changing your life

[tom_craggs]

If you live in Wells and do not have transport I agree with yuo it will be challenging but there are definately voluntary opportunities in the area, don't rely on an intermediary though like do-it.org you've gotta go directly to the organisations and keep on at them. Not going to be much help to you if you are not interested in this area of work but I did loads of voluntary work to organisations like the wildlife trust etc in the area, for whom you can also do writing and press work I am sure....but as has been said there is no easy soluation you have to go directly to these organisations and keep trying, often it will take 20+ calls before they actually get around to giving you some sort of opening.

 

[christonabike]

Before my missus moved to London, and before I met her, she folded THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of measuring tapes that then got stuck on the front of WHICH? magazine. It was called working from home, it sucked, it was boring and repetitive. She saved her money and came to London and worked for a charity for no wages at all, while she was on the dole

It worked out fine, and she is now an astronaut (not really, but she has a job)

There is a way, you sound despondent, keep at it

 

[Awesome Wells]

And the jobcentre says what?

the jobcentre says that if you re unemployed you are a criminal because there are jobs available and thus if you are signing the little document claiming you are looking for owrk then you are doing so fraudulently because if you really were looking for work then you'd find work. Ergo you are not looking for work and thus signing on fraudulently.

Makes no sense to me either, didn't stop the bitch of a manager from proclaiming this to me loudly.

On top of that if you have any health issues affecting you then you get patronised and treated as taking the piss.

And if you ask for help funding a passport so as to get ID to look for work they turn around and say no chance, despite saying they will do exactly that.

Or if you ask about part time courses they expect you to only do them in the evening because doing them during the day affects the validity of your claim for JSA through not being fully available for work, despite the fact that i couldn't guarantee getting time in the evening slots the course offered due to their being the most popular and that I don't want to traipse around rough old town centres at night thank you very much.

Typical DWP bullshit really.

 

[Awesome Wells]

If you live in Wells and do not have transport I agree with yuo it will be challenging but there are definately voluntary opportunities in the area, don't rely on an intermediary though like do-it.org you've gotta go directly to the organisations and keep on at them. Not going to be much help to you if you are not interested in this area of work but I did loads of voluntary work to organisations like the wildlife trust etc in the area, for whom you can also do writing and press work I am sure....but as has been said there is no easy soluation you have to go directly to these organisations and keep trying, often it will take 20+ calls before they actually get around to giving you some sort of opening.

I don't live in Wells.

It's not like I don't want to do voluntary work, it's that I want to not starve to death.

Beyond that I would much rather work for some charity (paidwise) or at least some decent organisation that does rewarding and helpful work, than some faceless plastic corporation (that's probably going to get swallowed up by the credit crunch anyway).

 

[christonabike]

You're just fucking whining now

and that I don't want to traipse around rough old town centres at night thank you very much.

Beyond that I would much rather work for some charity (paidwise) or at least some decent organisation that does rewarding and helpful work, than some faceless plastic corporation (that's probably going to get swallowed up by the credit crunch anyway).

I want to be a footballer or a cocaine tester, please

 

[Awesome Wells]

I'm not whining at all. I don't feel safe at all walking around my local town centre at night.

Why does expressing an interest in working for a decent cause equate to wanting pie in the sky jobs such as being a premiership footballer?

You're just talking bollocks, and it's this kind of crap that makes it harder to get anywhere. You aren't helping you're just being a twat. If you have nothing to say other than this sort of shit then fuck off, frankly.

 

[christonabike]

It was a bit harsh I admit, but you're not giving us much to work with

Sounds like you are near a town, get a job in a boozer, meet people, make contacts, etc. You haven't actually addressed why this is not possible

some faceless plastic corporation (that's probably going to get swallowed up by the credit crunch anyway).

What the fuck does this mean, it's the Student Grant whining, life's not fair bollocks that you have to get over. Start in a "faceless corporation" and then move on, if that's all that's on offer

Ok?

 

[Eva Luna]

Awesome Wells - slowly slowly catchee monkee. Yes?
(((AW)))

Why not get a job, any job, and save some of the cash. Use that to step up the ladder somehow. Maybe move out of that area as well. If that is a long way off, work towards it. It sounds as though you are a bit stuck, and I agree that getting moving is hard at first. But if not you'll just stay stuck, and thats causing you pain, so its got to be the choice about getting unstuck, and doing something, anything.

You'll be cool. Get to the edge, jump, find you can fly and all that. xxx

 

[tom_craggs]

I don't live in Wells.

It's not like I don't want to do voluntary work, it's that I want to not starve to death.

Beyond that I would much rather work for some charity (paidwise) or at least some decent organisation that does rewarding and helpful work, than some faceless plastic corporation (that's probably going to get swallowed up by the credit crunch anyway).

