Ingeus

[Charlotte_Henderson]

Bonus...

 

17th April - adviser off sick

01st May - adviser on leave (email today keeping for records)

15th May next appointment

 

Hardly any meetings with INGEUS for a month - yet again though an email stating she is on leave and no formal letter but of course I keep emails as proof

 

I call that a result mat, i went to ingeus today (oh the joys) and was to be told i only have 2 more appointments before i am back at the JC.

 

Should i be happy, i hate going to Ingeus but have heard the JC is worse!

[Chester6]

I call that a result mat, i went to ingeus today (oh the joys) and was to be told i only have 2 more appointments before i am back at the JC.

 

Should i be happy, i hate going to Ingeus but have heard the JC is worse!

 

Unfortunately you are probably right

[essexmat]

I personally think the JC and WP are both useless, they serve no purpose as if you are a pro-active person you will be looking for work any way you can anyway. The JC and WP should be there for those that have never worked, have no social, personal or technical skills and THEY should be getting support. Those, like me and many others on here who have a vast work history and do all they can to find work should be able to go in sign in and leave. There is NOTHING the JC or WP can do to help me in any way, in fact without sounding big headed I would take a bet I am more qualified than any of them working there both at personal and professional level dealing with various stakeholders

[dogtanian]

Well with you on that one essexmat. I have over 38 years work experience yet the clowns at Ingeus sent me on one of their 4 week 'skills for employment' courses??? That's 4 weeks of my life i'll never get back. So i'll see my advisor tomorrow and see what bull**** they feed me then.

[essexmat]

JC tried to get me on an employability course for 4 weeks a few months back. I wrote a strong worded letter to my adviser on emailand CC the head of my JCP about how inappropriate this was to me. Of course I needed help with how to use a PC, interview skills and writing a CV when I had a professional CV, worked in London for a high profile accountancy body, managed staff, interviewed for vacancies etc. I really needed to be there with, and sorry for this honest appraisal, dimwits who had no intention of ever working that just know how to drink beer and smoke and do sod all with their lives. Yes, I got out of it and said they needed to analyse their data more carefully on appropriateness of courses for each client

[jasta11]

I call that a result mat, i went to ingeus today (oh the joys) and was to be told i only have 2 more appointments before i am back at the JC.

 

Should i be happy, i hate going to Ingeus but have heard the JC is worse!

 

Glad to hear your ordeal is nearly over. Now admit it; don't you feel a more skilled, enriched and happier person for having attended the wonderful WP?

 

On your exit interview remember to tell them FIRMLY that you never want to hear from them again - ever - and will raise a harassment complaint if they do. I told them this and to my utter surprise they've never contacted me since. (Must have been the Hannibal Lecter stare I gave the advisor)

 

The PWP need not be too bad if you hit lucky and get a decent advisor. At your first PWP interview they'll be looking for any apparent 'weaknesses' in skills, training, etc so get one step ahead of them and try and show them you're really organised and focussed, with good CV's and letters, registered with lots of agencies, sending off for plenty of jobs etc. In other words show them you're really trying - then they might more or less leave you alone apart from a slight 'upping' of your JSAgreement. I showed them a load of stuff I was already doing so they only increased my JSAg from 3 jobs a week to 5, so it is possible to get off lightly if you show willing!

 

Basically, try and show them that you don't need any help and just need to keep applying for vacancies as you're already doing.

[Mr.P]

On your exit interview remember to tell them FIRMLY that you never want to hear from them again - ever - and will raise a harassment complaint if they do.

 

You could also insist that they provide documentary evidence of the "personalised and tailored support" that they claimed to offer when they tendered for the contract.

 

 

A couple of weeks after getting a copy of your exit report, it would be well worth submitting a SAR to the DWP requesting all computer and manual records held by Ingeus - It won't cost you anything and gives them something to do (as well as costing them a bit of time and money).

[boomboomboom]

i was in ingeus yesterday and she was wanting to check up on any feedback from an updated cv and cover letter she had did for me and told me to try it and see if this would help maybe get interviews so i did and went in yesterday and she was asking any phone calls back i said got 2 from two game centres and she told me to put it down on application tracker she gave me and told me to call back there in a month and she told me then to go on the computers to do a quick job search so i did but when i went back over i could see she had the internet browser up with game centre with the address phone numbers etc and taking a note of them but why would she need to do this? cause for all i know she could be contacting the company's for info on if i did get a phone call or not?

 

was me that sent the cvs/spec letters away so surely she has no right to get in contact with these companies? correct?

