SEETEC has put me on a work placement where there is only one bus....

[Casper's Ghost]

I have to start at 9am and end at 5pm, but the bus doesn't arrive near the shop til 9..46am and last bus is around 4pm. I have never been to this town before, and don't know the bus routes.

I have been suffering from travel sickness and have been to the doctor about my diareah(sorry, but the doctor said that was normal to go to the bathroom every few minutes).

 

I have an appointment on Monday to pick up travel money and have to be there by 2pm.

From March to June of this year I was volunteering at a charity in my home town.

 

I am wondering if I should apply to a charity shop in town? But this woman (who was dressed like she was going out to a party) said that SEETEC only ran a few shops.

 

Can I refuse this placement due to it being in a part of the county where I've never been? There is no way I am able to get to the placement in time, I'll be late.

 

And according to the letter if I am late it can effect my benefits.

[antone]

Yes, if there is no reasonable way by which you could get to the placement then you can challenge it. Have the bus timetables handy when you complain: if there's no bus that could get you to the location by the required start time then you can't reasonably be expected to show up.

 

Keep the appointment on Monday if you can, but you should discuss this further with the Jobcentre, and point out to them that there is no way you can do what they're asking you to do. You could perhaps show up later, when the buses allow, or find an alternative placement that's based somewhere closer to you. But make it clear to them that attending this particular placement is simply not possible.

[Casper's Ghost]

Thank you. I don't see my adviser wil Wednesday. The woman who gave me this placement said that SEETEC does a few charity shops. Couldn't I just apply for a placement somewhere else?

[antone]

Sure, yes. You can point out that you're perfectly willing to do some work in a charity shop but that it has to be somewhere you can actually get to. If you have a specific place in mind then by all means apply for it and discuss it with your JCP adviser.

 

As an aside, I firmly believe that all charities that get involved with coerced labour schemes should be named and shamed. It's one thing if you want to volunteer at a charity shop. It's quite another thing to be told that you must "volunteer" or else your benefits will be stopped.

[Casper's Ghost]

There are several charity shops in my town which I can apply for. And there is a seaside town which I have been to on bus and know the route to. I pick up my bus money tomorrow but my SEETEC adviser won't be in til Wedensday. Plus this is a pre-interview not a placement day, I might not get it. Yet she thinks I will.

[JoeyJoeC]

Have you checked Journey Planner or looked at Google Maps for travel directions? You did mention you're new to the town and don't know the routes which makes me think you haven't researched it.

[Casper's Ghost]

I did but still got lost. Took me and hour and a half to find the place. The woman I saw said she didn't understand why they had sent me to her, she had another boy who was from the town who had to go to my hometown which is 13 miles away. I calaculated it'll cost me £20 for a train a week and it has to come out of my pocket because SEETEC don't give you the money up front. Which the text that my adviser sent didn't explain. The manager at the shop said she'll call my SEETEC adviser to swap places with someone else and I have to go in on Thursday.

[antone]

Whatever you end up doing, don't take any nonsense from SEETEC about your travel expenses. You are entitled to be reimbursed for any travel expenses incurred as a result of mandatory appointments, with the exception of your regular fortnightly signing on if you're on JSA.

[Casper's Ghost]

I see them tomorrow, I'll tell her what the lady at the shop said. As I have said before I go in on Thursday, but have printed off a map to see how I get there. I do suffer from stomach problems which really hurt, it's trapped wind but it hurts. I also have a referal to a hospital appointment in around 18 weeks.

I'll have to tell the adviser that I can try and get a place closer to home.

[trebormoinet]

As an aside, I firmly believe that all charities that get involved with coerced labour schemes should be named and shamed. It's one thing if you want to volunteer at a charity shop. It's quite another thing to be told that you must "volunteer" or else your benefits will be stopped.

 

I second that, get a mate to stand outside the shop for a few hours with a placard highlighting they employ unpaid forced labour in order to turn a profit, you never know they might have a change of heart and solve your problem.

 

Name em and lets shame em.

[Casper's Ghost]

I don't mind volunteering as I have never worked in retail before and I enjoyed my time at PACT. I meet new people, my dad thinks it's force labour but it's just to get you some expirence.

[antone]

Sure, yes - I'm certainly not opposed to volunteering in general. I just think people should not be forced to "volunteer" under threat of losing their benefits.

[trebormoinet]

I don't mind volunteering as I have never worked in retail before and I enjoyed my time at PACT. I meet new people' date=' my dad thinks it's force labour but it's just to get you some expirence.[/quote']

That is a commendable attitude however it could hardly be classed as volunteering if your being held to ransom with the threat of benefit sanctions to accept rather than choose where to volunteer.

