Advice needed for a friend - how to get him off benefits

[sholto12]

Hi,

I was directed to your site by word of mouth, and I'm hoping you can help me. My good friend has been on benefits for years, as a life-style choice rather than need. He has a university degree and years of work experience, but after losing his job 3 years ago he made a conscious decision that life was more enjoyable to sit on the internet and judge other people rather than take a job that he considered "beneath him".

I've been trying to convince him the error of his ways, but he keeps laughing at me saying that even with the hoops he has to jump through each week with the Job Centre it's still preferable to live in a fantasy world online than face the brutal reality of a terrible low paid job.

Any advice on how I can convince him that if he actually took any job it might improve his lack of self-worth and stop him spending his life online?

Thanks.

[Bazooka Boo]

Take ''any job''?

Improve his ''lack of self worth''?

 

I'd advise him to get new friends.

[sholto12]

I'm not sure I understand your post Bazooka, thanks for stopping by to comment, can you clarify please

[Nystagmite]

Assuming the thread is serious:

The problem with the job centre is that all they're interested in doing is getting you back to work. They don't care what the job is. At the same time, companies will look at his CV, see he's been at uni and won't employ him because once he's found a better job, they know he's just going to bugger off. (whereas for the person who has just left school, he obviously can't get a graduate job paying a much better salary, therefore, they're willing to give him a chance)

 

Your friend might be able to use the careers advice from the uni he graduated from.

[tfp]

It is possible to have a lack of self worth in even in a job. Esp. if you are low paid, stuck in a rut and /or your talents and skills are undervalued.

 

Nystagmite is quite right. JCP is not fit for purpose any more. It is at best a processing centre than a job centre.