Back to work
Cash flow
Anybody who has experience of going back to work after a long period of unemployment knows that it is an awkward time, especially where money is concerned. While it is possible to look forwards to much bigger pay cheques, the first of these takes a while to come through and it is still necessary to spend money in the interim. In theory, the government recognizes this problem with the back to work package, but it's not that simple.
Time limits
The rules stipulate that you must be able to start work within a very short time of being offered a job. I think the period is a week but I could be wrong. If I ever reach that position, I have two problems to contend with. One is that I have to claim the back to work benefits and the other is that I have to buy loads of new clothes. We Brits know that claiming any form of benefits can take ages. The idea that the government will suddenly leap into action and pay up instantly for people going back to work is ludicrous. And in any case, any cheques they pay me will take a long time to clear because I don't have a standard bank account and can't get one because of the Bankruptcy from which I was discharged in September 2006. For the same reason, I can't borrow money to keep me going until I'm paid. If the government pay by bank transfer without sending a cheque, the money will reach me quicker, but even then it still has to be approved first. Perhaps I could get a standard bank account if I were offered a job but this, like the back to work benefit claim, would take time to process.
I don't save up money to allow for the possibility of going back to work. If I do have spare money lying around, it'll be because I'm saving up for something specific such as a computer or a cooker. In that case, the money could be diverted, but otherwise, there is no way that I can start work quickly unless the employer helps out, which might happen if I'm offered a decent job such as computer programming, but is far less likely if I'm offered a low-grade job, though in that case maybe the employer won't mind if I turn up in tatty clothes (but I would). After the successful conclusion of The nineties job quest, I didn't need any financial help to start work again (although I was offered it) because I just let my credit card take the strain. That option isn't available now and won't be for a long time, if it ever is.
Related to the back to work rules are the rules about interview availability. These state that you have to be available for interview at (I think) 48 hours' notice. While technically not a problem except when on New Deal, this rule doesn't allow any time for proper research and preparation. As such, if I were forced to go to an interview at such short notice, I would be even less likely to get the job than if I have (say) a week to prepare. Note that if I were offered an interview during New Deal, I wouldn't be in any condition, mentally or physically, to perform well at such an interview, nor would there be any time to buy new clothes or do any research, so in that particular case the 48 hours could be extended and it wouldn't make any difference to me.
In practice, I'd always make it clear to an employer that although, in theory, I could come immediately, I prefer to have time to prepare properly. This would be for attending an interview or for actually starting a job. For this reason, I prefer not to apply for jobs that offer an immediate start, although I do so occasionally. Such employers clearly don't want to be kept waiting.
"New Deal" ordeal continues
While on New Deal at the waste-recycling centre, I discovered one other twist on going back to work. One of the other unemployed men got a call from a former employer saying that suitable work would be available in a few weeks' time. The man agreed to accept (so there was no problem with preparation period, since there was plenty of time). Yet (and here's the problem from my perspective) he was required to stay on his placement until either it ended or he started work (in fact, those dates weren't far apart anyway), even though he had a guaranteed job at the end of it.
Part of the reason may be that the way New Deal was set up, the system could not cope any other way. Once again, it has no flexibility. If, by some miracle, I were to be offered a job while on a placement, I'd want to quit the placement so that I could focus on preparing for the job. I certainly don't want to start the job feeling completely worn out. That won't impress anybody. I want to start a new job feeling fresh, vibrant and raring to go. New Deal does not create those conditions for me. (Maybe it would if I were offered a placement that suited me, but those placements clearly don't exist in Leicester. Do they exist elsewhere?) Clearly, the other man is not affected the same way that I am, but we are all different. He is suited to manual labouring work (the job he accepted was of that type) but I am not.
Changing jobs
It is, of course, different if you are moving from one job to another, or if you are self-employed and in between contracts. I remember one extreme case when I was living in Basingstoke and out of contract, waiting for the next assignment. One Friday afternoon, I received a phone call about a possible job in Spennymoor (near Durham). I was on the train to Durham (via London) on the Sunday, complete with luggage for a week just in case. I was interviewed on Monday morning and started work the same day. If I'd been rejected, I'd have been on the bus out of town to catch the next southbound train. And I didn't get paid expenses, nor did I expect any. I'd assessed that my chances were good from the phone call. But that was then and this is now. The circumstances were completely different then. Returning to work from being unemployed, with no cash, no decent clothes and no borrowing capability needs more planning, regardless of how keen one is to start work again.
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