 

If public transport is an issue and your keen, have you considered a bike, 13 miles should take less than an hour.

[Casper's Ghost]

I don't have a bike, never gone further than a few metres as my legs hurt and I've never ridden on road.

I can tell my adviser that I will get another placement elsewhere as this is not good for me and it's putting stress on me.

[Casper's Ghost]

I went to SEETEC today for job search and because I wasn't on there site I was told to go back to it and then the woman said 'Is that all the jobs you can find?' there were only 11 jobs within my town and I already did a job search yesterday. I also overheard an adviser saying that there weren't many placement spaces, but I could try and get into Sue Ryder if I asked the woman at SEETEC.

[Casper's Ghost]

Can anyone help. I went in yesterday to the charity shop. Even the train I every hour, the manager only told me to come in on Thursday so I did. Never mentioned today, got a text saying I was late attending. I phoned back I am suppose to do 30 hours. I was crying afterwards because there is no way I am able to get down there. I don't feel well today and my SEETEC adviser has her phone shut off. This is the worst place I have been to-

[andydd]

No offence but there seem to be a lot of excuses listed here. Its not really clear what you want to do, what you are able to do, are there specific health/mobility issues ?

 

Sometimes travelling by bus bus/train is a pain and complicated, I work in IT contracts and have to travel to various locations, sometimes poorly served by public transport such as south London, but here I am every morning at 8.30am travelling from Essex to Leiwhsam/Deptford and other less glamorous areas.

[Casper's Ghost]

Yes, but you have money for the train. I don't, and have IBS which I was diagnosed with. I have trapped wind, feeling sick. I'm not faking this but this is stressing me out. And I am going back to the doctors to see if I can get a sick note to sign off.

[sillygirl1]

They should be giving you a travel warrant.

 

If you have trapped wind try taking Deflatine, it works very well and is non-habit forming. You can also try charcol tablets. Gaviscon should help if it is IBS.

 

The more excuses you make not to do something SEETEC send you to the worse you are making it for yourself.

 

Cut down on green vegetables too as that can cause a lot of stomach problems (it was the cause of mine).

[Mr.P]

[...] the manager only told me to come in on Thursday so I did. Never mentioned today' date=' got a text saying I was late attending. I phoned back I am suppose to do 30 hours.[/quote']

 

Seetec should have given you a letter setting out how many hours you are expected to attend at the placement along with the start/finish times. If you do not attend the alloted hours, it is an automatic sanction and you will need to follow the appeals process.

 

Sorry to be blunt, but you should have sorted out the travel issues before starting the placement.

[Casper's Ghost]

They gave me peppermint tablets and all kind of things and that didn't help. I barley eat vegetables and I still get it. I went to SEETEC on Monday because they said they'd give me travel and they told me to borrow money. I can't do that. I'm going to try and get a placement myself.

[Casper's Ghost]

I phoned the manager on Saturday, she wants me in tomorrow at 9am. I can't do that, the train is every hour and it takes me half an hour to get there and that's looking at a map.

I will try and get a volunteering placement in my town as my dad said Heart Foundation wants people.

The bus is every hour too like I said before it arrives at 9.46 am.

I don't know what to do as the manager said she can't sign me off, I don't know what she means by that, maybe the hours I need to do.

I tried several times to ring my SEETEC adviser but got her answr machine, tried ringing SEETEC but they wouldn't answer ( I tried all day)

 

Can anyone help? I have a job search appointment on Wednesday.

[sillygirl1]

Write down everything you have done to find a placement, the times you have called SEETEC (you should leave messages on the answerphone if it answers) and give them a copy of the bus timetable from your area.

[Casper's Ghost]

I have to catch the bus to the station even if I caught the bus I would have to travel 2 miles to it. And it takes me about forty minutes to walk there. I don't have enough time to try and get a placement til Wednesday. I'm 9-5 and shops close at 5

[SabreSheep]

I phoned the manager on Saturday, she wants me in tomorrow at 9am. I can't do that, the train is every hour and it takes me half an hour to get there and that's looking at a map.

I will try and get a volunteering placement in my town as my dad said Heart Foundation wants people.

The bus is every hour too like I said before it arrives at 9.46 am.

I don't know what to do as the manager said she can't sign me off, I don't know what she means by that, maybe the hours I need to do.

I tried several times to ring my SEETEC adviser but got her answr machine, tried ringing SEETEC but they wouldn't answer ( I tried all day)

 

Can anyone help? I have a job search appointment on Wednesday.

 

 

And what about the FIRST BUS?/TRAIN