So was I. I didn't even realise (more like I wasn't told) that the "mock interview" was to be with a careers adviser. Just got very lucky it was with a friend of mine. The thing is, I think this course is even more pointless because I find a lot jobs now are requesting you to send a CV because of the volume of applicants and CVs are a lot easier to read and a lot easier to reject. Hmm, stressing them out takes time though. I just want to be in there and out as quickly as possible. Partly tempted to go the pub beforehand to ease the pain.

It wasn't. I was mandated to attend. My luck was in though because the careers adviser I got assigned to for the mock only happened to be a friend of mine. Happy days! It was more of a social/catching up session than anything. I know he'll do a very good write-up of this mock interview to keep them off my back. Next week is the fun of attending a "how to fill in a job application form" course. I can barely contain the excitement!

Sorry for the lack of updates this past week or so. Gutted to see our lunatic friend Helpyourself appears to have buggered off. I've been with Ingeus now for about three weeks now and to be honest, it's gone a lot better than I thought. Seems like I have nice enough advisor, who has appreciated the new CVs and cover letters I have produced. However, despite saying they believe I should have no problem in filling out an application and doing a decent job search, I've been mandated to attend daft workshops/courses for both. Sounds like a total waste of my time to me. Bit ****ed off by it. Oh, I have a "mock interview" as well at some point during the week. I've no idea what to expect or how to treat it. Last thing, had a very brief chat with the security guy in the building. He said this place has gone crazy. They're sending way too many people on the work programme, when the simple fact is their just aren't enough jobs out there. This guy knows what he's talking about.

Sounds like a paradox along the same lines as a "compassionate Conservative". Okay, I admit back in the Victorian era there were a number of entrepreneurs who did improve the standards of living for their workforce by building good housing and improving working conditions etc. But since the 1980s and the rise of neoliberalism, those at the top have seen their wealth increase by a staggering amount, and those at the bottom have seen their wages stagnate. Like I pointed out in a previous post, unemployment is used as a means to create greater competition for jobs, meaning people will accept a lesser wage in order to find employment. This leads to a race-to-the-bottom for wages, while improving the profit-margins for big business. So as long as neoliberalism remains the dominant ideology, the structural problem of unemployment will never go away. dyfed raises some good points which I agree with. There is money out there, but it is now accumulated in so few greedy hands, the likes of us have to suffer the pain of cuts to public services and benefits, while their wealth continues to grow. Job creation, coupled with paying a proper living wage is what people want, but this is never going to happen. Paying a living wage would also take families out of benefits, reducing the welfare budget as a result. At least you dropped the tone anyway, and offered a reasonable response. I do find it rather unrealistic however. You can't just "motivate" people back into work by offering training. What will they get out of it at the end? Will they be assured of anything? I personally believe that a lot more can be achieved if proper training were given, leading to a job where a living wage was paid, a proper contract offered (no temps, no agencies, no zero hour contracts) and the needs of workers put above maximising profits. If you did genuinely come here to remove the influence that WP providers have on people, you did a poor job in doing so. You haven't offered any more advice than people you originally slated for hating on Ingeus. @dyfed - I'm sure the post from Rebecca was not an attack on you. She was pointing out that those most defensive of welfare-to-work programmes genuinely (and falsely) believe that such a scheme can miraculously create jobs. Whereas in reality, this is false.

Must be pretty much a standard first time appointment because I had an almost identical experience today. Only my advisor was 5 minutes late, rather than 15.

It's such a ridiculous notion to expect to come onto a thread offering advice and guidance for people dealing with Ingeus, and expecting to find nothing but contributors helping each other finding employment. How other people conduct their job searches or what is contained in their CV etc, is none of my business. But if somebody were to ask about best job search websites or possible courses/training opportunities, then I'm sure it would be appropriately answered by numerous users. Anyway, without wanting to derail the thread any further, I had my first one-to-one appointment this morning. Just basic detail taking and asking which job areas I was interested in etc. I must say, it went better then I expected. It was better than any advisor appointment I had with Job Centre Plus. My advisor was warm, friendly and helpful and she offered some guidance on how to improve my CV. Of course, I am still wary of Ingeus and sceptical of how effective they can be at helping me find employment, given the poor success rate of WP providers. I am still willing to give it a try though, because if they do help me find employment, then that is a good thing. What I do object to though is Ingeus making a profit out of doing so. @Janie - they should ask you first whether you want them to put your name forward or send your CV for a vacancy. That's at least what they have told me anyway. I would object to them sending my CV out for a host of jobs I don't want.

