Personal employment advisor is angry with me
Something has worried me. I have finally got a job now, which is great. It's just a part-time cleaning job at a local care home, which is just right for me, and I have just started this week. But when I was unemployed, I had a personal employment advisor who helps young people with disabilities to find work. He was nothing to do with the jobcentre, my social worker got in touch with him about a year ago, and he had been helping me with finding work since. But also I was on JSA (an unemployment benefit), and I did enquire about going on ESA but it was difficult to get in and so I was advised to stay on JSA. But the jobcentre is very strict, and you have to apply for at least 2 jobs a week, and then bring a record of your job search, proving what you've done, so I had to do it otherwise I would have lost my JSA money.
But my disability employment advisor also helped me looked for appropriate work, but he only came up with appropriate jobs about once or twice a month, but I couldn't sit back and wait for him to come up with something, I had to look too because the jobcentre was on to me. Getting money from the government is an ordeal, it is not as simple as you think it should be. But this cleaning job I am in now was found by my aunt, who was good friends with someone who already worked there, and so she got me in and the manager said it was fine and I had an unexpected interview when I gave in my application, then they straight away said I could start the very next day, being guided by the woman who I knew, for the first couple of weeks. What could I say to that? I couldn't say ''no, I want to start whenever I can get in touch with my disability employment advisor so he can come and meet you and get me settled in''. If it's a job and they wanted immediate start, I didn't want to hang about - I wanted to get in quick and sound willing. But when I phoned my DEA to say that I've started a job that has come up unexpectingly quick, he sounded a bit huffy, as though it was wrong of me to find this job on my own. Now I am worried in case I get into trouble by his company because I found a job on my own, when before I needed him to help me with finding employment, if you know what I mean. Then I might lose my job for getting into trouble for wasting his time, which I wasn't. It's just I had the jobcentre on my back forcing me to look for work, even though they were aware of me having a DEA but they didn't care about that. He never told me not to look for work on my own, but because he is rather bossy, I sort of couldn't explain to him the situation properly. I was also eagar to come off the JSA because they had started picking on me, which made my anxieties worse. Also I felt I was being watched, and they kept sending me letters asking what money I had in my bank and threatened to prosecute me if I had other savings, and so on.
But anyway, would I get into trouble by my DEA?
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Female
Entek
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 4 Nov 2012
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 198
Location: UK, East Anglia, Near Lowestoft
The problem is very simple really - the Job Centre's role is to make you get work. Not HELP you get work. In that respect, they do not wait for you to talk to people etc. You signed an agreement that said you were going to do certain things to look for work, and by god they will make you do those.
Unfortunately, the various Disability sections of the job help roles, are working at theyre own pace, and as a result of which, are often far far too slow to be of any practical help at all.
You are not in the wrong here. His services were supposed to help you find a job. He didn't. He wasn't being as helpful as he could have been, and it's possible his huffiness is because he feels a bit threatened. He knows on some level that he didn't provide what you needed, that he didn't do the best job he could. But he's being - excuse me - an ass about it. If he keeps giving you trouble, talk to his boss or employer about it. You got a job. That's GREAT! And you jumped on the opportunity instead of hesitating. GOOD FOR YOU!
By the way, the way you found that job is very common. Most of my jobs I've had in my life were found the same way - word of mouth from someone who knew of an opening. It' so common, the services that you were dealing with should not be at all surprised that you found a job that way! What's the matter with them?
All the best in your new job. Don't let him spoil it for you.
If it's anything similar to the Australian system the real reason he is 'upset' is that because he didn't find you a job he will not get his ''reward/commission'' for doing so.
In our program here (well at least it used to be like this when I was on it) the job support workers, in whatever form, get kick backs if they get someone into employment. The longer that you've been unemployed the bigger the 'reward'.
What happened to me was I had this job support worker, who literally did nothing, and did not even know when my appointments were (I was showing up, WITH A LETTER FROM THEM, and they were claiming they didn't have me booked in)...anyway when I found a job on my own accord, and in my last appointment I told them I didn't need them anymore because I had a job (If you don't see them, you can get your benefits cut off).
Well all of a sudden she wanted to know if I needed any help. Perhaps I needed a public transport ticket to get me to the ''interview'' (that I'd already had)...I knew the only reason she was doing this was so that she could claim that she 'helped' me into the employment and thus get her $$$. I took the ticket because I wanted to be done with it lol.
I wouldn't worry about this guy, I highly doubt you can get in 'trouble' for finding your own job.

