New work experience "employee" started today at my workplace. This lifted my spirits because:
- Upgrading from Work Experience to Employee feels more official.
[*]I'm no longer the freshest meat. Although that does exclude paid work.
[*]I can relate - and have related - to how hard the long, unpaid hours are. Work Experience people work longer than the Manager and Assistant Manager. I guess it's necessary because that way they get more time to learn the ropes, but still.
[*]Related to the feeling of uselessness because you have no idea what you're doing in your early days. On my first day I sat on the floor, in everyone's way, while sorting out a pile of crap I had no idea what to do with.
Basically tried to be as nice as I could and sympathised about how tough it is. She was complaining to me quite a bit about the hours, the jobcentre, asked what it was like when I was on Work Experience, if everyone she hadn't met today was nice and if I had any problems with anyone else who work there (which I don't, besides the one bad apple who never turns up and eventually got demoted). She seems nice enough, though I'm not entirely sure she wants to be there; she told me she was forced by the Jobcentre to phone up about the position, whereas I went there willingly. I just hope she can stick it out because the first couple of weeks are the worst.
I got my P45 last week in the post from the Jobcentre which I handed in today and posted off. One less thing to worry about. Next on the list: phone up the Work Programme I was referred to while claiming Jobseeker's Allowance and tell them that I already have a job and signed off about 2 weeks ago.