Giving students a bad name - Cait Reilly

Perhaps we need to consider the purpose of the work scheme, it is meant to help people find a way into employment. Irrespective of whether the scheme is good or bad it needs to be applied intelligently.

Cait Reilly's intended career is a curator in a museum, which is a reasonable choice for a geology graduate. Museums have been affected by cutbacks and jobs are very scarce. What does Cait do, she does voluntary work in a museum so as to gain experience and ultimately get a paid museum job.

So what does the Job Centre Adviser do? Send her on a job experience scheme at Poundland. Does that really make sense?

Surely the scheme is aimed at people who claim benefits but just sit at home watching the TV. With all of the 2.5 million out of work and many of them not doing anything to try to get a job, why pick on Cait?

As for companies such as Tesco and Poundland participating in these job experience schemes, perhaps the spotlight should be on what happens to the participants. If they just roll through one batch of people after another and scarcely take anyone on, then these companies and the government should be vigorously and publicly challenged. On the other hand, it they can say that 80% of the job seekers who complete a placement with them are given a paid job, then there may be some merit in the scheme.

I'm glad she won the case. Justice has been served.


I was on JSA a few years ago and they said I had to work in a charity shop. I wasn't happy since I had a job lined up which wasn't starting for a while. I didn't mind too much though because it was a charity shop.


I'd never work for a company making profit though. Bang out of order.

What do you know old barnett slagging off students and there freebie cash handouts when he is one himself

I will say though if the government want to replace paid jobs with non-paid ones, then why not start closer to home? Why should MP's get paid? Honestly, why should they? If the politicians job was unpaid you would still get plenty of people standing to be MP's. Then perhaps we would get people standing to really serve the people rather than just to line their own pockets. A lot of councilors don't get paid but there are still plenty of people who want to serve. Magistrates also serve for free. Why not MP's for a change? We are in this together aern't we?

This is a terrible idea.

MPs did not get paid until the 19th century. Payment introduced to enable working people to afford to be MPs

Nobody has even asked how long she was on jsa for which I believe was over 2 years.

On the flip side why should the tax payer have to fund her voluntary work?
From what's been said I don't think she was even looking for work in case it affected her voluntary work in my opinion.

If you are on jsa you should be willing to do whatever vacancy you can find until one of your choice comes up.
I have had to in the past why should the fact she is a graduate make her different from anybody else.

I guess you've not been to university then mate. Some are at university just taking the pee at the expense of the taxpayer.

seeing as it costs someone on average £20-30k to go to university (whilst the total grants a university will receive from the govt is around £460 per student), it doesnt take a genius to work out that if any students are 'taking the pee' its at their expense, not the taxpayers.

also if you really think this woman is in the wrong then you have been brainwashed. as has been said countless times, theyre not trying to help her get a career. they're forcing barely paid work and the only people who benefit are the corporations

These companies have been employing people from jsa to save a bulk of money and give more hours to them and some of thier current staff, argos did this over christmas and cut everyones overtime to give MORE hours to the jsa workers, i did not affect me because i am a stock room assistant and sometimes team leader, the other departments in the store was a disgrace! Current employes lost hundreds worth of wages so campany could save money and take on ALOT of jsa workers!

The whole JSA is really messed up, just after work i'd been let go on an agency job i'd been working for about 13 months, i'd signed on once and found myself another job in care work, two things happened:

Although i'd sourced the job myself it was on the Directgov website and the people in the jobcentre said 'Right we'll put it down as you found the job on our systems for the benefits of both yourself and the jobcentre'

I can't really see what benefit i would get from them saying they found me the job rather than me myself?

And when i told them i'd passed the interview and had all my documents sent off for my CRB check they say they could stop my money because i'm 'in employment' i fail to see how i'm in employment as i legally can't start work until my CRB is complete and i go through an induction process the place is a disgrace as the people you talk to really don't give a flying f**k what happens to you.