Fair enough, it's definately hard getting that balance when your living in the Countryside and to be honest I ended up having to move to try (still haven't)to find work which was not faceless. But you do need to start somewhere so I am with Eva here, sounds like you need to get moving by taking something, as a start. Think I may not be helping so I am going to stop.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Working and meeting people can actually be fun!

Perhaps you need to move location to find motivation? Any friends in larger towns, or cities you can stay with for a couple of days to look around? Couchsurf maybe?

Start targeting the jobs you really want to do. Look forward to it, but accept that in the meantime you may have to do 12 hour factory night shifts, or something. Even those can be OK sometimes. As soon as you've saved a bit of cash you'll be able to make other opportunities. You really have to get out there and get into action to make it happen though.

There's plenty of good advice here. Plenty of things for you to consider trying. In time you may even find you have the energy and motivation to study whilst working also. Time changes everything. But, don't sit still waiting for things to happen.

Plenty of people here will understand the way you feel now. Many of us have been there.

Whatever, good luck!

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

You aren't helping you're just being a twat. If you have nothing to say other than this sort of shit then fuck off, frankly.

Maybe you should heed your own words of advice sometimes before you wish (face) the same upon others perhaps?

 

[Awesome Wells]

Awesome Wells - slowly slowly catchee monkee. Yes?
(((AW)))

Why not get a job, any job, and save some of the cash. Use that to step up the ladder somehow. Maybe move out of that area as well. If that is a long way off, work towards it. It sounds as though you are a bit stuck, and I agree that getting moving is hard at first. But if not you'll just stay stuck, and thats causing you pain, so its got to be the choice about getting unstuck, and doing something, anything.

You'll be cool. Get to the edge, jump, find you can fly and all that. xxx

I know what you are saying, but what you don't understand is that I currently can't afford to do this while paying bus fares and there are rarely jobs locally (ie none right now).

 

[Awesome Wells]

Maybe you should heed your own words of advice sometimes before you wish (face) the same upon others perhaps?

all i said was that it, in response, to working for a voluntary organisation that working for such an organisation for 'real' would interest me. What's so pie in the sky about that ffs? How does that equate to dreaming about being Roy of the Rovers?

What is that link supposed to be?

 

[Awesome Wells]

Working and meeting people can actually be fun!

Perhaps you need to move location to find motivation? Any friends in larger towns, or cities you can stay with for a couple of days to look around? Couchsurf maybe?

Unfortunately not.

 

[Awesome Wells]

It was a bit harsh I admit, but you're not giving us much to work with

Sounds like you are near a town, get a job in a boozer, meet people, make contacts, etc. You haven't actually addressed why this is not possible



What the fuck does this mean, it's the Student Grant whining, life's not fair bollocks that you have to get over. Start in a "faceless corporation" and then move on, if that's all that's on offer

Ok?

If that's all that's on offer, I'd rather kill myself.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

all i said was that it, in response, to working for a voluntary organisation that working for such an organisation for 'real' would interest me. What's so pie in the sky about that ffs? How does that equate to dreaming about being Roy of the Rovers?

What is that link supposed to be?

its a link to you making similarly needless and pointless statements on someone's thread, capiche? along the lines of "if you can't say anything useful, then don't say anything at all". as an illustration if you like, or a demonstration.

over and out.

 

[Awesome Wells]

its a link to you making similarly needless and pointless statements on someone's thread, capiche? along the lines of "if you can't say anything useful, then don't say anything at all". as an illustration if you like, or a demonstration.

over and out.

the two threads are not related in intention at all and all you are doing is threadcrapping and being childish. go away.

 

[christonabike]

If that's all that's on offer, I'd rather kill myself.

Sounds like you're doing that already

Life is not all roses, sometimes you have to do things that you don't really want to do to get to where you want to be

 

[Awesome Wells]

Sounds like you're doing that already

Life is not all roses, sometimes you have to do things that you don't really want to do to get to where you want to be

You are missing the point; I can't get to these jobs anyway. I don't live where the call centres or whatever are. It's got nothing to di with life not being all 'rosy', and I really don't want to hear a load of lame platitudes either. They don't help anyone.

 

[zenie]

This is why people move to big cities from the country and have done since time began, you move where the work is

If you live in a rural area with high unemployment/no chance of employment then you're a bit stuffed tbh, you could always work on a farm I guess.

 

[christonabike]

Best of luck there

 

[Awesome Wells]

This is why people move to big cities from the country and have done since time began, you move where the work is

If you live in a rural area with high unemployment/no chance of employment then you're a bit stuffed tbh, you could always work on a farm I guess.

Well of course. But that's not really the point of this thread. I was asking about organisations/groups/whatever that can help out.