Yeah. I was just clarifying that I was only raising the point and not saying I was considering signing up to anything they were offering. @Helpyourself - what a rather condescending tone you have adopted in addressing people on this thread. The whole idea of the thread is to educate people in the way Ingeus can, and have treated people who are on the Work Programme. What you probably don't realise is that since the Tories came into power, there has been a drive to place Jobseekers on sanctions, and those sanctions have been toughened. Failure to comply with mandated tasks (and there are more and more stories of people being unfairly placed on sanctions because of an "unofficial" practise of comparative league tables) leads to a first penalty of 4 weeks lost benefit. Anything after leads to 13 weeks loss of benefit. Now, with that threat always hanging over your head, I think people deserve the right to know what kind of dirty tricks and schemes the likes of Ingeus can pull, so they don't fall foul of any themselves. I also find it rather patronising how you think the long-term unemployed are some kind of lesser person. In case you haven't noticed from on top of your high-horse, we are sill in the biggest depression since the 1930s and possibly ever. For around 460,000 vacancies, there are 2.56 million unemployed, and further competition for jobs from people wanting to move to part-time or full-time jobs, or just simply change jobs. Ever since Thatcher and her army of neoliberal zealots got their hands on the power of government, unemployment has been used as a means to control inflation and increase competitiveness in the labour market, thus stagnating wages for lower and some/most middle earners. Final point. Has it never crossed your mind that people on this thread may actually use other web forums to find advice and talk about ways of finding employment? Or use other methods of doing so? You may think you are trying to help, but with the tone you have taken so far in this thread, you are not going to be successful in any way.

Firstly, let me make this absolutely clear, I would never consider seeking help for mental health issues with WP providers or any private company for that matter. With that cleared up, I raised the issue because I thought it was worth doing so. I find it worrisome that a WP provider could be allowed to offer such a service, especially considering how mental health issues are so poorly understood by most employers, and certainly by other companies hired by the government, like ATOS. I also thought it was worth mentioning for anybody who reads this thread and has been assigned to Ingeus. Don't use the service. Don't give them any ammunition to use against you. Go to your doctor, who you can probably trust a hell of a lot more. I got a leaflet about all the services they provide. I will scan it and upload it tomorrow.

This is the first I've been on Jobseekers for a prolonged period of time, so it's all a new experience to me. I know A4e have a shocking reputation so it's not really hard to be better than them! Yeah, they told us that Ingeus are not like the other WP providers, that they are on "our" side and they don't force people to work voluntarily (I thought they used Poundland and others? OR has this policy changed?). Thanks for the rules. I have already read them but I think I will note down what I think are the most important so I can have them handy. As for the MH stuff, I would never consider using them. I was just curious as to why they were offering them. I'd much rather use my local GP and get a referral to a charity if I ever had to. Thanks to everyone else for the replies. I have my first one-on-one interview on Monday, so I'll post again with details how that went.

Oh, one last thing I forgot to add, they told us today that Ingeus never forces anybody into doing voluntary work. I know that in the past, this isn't true. Have they changed their policy, or is this lies?

Further update. Attended my first induction/group meeting and we had an overly-nice and enthusiastic advisor, who basically led the group to believe that the streets were paved with gold now they are on the work programme with Ingeus. And to be honest, anybody without any insight into what Ingeus and other work programme providers are like, would easily swallow up the positive spin. There was lots of, "We are on your side guys." "We only want you off benefits and back in work." Or in other words, we only want to make a quick buck off your own work finding a job. As for the CV, I took it along but wasn't asked for it. They asked me to provide a copy of my CV for my next appointment, but I take it I don't have to if I don't want? My first one-on-one session with my advisor is on Monday, so I'll be back with another update. Just a few more thoughts. Today went better than I expected, but something still really annoyed me. I think it was how the advisor running the introductory session painted Ingeus in oh so many pretty colours. At times it was nauseating, and the other people there were really drawn into it all. I did notice another thing which concerned me - they offered courses/workshops on dealing with depression, anxiety and mental health issues. I have suffered from such issues recently and in the past. I am rather a suspicious as to why a company that makes profits out sending (or forcing) people back to work would offer such a service? Perhaps to convince you there is really nothing wrong with you and it's all down to being unemployed?

Yeah, that's why I said no. It wouldn't even have been 24 hours notice, which is wholly unreasonable.

Thanks for the replies to my first post. Just a quick update. They telephoned me last Thursday to make a first appointment, and offered me the next day. Wasn't taking that at such short notice, so instead I've got my first appointment with them at 9.30 in the morning (Friday). The only thing I have to take with me is my CV. I won't be signing any waiver or any other forms they pressure me into signing. Can't say I'm looking forward to going, especially as I have had bronchitis for over a week and now that's turned into a common cold! I will load up on painkillers to ease the pain of my headache and the interview.

Hi all. I've been for a work programme referral interview today and I have been referred to Ingeus. I expect them to call me tomorrow to arrange my first session with them, which will be a group session, before they assign me to an individual advisor. I've briefly skirted over the most recent posts in the thread, but I was wondering what to expect from Ingeus and what to expect from this group session? I've done my research on the ineffectiveness of the work programme (and in my area, Ingeus have a success rate of 3.4%). The one thing I noted most from today, was the threat of sanctions. They were highlighted by my advisor, and featured prominently on the letter I was given. Also, I have never heard the word 'mandatory' used as many times in so few sentences. I have the suspicion I will find the whole programme to be patronising and demeaning. I wouldn't like to lose my benefits, but at the same time, I think I have the relevant skills (A-Levels and an unfinished degree in Politics) to find a job by myself, and I also won't put up with condescending 'advisors' and them sending me on pointless courses or forcing me to apply for jobs I have no interest in. Saying that though, I'm willing to give the whole thing a shot, just so I can experience it for myself and see how the advisors attempt to treat me and the people at my first group session.