left me alone, and just asked if I had looked for work, I nodded, that was it, once a month. 10! Oh $hit!
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Post by veg on Jul 27, 2022 14:46:00 GMT 1
I’d hope you can at least count to 63? Or is it 9? Good luck with the interview 👍
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Post by stirling11 on Jul 27, 2022 16:35:42 GMT 1
My uncle was an aircraft engineer at Short Brothers
With the start of the Thatcher governments wish to early retire older workers he had to train up a junior engineer to do his job which he did
The time came when my uncle was now at the age when he was told to retire so he did and received his pay out, a few weeks later the company rang him up at home to see if he could come in to assist the engineering offsider as there was a lot the person didn't understand and they need my uncles experience to lean on
Shorts told him he'd have the same salary and benefits as before, my uncle asked the hourly rate, when they told him he laughed and said I'm a consultant now and this is my rate, double what was on the table. He was told he couldn't do that, my uncle said sure I can, I'm not employed by you any more, I can charge what I like
Short story long, he got his old job back at his consultancy rate and was gainfully employed
The apprentice engineer was still learning 6 years later
Some one said "you teach them what they need to know, but not everything you know"
So true
The point of all this is for Steve to get his thinking caps on
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Post by chrisg on Jul 27, 2022 17:00:06 GMT 1
Brilliant 😁
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Post by Tobyjugs on Jul 27, 2022 18:20:56 GMT 1
In Europe there is generally a lack of people with your skills if you don't mind travelling.
I think I would be the same as you and also get some ME time first. After all those year of working
Good luck with your endeavours.
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Post by chrisg on Jul 27, 2022 22:40:12 GMT 1
£77 for 35 hours a week? Wow. Generous. I’d turn the tables on them and ask what their expectation of you is. Likely they’ll have a big case load and just want to tick the boxes so as long as you’re polite and appear to be playing the game they might just leave you alone. There’s lots of delivery driving, warehouse, supermarket and logistics type work out there. Avoiding those may need some creative thinking, maybe a bad back or some age related affliction. You never know you may find something completely new you actually like doing Good luck. Apparently because I've done the same thing for so many years, mechanical project engineer, for 16 years, I can limit myself to applying for jobs doing the same thing for 12 weeks I think she said. I could go back to being a sheet metal worker, I haven't lost the ability to mark out or weld but I have probably lost the ability to be on my feet for 38/40 hours a week. I am quite open to trying something less stressful and more interesting but they don't seem to pay as much 😁 Until this came about my best case scenario was two more years working there and then be made redundant so it's half worked out as I wanted just a bit early. Train driver, £70k year, and you dont need a sat nav.
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Post by donkeychomp on Jul 27, 2022 22:47:55 GMT 1
HOW much?? And they still fecking strike over pay...
Alex
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Post by shaunthe2nd on Jul 27, 2022 23:07:33 GMT 1
Steve, a similar thing happened to me, and I'm in engineering too. I was with my previous company for 35 years, worked up from trainee to middle management with very good salary and car, but working 50-60 hours most weeks. Then they made me redundant. Lots of reasons, bla bla bla. Took a very good pay off and set of for my first ever career move.
1 week later they called me up, needing help. They took me back as a subbie on more money, but no management responsibilities for 6 months. Could have been more if I wanted.
This gave me time to look around for work elsewhere which I found. I now work as a consultant in the same industry, earning twice what I did, and doing maybe 20-30 hours per week.
It could be a blesssing in disguise. People like you with your skills and expertise are hard to come by. I'm sure things will work out for you.
Good luck.
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Post by chrisg on Jul 28, 2022 9:55:53 GMT 1
If you dont need security of a wage every month, then contracting is probably your best bet. Maybe join a specialist agency.
Im sure things will work out and they have done you a favouir. Good luck.
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Post by billbott on Jul 28, 2022 10:06:33 GMT 1
Interesting reading this.
I have also been in engineering since leaving school in 1983. I worked my way down into a staff position in 2004 then even further down into the senior engineers position about 10 years ago.
The wife retired 3 years ago after 30 years in the force and the house is paid.
Yesterday I turned 55, so today I am closer to 60 than 50!! But I still get up at 5.30am every day, leave at 5.50am and am lucky to be home by 5pm.
A lad who worked for me left six years ago and has never looked back. He messaged me yesterday to wish me happy birthday and asked why I am still putting myself through this – he reckons I have Stockholm Syndrome!!!!
So what do I do? The prospect of just leaving with nothing planned is daunting and the couple of jobs I applied for don’t understand that I am ready for something less stressful and the pay cut that comes with it! The term ‘over qualified’ was stated by both.
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Post by abar121 on Jul 28, 2022 10:56:42 GMT 1
In Europe there is generally a lack of people with your skills if you don't mind travelling. I think I would be the same as you and also get some ME time first. After all those year of working Good luck with your endeavours. It's not as easy to work in Europe now for us Brits, or our kids. If you go self employed, there are some great tax benefits that you can use. If you need say a couple of motorcycles for your business, you can put down the initial investment as losses and effectively claim back the income tax you have paid in the last four years or so. Load of other stuff you can do, talk to an accountant. Best of luck either way.
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Post by geoffers997 on Jul 28, 2022 11:44:50 GMT 1
I went freelance in the late 1990s.
My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s not for everyone and can be high risk, there is no one but you to look out for you.
The tax benefits have been steadily eroding over the last few years (IR35 for those that know). I’m close to packing it in soon though so I’m not that bothered now.