 

[Eva Luna]

I know what you are saying, but what you don't understand is that I currently can't afford to do this while paying bus fares and there are rarely jobs locally (ie none right now).

Right, so.
Jobcenters give grants for things like this.

Are you male of female btw? That might make a difference.

If male, why not advertise your services somehow? Cash in hand gardening work, dog walking, car washing, window cleaning, leaflet delivering and so on. Not great I admit - but if the hole you are in is like you say it is....

If female, baby sitting, cleaning, cooking, care work (you might need a car for that though...)

Check gumtree in your area for ads for jobs, small time or admin at home, or whatever the person needs. You can turn your hand to it I'm sure. When needs must and all that.

You could also place an advert in the local shops for things you are willing to do. You cold even draw them out tonight, use CD cases to draw nice borders, different coloured biros to do your lettering.

I think a Community Care Grant might help as well, and that would be better for bigger things such as a suit and shoes or a monthly bus pass, or the Jobcenter should help there.

Otherwise I don't know about organisations or groups that could help you out. I have always been of the mind that I have to help myself out. I think it comes from that saying that you need to watch out what people plan for you, because if you dont plan for yourself, you find that people don't plan much for you.

I get the feeling that half of your issue might be a feeling of pissed offedness, at life, at your circumstances, and at the circumstances that we all face ie having to relocate to find work. If that is the case, then maybe you could find someone to listen to you have a good moan, because I have read that some people take action and then talk about their feelings on it, whereas others talk first and then take action. I would be the latter type myself and have had to moan loads before taking action in areas of my own life, but never work for some reason.

I truly wish you the very best Awesome Wells. There is a life out there I promise you. Promise promise x

 

[Awesome Wells]

Right, so.
Jobcenters give grants for things like this.

Just to respond to this: they don't. They claim they offer financial help for somethings (such as passports or in some cases clothes, apparently), but in truth they don't. What happens is they promise all this stuff so as to make you agree to their bollocks, but if you call their bluff (ie actually take up the offer of help) they turn around and shaft you. I was told I'd have to pay for the thing myself and provide a receipt for reimbursement, which was a complete about face on what they had originally promised. More importantly I didn't have the money in the first place so it was impossible. End result, they moan at me for not doing anything. I cannot deal with an organisation that operates the way they do.

 

[Eva Luna]

Awesome Wells have you got a contact in there?
You need one.
They should help you more than they are doing....
Can you tell me any more about your circumstances btw?

 

[the button]

As others have posted, it's a lot easier getting a job once you've already got a job. One, it gets you out there meeting people. Most jobs aren't advertised, so it's a question not only of who you know, but of who the people that you know know. So the more people you know, the more likely it is that you'll get something you actually want to do. And two, it shows that you're capable of holding down a job, even if it's one you don't especially like.

Another possibility would be to consider doing voluntary work. Again, it'll increase the number of people you know. And also, it can be a handy way of trying out stuff in a relatively risk-free environment (no shit reference if you leave, or fuck it up). I worked in a homeless project for three months, and started off by washing dishes (catering), then worked in the clothing bit (retail), and ended up helping to draw up employment contracts (clerical/admin). It's all stuff you can say you've got experience of, even though it's unpaid.

IIRC, you're okay doing voluntary work while you're on the dole as long as i) you tell them, and ii) it's not affecting your availability for work. Something else to consider might be doing a block of voluntary work with an organisation that would give you basic upkeep & somewhere to live, as well as work to do. This can be quite intense, but you might find yourself doing stuff you never thought you could. My favourite job ever was working as an (unpaid) care assistant in a hospice, which I did for three months. I almost left on the first day, thinking "There's no fucking way I can do this," but it turned out I could, and I ended up loving it, even though it was utterly heartbreaking at times.

 

[Awesome Wells]

Awesome Wells have you got a contact in there?
You need one.
They should help you more than they are doing....
Can you tell me any more about your circumstances btw?

No.

The JC should be a lot things they aren't. Unfortunately the system isn't designed for helping people at all; just ask James Purnell.

And I don't really care to discuss private issues publicly I'm afraid, depending on what you actually want to know.

 

[madzone]

I know what you are saying, but what you don't understand is that I currently can't afford to do this while paying bus fares and there are rarely jobs locally (ie none right now).

Stay where you are then, both emotionally and physically. It seems that whatever anyone suggests you can cite a load of reasons why you can't do it. Just stay as you are. No-one else can change your life for you, only you can do that.

 

[Awesome Wells]

so you would rather I lied then?

 

[madzone]

so you would rather I lied then?

I don't think you're lying

All these problems sound totally insurmountable. It's obvious that there's nothing you can do to change anything in your life. I feel for you but dem's da breaks. Some people are just unlucky.