Tales of the Unemployed volume one
I may not get around to volume two as this week is a bit busy for me. (Hoo-fucking-ray I hear you cry).

So, back in the day and having worked as a jobcentre monkey for a relatively short space of time, but long enough to saddle me with a lifetime's worth of unhealthy cynicism, I had to do a 6 monthly review with Darren.

Darren was one of those lads that the system had written off as terminally unemployable; no qualifications, no skills, and an attitude not to be trifled with. "Good luck with him", my earstwhile and similarly jaded colleagues giggled. "You'll be lucky if he even turns up".

Sure enough, after 20 minutes of waiting, I was about to give up and close the book on him, when the door flew open and he dashed in. "Sorry I'm late, the bus was late and I only just got here".

"Darren", said I, "You're 20 minutes late for a 30 minute interview, I can't really see you now".

"Please", he asked, "It wasn't my fault, and I don't want to have my claim closed".

Whether it ws the look of panic in his eyes that did it I don't know, but my benevolence chip kicked in, and I asked him to take a seat. "This'll have to be quick, just a quick jobsearch and your signature, OK"?

As it happened, Darren was looking for basic labouring work, and a job had come in that morning for such work on a building site in Morpeth; £300 a week - not bad for unskilled labour. Trouble was, it involved an 8:30 start, the site was on the southern outskirts of the town, and Darren didn't have transport. Given the fact that he lived 16 miles away in a town with a bus service that didn't start until 8:30, it looked like a long shot. He might as well have lived at the arse end of the Outer Hebrides, the local transport was so shit. But Darren was convinced, and took the details away with him.

I was completely unprepared for what happened the next day. As I was about to head for lunch, the door of the office flew open and Darren ran in waving his ES40 card triumphantly and making a bee-line for me. "Won't be needing this anymore" he beamed. I must have looked puzzled, so he elaborated.

"That job you gave me details for yesterday; I got a lift off a mate and went straight down there. The bloke said I was the first person to actually bother turning up, so he gave me the job straight away. I start tomorrow. Really brilliant. Thank you for seeing me yesterday, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have this".

"That's brilliant", I said, "but what about transport?"

"My mate works in Morpeth and starts at 8:45, he can drop me at the site before he goes into work".

And he shook my hand, thanked me again, handed his ES40 over, and disappeared out of the door as my colleagues watched on, dumbstruck.

I never saw him again.

Just goes to show, even the most apparently 'hopeless case' can turn around and surprise you.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Sat 4 Apr 2009, 12:17, 12 replies)

Aww
That's nice. *click*
(powervator and NONE SHALL PASS, Sat 4 Apr 2009, 12:31, closed)

The irony was
He ended up earning more than I did!
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Sat 4 Apr 2009, 12:33, closed)

I guess it's the little victories like that that make all the shit worthwhile.
.
( girlinthehole, Sat 4 Apr 2009, 13:09, closed)

What BGB said

( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Sun 5 Apr 2009, 13:16, closed)

Stories like this...

warm my cockles

(temporarily) restore my faith in mankind

and make me click.
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Sat 4 Apr 2009, 14:03, closed)

hehe
"cockles"
(CannedLaughter, Sat 4 Apr 2009, 17:26, closed)

Glees
Well done old chap. And Morpeth truly is a pain in the nipsy to get to as well.
( Undercovercarrot got done for gross misconduct on..., Sat 4 Apr 2009, 14:39, closed)

Awesome!
And well done for not giving up on a "hopeless" case.
(Fredz A graveyard of hopes, a dump of ambition, Sat 4 Apr 2009, 14:39, closed)

Nicely done
*click*
(Ellinikos contains a source of phenylalanine, Sun 5 Apr 2009, 17:10, closed)

Very nice!
I wonder if he thinks of you and the kindness you did him that day. I'd wager he does.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Sun 5 Apr 2009, 17:41, closed)

nice one
I just hope he hasn't been laid off recently
(knackerz is skinning up, Tue 7 Apr 2009, 10:09, closed)

Even if he has...
And I hope he hasn't, at least he'll now have some experience and a bit more faith in the possibility of getting a job in the future. For a lot of people it's that first confidence-boosting step that makes all the difference.

*clicks*
(annexed, Tue 7 Apr 2009, 13:21, closed)