Perhaps the fact that it IS hard to imagine is why people sneer at 'scroungers'.
It's quite easy to earn that little. If you can't get into work that guarantees a certain number of hours /earnings a week, you can have weeks go by when you earn almost nothing. Then you might get the offer of several things at once, and only be able to do one of them. You might clear your diary for the one thing you think will bring in a decent amount, and then find it doesn't happen.You might get six weeks' work over Christmas, say in a shop, working changeable hours between 7am and 11pm, earning £7/hr. Shops rarely take on the temps after Christmas - often they let long-term staff go once the Christmas rush is over. And as a rule you can only do one Christmas job - co-ordinating hours between two employers and two locations is almost impossible, even if your body can stand the strain.
The DWP, though, wants to know how many hours a week you work, as if everyone still has a full-time or permanent part-time job. How do you work it out, if your hours-per-week go: 0/0/7/3/0/0/30/0/5/0? That's 4.5hrs/week on average - £31.50.
Get extra work? Great idea - as long as you're the kind of person people want to employ for those kinds of jobs. If you're foolish enough to be late-50s, a graduate, with a ton of high-flying experience, and health issues just debilitating enough to worry a prospective employer but not bad enough to get help from the government - well, I guess a few people might be lucky to get, say, bar work, but in general there are plenty of young, fit, unwrinkled people keen to work for small amounts, who will naturally be chosen ahead of you and your bad knee. Even if you DON'T have health issues, prospective employers tend to think there's a good chance you will do soon.
So perhaps the issue here is 'able-bodied' and 'employable'. There are many people who fit that profile exactly, and there IS work for them. There are many, many people who are not quite in the sweet spot - it's definitely a sin to get over 40 - and employers needn't bother with them. There are plenty of sweet-spot people to pick.
It is very easy to find yourself earning £3500/year, working for many employers, and never able to enjoy your 'free time' because you're always waiting for someone to call you up with the offer of half a day that you can't afford to turn down.
When you say that 'immigrants can', note that most of the high-earning immigrants are young and fit, and are capitalising on these assets. You don't get many 60-year-olds in need of a hip replacement clinging to the underside of lorries in Calais. Your Polish builder is unlikely to have arrived in Britain aged 64 with the after-affects of a mild stroke.
The system is sick, but no-one cares until they drop out of the sweet spot and find themselves in the grey, miserable world of the not-ideal-for-work.
BIB (and the rest of your post really) is pretty much many a scenario that can, does and is happening to people. I've often thought the 'sneerers' consist mainly of people who haven't been on life's delapidated rollercoaster at some point. It's a sad fact of British life that there are many decent people living hand to mouth with all the worries that brings and to top that a group of 'sneerers' claiming they are scroungers, but without taking or even thinking about the mile long walk in the 'scroungers' shoes first.
Perhaps the fact that it IS hard to imagine is why people sneer at 'scroungers'.
It's quite easy to earn that little. If you can't get into work that guarantees a certain number of hours /earnings a week, you can have weeks go by when you earn almost nothing. Then you might get the offer of several things at once, and only be able to do one of them. You might clear your diary for the one thing you think will bring in a decent amount, and then find it doesn't happen.You might get six weeks' work over Christmas, say in a shop, working changeable hours between 7am and 11pm, earning £7/hr. Shops rarely take on the temps after Christmas - often they let long-term staff go once the Christmas rush is over. And as a rule you can only do one Christmas job - co-ordinating hours between two employers and two locations is almost impossible, even if your body can stand the strain.
The DWP, though, wants to know how many hours a week you work, as if everyone still has a full-time or permanent part-time job. How do you work it out, if your hours-per-week go: 0/0/7/3/0/0/30/0/5/0? That's 4.5hrs/week on average - £31.50.
Get extra work? Great idea - as long as you're the kind of person people want to employ for those kinds of jobs. If you're foolish enough to be late-50s, a graduate, with a ton of high-flying experience, and health issues just debilitating enough to worry a prospective employer but not bad enough to get help from the government - well, I guess a few people might be lucky to get, say, bar work, but in general there are plenty of young, fit, unwrinkled people keen to work for small amounts, who will naturally be chosen ahead of you and your bad knee. Even if you DON'T have health issues, prospective employers tend to think there's a good chance you will do soon.
