The Student : Diary of a Wrexham Job Hunter Part 4

Having given serious consideration to signing on for Job Seekers Allowance, my persistence has finally paid off! I was offered two positions in the space of 4 hours. One role was as a cleaner and the other role as a kitchen porter with potential progression into the kitchen. I accepted the role as kitchen porter and after meeting management I cannot wait to get started.

Regarding the cleaning role, you can see why people would rather be sat at home than doing that specific role. Cleaning is seen as a very poor job and in a lot of aspects, it is just that. However, in certain circumstances it can be a rewarding and relaxing job to have. In most instances the rate of pay is a little over £6 and is for a couple of hours, 6 days per week. Basic calculations show that the average monthly pay packet will equate to around £290.

However, people aged below 25 and actively seeking employment are entitled to approximately £225 worth of JSA per month. That effectively means that the role actually only earns an employee roughly £65 per month. A major consideration to this sort of role would be travel costs as any public transport could actually wipe away a significant proportion of a wage packet.

The Job Centre claim that they offer support to people who are employed for less than 16 hours per week but after querying this, if you earn more than you are entitled to in JSA, you don’t receive a penny from them. Some would say that it’s a fair system but it certainly won’t improve employment figures in any way. Where is the incentive for people to work when you can take home just as much for nothing?

I have learnt a lot from my quest to find employment and my persistence has paid off, much to my delight. I believe that despite their being a relatively large number of job vacancies in and around Wrexham, finding work is still a major struggle and especially finding work that you will be happy in. I am really excited to start work and open a new chapter in my working life. I will now leave you with three top tips!

1. Make your CV stand out
2. Search for a wide range of positions suitable and track your applications
3. Don’t give up!