[essexmat]

"was me that sent the cvs/spec letters away so surely she has no right to get in contact with these companies? correct?"

 

Correct, and if it was me I would ask the company in a week or so if anyone from INGEUS had been in contact about you. If they have then you can have a field day with them. Saying that, any company disclosing information on an applicant without prior agreement from the applicant that this can be disclosed to third parties is not a company I would wish to work for anyway.

 

I am busy on an application for a job I volunteer at that has come up, taken me 6 hours as I do really want it. Closing date is 9th May so I would guess one way or another I will know by mid-end May. If (IF) I got it it would be with great pleasure I sign off and also let INGEUS know I am no longer attending. Oh, and this was a volunteer role I GOT FOR MYSELF and a job I INVESTIGATED AND APPLIED FOR so they will get NOTHING from me.

[boomboomboom]

"was me that sent the cvs/spec letters away so surely she has no right to get in contact with these companies? correct?"

 

Correct, and if it was me I would ask the company in a week or so if anyone from INGEUS had been in contact about you. If they have then you can have a field day with them. Saying that, any company disclosing information on an applicant without prior agreement from the applicant that this can be disclosed to third parties is not a company I would wish to work for anyway.

 

I am busy on an application for a job I volunteer at that has come up, taken me 6 hours as I do really want it. Closing date is 9th May so I would guess one way or another I will know by mid-end May. If (IF) I got it it would be with great pleasure I sign off and also let INGEUS know I am no longer attending. Oh, and this was a volunteer role I GOT FOR MYSELF and a job I INVESTIGATED AND APPLIED FOR so they will get NOTHING from me.

 

yes ingeus better not contact them as they aren't getting any info in to my job search activity's my life not there! gonna contact the company again next week and see if they have

 

aww have u well i hope them 6hours effort has got u put up to one of the main people for the job and ye ingeus wont be long and nipping at your head saying aww it was our "hard work" that got you this job!

[boomboomboom]

why do ingeus say they take personal information seriously but yet all the adviser offices table are all joint next to each other? a dont like to hear people information about that they were in prison or they have issues or there is serious matter with family.

 

ingeus should change the way it is especially in the office i go to should be spread out more or have there own actual office where u walk in and close the door behind u instead of sitting out in the middle of there rooms talking about personal info when u have 3 or 4 other people next to u hearing everything u say!

[essexmat]

Oh but the DWP and our good friend IDS say WP providers are perfect and do a great job. The fact is they do NOTHING an able person cannot do for themselves at home using their own resources. I have see people in there spoken to like pieces of trash - they may have no skills and never worked but also deserve a basic level of respect and courtesy. I agree with the set up, at any one tim 4-5 people have appointments in my branch and have often heard about mental health issues, convictions, time in prison etc - also data protection, when my 'adviser' leaves the desk to copy something or speak to someone and I am sitting there I would, if I wanted to, have no problem obtaining people's NI numbers, addresses, persona ldata etc as it is sitting on the desk in plain view for everyone to see.

[jasta11]

My branch of Ingeus had tiny round tables, where two advisers sat facing each other, like chickens in a battery farm - plus the other tables were very close to each other too. No privacy at all, but it did come in handy when I gave my own adviser a good telling-off for breaking guidance rules as it meant all her colleagues heard it too. I think that embarrassed her more..plus hopefully it would also show the other advisers that this guy wasn't one to be messed about.

 

You'd think the visiting inspectors from the DWP would immediately pick up on the lack of privacy aspect, but of course they aren't bothered.

[dogtanian]

Well I think they have now realised that other than actually getting me in front of an interviewer there is little else they have to offer me. Have now been told just to carry on what i'm already doing and my next appointment is in 6 weeks!! I just have to drop her an email every week to remind her I still exist!

[boomboomboom]

yeh i agree people have there own personal things they should not have to say it out with advisers and other clients hearing it the set up is wrong! privacy should be the most important thing about there clients and that stuff could be things that are stopping them from getting into work or struggle from but not like dwp or wp or any of them care!

 

my branch is big but the set up is wrong they have 3tables joint together and u only need to stand up and take 2 steps and your at another 3tables they have 15-18 tables all together as they take some tables away for other stuff inside workshops. its a mess why they cant make the set up better especially with a big room at my branch.

[essexmat]

"You'd think the visiting inspectors from the DWP would immediately pick up on the lack of privacy aspect, but of course they aren't bothered."

 

Quite.

[boomboomboom]

i give up with ingeus trying to tell me what to do!