So perhaps the issue here is 'able-bodied' and 'employable'. There are many people who fit that profile exactly, and there IS work for them. There are many, many people who are not quite in the sweet spot - it's definitely a sin to get over 40 - and employers needn't bother with them. There are plenty of sweet-spot people to pick.
It is very easy to find yourself earning £3500/year, working for many employers, and never able to enjoy your 'free time' because you're always waiting for someone to call you up with the offer of half a day that you can't afford to turn down.
When you say that 'immigrants can', note that most of the high-earning immigrants are young and fit, and are capitalising on these assets. You don't get many 60-year-olds in need of a hip replacement clinging to the underside of lorries in Calais. Your Polish builder is unlikely to have arrived in Britain aged 64 with the after-affects of a mild stroke.
The system is sick, but no-one cares until they drop out of the sweet spot and find themselves in the grey, miserable world of the not-ideal-for-work.
Good Post!
Know the feeling, have been stung only this week, I did such a fantastic job and achieved in 3 days what was estimated as 5, they now only want to book me for 3 for this coming week! >:( I used a fraction of my brain for the job and nothing for my wallet. I will string out the next one (probably get booted for being too slow) as this appears to be the name of the game.
Not very easy, when it comes to things like housing costs,
A man is free to move throughout the EU to suit his personal needs. If houses are too expensive where one is then relocate to a cheaper location, or relocate family to cheaper location and live in bedsit. That is the right the EU affords us and to all residents of the EU. That is the nature of the free movement of labour it moves to where it is needed or where it can afford to live and travels to 'exist' where it is needed.
A man is free to move throughout the EU to suit his personal needs. If houses are too expensive where one is then relocate to a cheaper location, or relocate family to cheaper location and live in bedsit. That is the right the EU affords us and to all residents of the EU. That is the nature of the free movement of labour it moves to where it is needed or where it can afford to live and travels to 'exist' where it is needed.
I'm not fussy and I struggle to get another job. I have a disability so it is tougher. Lots of able bodied people also struggle to get jobs. Wake up and see it's not so easy in your world.
Even people who apply for crap jobs in supermarkets don't always get them. Sometimes you are classed as overqualified or they don't think you will stay,
I'm not fussy and I struggle to get another job. I have a disability so it is tougher. Lots of able bodied people also struggle to get jobs. Wake up and see it's not so easy in your world.
Even people who apply for crap jobs in supermarkets don't always get them. Sometimes you are classed as overqualified or they don't think you will stay,
We were referring to 'able-bodied and employable people' seeking work.
If you are disabled, quite clearly it will be tougher for you. But we weren't discussing people in your situation.
Perhaps the fact that it IS hard to imagine is why people sneer at 'scroungers'.
It's quite easy to earn that little. If you can't get into work that guarantees a certain number of hours /earnings a week, you can have weeks go by when you earn almost nothing. Then you might get the offer of several things at once, and only be able to do one of them. You might clear your diary for the one thing you think will bring in a decent amount, and then find it doesn't happen.You might get six weeks' work over Christmas, say in a shop, working changeable hours between 7am and 11pm, earning £7/hr. Shops rarely take on the temps after Christmas - often they let long-term staff go once the Christmas rush is over. And as a rule you can only do one Christmas job - co-ordinating hours between two employers and two locations is almost impossible, even if your body can stand the strain.
The DWP, though, wants to know how many hours a week you work, as if everyone still has a full-time or permanent part-time job. How do you work it out, if your hours-per-week go: 0/0/7/3/0/0/30/0/5/0? That's 4.5hrs/week on average - £31.50.
Get extra work? Great idea - as long as you're the kind of person people want to employ for those kinds of jobs. If you're foolish enough to be late-50s, a graduate, with a ton of high-flying experience, and health issues just debilitating enough to worry a prospective employer but not bad enough to get help from the government - well, I guess a few people might be lucky to get, say, bar work, but in general there are plenty of young, fit, unwrinkled people keen to work for small amounts, who will naturally be chosen ahead of you and your bad knee. Even if you DON'T have health issues, prospective employers tend to think there's a good chance you will do soon.