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Post by steve63 on Jul 28, 2022 13:58:40 GMT 1
Lots to think about from all these posts. I just called Job Seekers to tell them I wouldn't make my interview with them as I tested positive again this morning. She asked if I was still able to look for work and I said I was and that was it. It's been re-arranged for next week. I also asked that guy to put my CV forward for that job. I'm kind of hoping nothing comes of it. I'm not going to sabotage it deliberately, just be myself and be quite honest....that should be enough 😂 Anyway, stripped the drain on the ensuite sink and removed 6kg of matted hair, "not mine" said the Mrs. "You get shaved in that sink". Wow, the 1mm hairs off my chin managed to arrange themselves into 18" long strands and clog the drain. Would you believe it?
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Post by steve63 on Aug 16, 2022 22:34:01 GMT 1
I've had two "interviews" with my work coach now. She's a pleasant enough young girl, about 12 I think. We just have a five minute informal chat really and I moaned about my Solidworks course that was supposed to be four days in Leeds from the 30th, then it was cancelled, then it was online later this week and now the Leeds thing is back on. Paid for by some emergency funding for people who have recently been made redundant. It's 140 miles a day but they pay expenses so let's see if they can teach an old dog new tricks.
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Post by tony2stroke on Aug 16, 2022 22:54:47 GMT 1
I've had two "interviews" with my work coach now. She's a pleasant enough young girl, about 12 I think. We just have a five minute informal chat really and I moaned about my Solidworks course that was supposed to be four days in Leeds from the 30th, then it was cancelled, then it was online later this week and now the Leeds thing is back on. Paid for by some emergency funding for people who have recently been made redundant. It's 140 miles a day but they pay expenses so let's see if they can teach an old dog new tricks. O no, F***ing restart all over again aye, waist of time and money to make figures look good.
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Post by steve63 on Aug 17, 2022 9:40:46 GMT 1
I've had two "interviews" with my work coach now. She's a pleasant enough young girl, about 12 I think. We just have a five minute informal chat really and I moaned about my Solidworks course that was supposed to be four days in Leeds from the 30th, then it was cancelled, then it was online later this week and now the Leeds thing is back on. Paid for by some emergency funding for people who have recently been made redundant. It's 140 miles a day but they pay expenses so let's see if they can teach an old dog new tricks. O no, F***ing restart all over again aye, waist of time and money to make figures look good. It's a Solidworks Essentials course. The proper job. There is a pot of money called "The Rapid Response Fund" that the government have provided to 'help' people get back into work. It covers up to two weeks of training. I had to look for something I wanted to do and then pass the details on to The National Careers Service. They then decide if they will fund it. This one cost £1,500 and they are paying for it as well as my expenses for travelling. It's actually costing more than £1,500 because they've had to get a new instructor in because of the cancellations. I should come out of it with something worthwhile on paper and more importantly to me the skills to solid model. if nothing else it will be handy for this hobby of mine. When I was working I set one of the young guys a task. I gave him all the dims and asked him to model a tapered down pipe for an expansion chamber in Solidworks. He failed. I did it myself in 2D CAD but it must have been 10 hours of tedious drawing. If I can get to that level and find my copy of the software I can have a go myself. I wonder if I can talk them into sending me to do something else for the remaining six days? I've paid enough into the system so I have no problem getting a tiny percentage back out of it. After all they want me to carry on paying into it for another two years and/or die, while they don't pay me for two! F@kers!
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Post by tony2stroke on Aug 17, 2022 10:17:33 GMT 1
O no, F***ing restart all over again aye, waist of time and money to make figures look good. It's a Solidworks Essentials course. The proper job. There is a pot of money called "The Rapid Response Fund" that the government have provided to 'help' people get back into work. It covers up to two weeks of training. I had to look for something I wanted to do and then pass the details on to The National Careers Service. They then decide if they will fund it. This one cost £1,500 and they are paying for it as well as my expenses for travelling. It's actually costing more than £1,500 because they've had to get a new instructor in because of the cancellations. I should come out of it with something worthwhile on paper and more importantly to me the skills to solid model. if nothing else it will be handy for this hobby of mine. When I was working I set one of the young guys a task. I gave him all the dims and asked him to model a tapered down pipe for an expansion chamber in Solidworks. He failed. I did it myself in 2D CAD but it must have been 10 hours of tedious drawing. If I can get to that level and find my copy of the software I can have a go myself. I wonder if I can talk them into sending me to do something else for the remaining six days? I've paid enough into the system so I have no problem getting a tiny percentage back out of it. After all they want me to carry on paying into it for another two years and/or die, while they don't pay me for two! F@kers! All the best to you mate, I hope you get something useful out of it to move forward.
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Post by steve63 on Aug 17, 2022 10:18:36 GMT 1
It's a Solidworks Essentials course. The proper job. There is a pot of money called "The Rapid Response Fund" that the government have provided to 'help' people get back into work. It covers up to two weeks of training. I had to look for something I wanted to do and then pass the details on to The National Careers Service. They then decide if they will fund it. This one cost £1,500 and they are paying for it as well as my expenses for travelling. It's actually costing more than £1,500 because they've had to get a new instructor in because of the cancellations. I should come out of it with something worthwhile on paper and more importantly to me the skills to solid model. if nothing else it will be handy for this hobby of mine. When I was working I set one of the young guys a task. I gave him all the dims and asked him to model a tapered down pipe for an expansion chamber in Solidworks. He failed. I did it myself in 2D CAD but it must have been 10 hours of tedious drawing. If I can get to that level and find my copy of the software I can have a go myself. I wonder if I can talk them into sending me to do something else for the remaining six days? I've paid enough into the system so I have no problem getting a tiny percentage back out of it. After all they want me to carry on paying into it for another two years and/or die, while they don't pay me for two! F@kers! All the best to you mate, I hope you get something useful out of it to move forward. Thanks Tony.
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