 

a sent cvs/specs away yesterday at home and i went into the office today for a few envelopes to put more cvs and specs away and my adviser came across and was like u contacted those other companies u sent your cvs and specs to last week i said im going to when am home and she went no do it here just now i said no dont need to i dont have an appointment so u cant do anything. she said well when your in for an appointment next week we shall do it then i said it doesnt say anything on the letter about phoning the companies i sent my cvs and specs to when im in so no i dont think so. am a correct on what i said to her?

 

just fed up of trying to be getting told what to do they are suppose to help not nip at your head all the time!

[Charlotte_Henderson]

i give up with ingeus trying to tell me what to do!

 

a sent cvs/specs away yesterday at home and i went into the office today for a few envelopes to put more cvs and specs away and my adviser came across and was like u contacted those other companies u sent your cvs and specs to last week i said im going to when am home and she went no do it here just now i said no dont need to i dont have an appointment so u cant do anything. she said well when your in for an appointment next week we shall do it then i said it doesnt say anything on the letter about phoning the companies i sent my cvs and specs to when im in so no i dont think so. am a correct on what i said to her?

 

just fed up of trying to be getting told what to do they are suppose to help not nip at your head all the time!

 

You're ingeus advisor sounds horrible, i think you are correct in what you said to her. as i would of said exactly the same, if i was in you're shoes!

I personally think you dont need to ring companys after you have sent cv's and spec letters, as they have your details and will contact you if interested.

[essexmat]

When my 'adviser' said that I should follow up applications by email AND phone I simply stated:

 

"Sorry, I cannot do that, I am on benefits and have £72 a week to live off so don't have SKY or a mobile that includes free calls and I cannot afford to make calls unless you pay me a sum so I can do this and it is lucky I can even do what I do as I have to pay for my broadband"

[jasta11]

The WP know it's pointless calling and chasing up applications.. but they'd hate to miss out on a possible 'success' story and not claim their payments wouldn't they

 

Plus it's yet another 'we gave the customer good advice' box to tick.

[essexmat]

Exactly, what does chasing applications and calling achieve? Nothing. If they are interested they will contact you

[Charlotte_Henderson]

Next time someone at ingeus or JCP asks me to ring around employees, i am going to ask them are you going to pay my phone bill then?

[boomboomboom]

my mate was signing on think it was Thursday and the woman was looking through his job search and she turned around and was like u called think it was lidi he put down and she was like is it ok if we contact them to see about this and he said no and she was like why u got something to hide he was like its none of your business plus data protection and social security wont mind chatting to u if u think about it and she was like sign here and see u in 2 weeks.

[sillygirl1]

Even if they DO call ccompanies to find out if somebody has applied, the company will tell them the same thing 'sorry due to Data Protection we can't reveal that information' so it is all a part of their 'intimidation' tactics to make you get a job (when they are available of course) as quickly as possible.

 

Even if you do show them you do not need help they still sent me on a useless CV writing course, where I actually found 8 spelling mistakes in their presentation - and again the 'real' job they had was completely unsuitable for me and I had no skills or qualifications in that area.

 

I am working at the moment until the end of June//July and then I am going self-employed as I have a fair bit of work coming my way in that line, so I won't be signing on when this current contract finishes. I'm also moving so my rent will be £50 a week cheaper and I won't have massive heating bills to pay - YAY - and it is a band lower council tax, so I am giving myself the best chance of success in sefl-employment, all off my own back and nothing to do with any 'pre or post employment engagement with a work provdier'.

 

The work provider I was with did very little in 'real' terms other than incrrease my blood pressure by their constant demands and continually checking up that I HAD applied for the few jobs they 'found'. One of the jobs had already closed and I did point it out to them but they said 'apply anyway' so I asked if they could sit with me whilst I did so.... result was that I couldn't go on the web link and when I phoned the company their phone line stated that if you were calling about the vacancy please don't! The adviser wasn't very pleased but at least I could prove that they were the idiots in that case.

[Mr.P]

[...] the few jobs they 'found'. One of the jobs had already closed and I did point it out to them but they said 'apply anyway'

 

Local A4e office sent me a letter notifying me of a vacancy that I didn't even bother applying for. At the next meeting, I was asked "did you apply ?" to which I replied with three pertinent points:

 

1. The job spec required very specific experience which I did not possess.
   
2. By the time the letter arrived and I had opened it, the application window was closed.
   
3. The fool that had sent me the letter had stuck a 2nd class stamp on it - IF they had used a 1st class stamp, I would have had the letter the following day and still had the chance to submit an application (not that I would have done).
   

The response was "we can not be held responsible for the time it takes Royal Mail to deliver a letter."...... My contempt for them reached a new level that day.