So perhaps the issue here is 'able-bodied' and 'employable'. There are many people who fit that profile exactly, and there IS work for them. There are many, many people who are not quite in the sweet spot - it's definitely a sin to get over 40 - and employers needn't bother with them. There are plenty of sweet-spot people to pick.
It is very easy to find yourself earning £3500/year, working for many employers, and never able to enjoy your 'free time' because you're always waiting for someone to call you up with the offer of half a day that you can't afford to turn down.
When you say that 'immigrants can', note that most of the high-earning immigrants are young and fit, and are capitalising on these assets. You don't get many 60-year-olds in need of a hip replacement clinging to the underside of lorries in Calais. Your Polish builder is unlikely to have arrived in Britain aged 64 with the after-affects of a mild stroke.
The system is sick, but no-one cares until they drop out of the sweet spot and find themselves in the grey, miserable world of the not-ideal-for-work.
One of the most accurate posts ever. It should be required reading by IDS and his hangers on.
I'm not fussy and I struggle to get another job. I have a disability so it is tougher. Lots of able bodied people also struggle to get jobs. Wake up and see it's not so easy in your world.
Even people who apply for crap jobs in supermarkets don't always get them. Sometimes you are classed as overqualified or they don't think you will stay,
Only this week we have seen where 'not being fussy' gets you, those decent hard working people who showed the "right attitude" and took any job they could get without 'being fussy' about such unimportant matters as how much they get paid for their efforts, are about to be 'rewarded' by the beloved leader for not being fussy and buying into the "any job is better than no job" crap that get's spouted when it suits them,
by having their in work benefits, (the very thing that 'makes work pay for most of them)
slashed by the bast,...'people' in charge.
My advice to anyone offered a low paid job which would mean that they are still thought of as scroungers by the Tories and many of their supporters would be to turn it down as they would still be punished by the government,
get treated as a scrounger might as well BE a scrounger.
Comments
Not very easy, when it comes to things like housing costs,
I hope this was meant as a joke!
BIB (and the rest of your post really) is pretty much many a scenario that can, does and is happening to people. I've often thought the 'sneerers' consist mainly of people who haven't been on life's delapidated rollercoaster at some point. It's a sad fact of British life that there are many decent people living hand to mouth with all the worries that brings and to top that a group of 'sneerers' claiming they are scroungers, but without taking or even thinking about the mile long walk in the 'scroungers' shoes first.
It's easier if you are not fussy.
Good Post!
Know the feeling, have been stung only this week, I did such a fantastic job and achieved in 3 days what was estimated as 5, they now only want to book me for 3 for this coming week! >:( I used a fraction of my brain for the job and nothing for my wallet. I will string out the next one (probably get booted for being too slow) as this appears to be the name of the game.
A man is free to move throughout the EU to suit his personal needs. If houses are too expensive where one is then relocate to a cheaper location, or relocate family to cheaper location and live in bedsit. That is the right the EU affords us and to all residents of the EU. That is the nature of the free movement of labour it moves to where it is needed or where it can afford to live and travels to 'exist' where it is needed.
Reality check please
That is the reality and one of the reasons why housing is expensive.
Even people who apply for crap jobs in supermarkets don't always get them. Sometimes you are classed as overqualified or they don't think you will stay,
We were referring to 'able-bodied and employable people' seeking work.
If you are disabled, quite clearly it will be tougher for you. But we weren't discussing people in your situation.
The poster also pointed out that lots of able bodied people also struggle to get jobs.
Yes I know, but thats just opinion without any evidence.
Citing her own situation would have counted for something if it had been relevant, but it wasn't.
One of the most accurate posts ever. It should be required reading by IDS and his hangers on.
by having their in work benefits, (the very thing that 'makes work pay for most of them)
slashed by the bast,...'people' in charge.
My advice to anyone offered a low paid job which would mean that they are still thought of as scroungers by the Tories and many of their supporters would be to turn it down as they would still be punished by the government,
get treated as a scrounger might as well BE a scrounger.