Dole Blues

I have signed on the dole again, online, and have an interview with the local JobCentrePlusNoJobs on Thursday.  My last contract finished on 1st March.  Because I needed to visit my sick mother in France, I was unable to sign on immediately, you are not allowed to leave the country.  In principle, I cannot disagree with this policy; in practice because my mother is old, unwell and lives abroad, it is a hindrance.  On the plus side, it is difficult to be able to afford to visit her so at least it serves to prevent me getting more in debt.

I no longer have any savings, so signing on is an obligation not a lifestyle choice.  However it was still very tempting not to sign-on for a few weeks and hope that a job would come up quickly.  The entire process is grim.  The forms are lengthy and awkwardly worded, as are the interviews.  There are reams of papers for applicants to sign, confirming that what they have said is true and that they have understood the get into jail free clauses.  I am determined that this will be the last time I ever sign on, but as there is no longer a guarantee of work anywhere, I have saved a copy of the form.  The fear of getting something wrong is too great, one box ticked differently from before might seem indicative of wanton fraud.  Possibly this is highly unlikely, but it is how you are made to feel.  I am already dreading the interview and any possible accusation of 'last time you said'.  The form takes at least an hour to complete and it is like a test.  The irony of it is that anyone submitting a fraudulent claim will probably pass with flying colours, they are old hands at it and meticulous in their detail.   I am reminded of a stint working in an incident enquiry room for the police, many years ago.  The accused did not have English as a first language, and in his taped interviews there was a clear difference in his answers, some were in perfect English and confidently delivered, others in very poor English, hesitantly delivered with much stuttering.  Ironically the broken English answers matched the facts of the case, the fluent answers did not, possibly being rehearsed set answers.  That is me - broken English and stumbling answers, fear of being found 'guilty' because I ticked a wrong box.  Guilty of what though, other than being poor and needing a helping hand?

DWP interviews are more interrogation than conversation, based on a dole officer's interpretation of the boxes you ticked and any additional answers.  Last March, when I signed on for the first time in years, this interview was carried out by a very new, poorly trained and seemingly incompetent member of staff.  I took notes, to which she objected.  This time I am tempted to record the interview, because so many errors were made.  It is not individuals' fault that they are poorly trained.  To some extent their attitude of mistrust is not their fault either, I presume this will have been instilled into them and forms the bulk of whatever process serves as training these days.  However it should not be like this. Signing on should not feel like a crime, and yet it does.  It is as if the claimant is accused of the crime of submitting a fraudulent claim and is presumed guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.  DWP is steeling itself for battle against the unworthy and undeserving poor, ripping off the taxpayers. Neither should the process feel as humiliating as it does.  It isn't a handout, it is a safety net, albeit a safety net with gaping holes in it through which many of those most in need slip.   I am already angry at the thought of being submitted to the interrogation, even whilst I rage at those living in £1,000 a month homes funded by taxpayers.  Probably there are only one or two such cases, they just get reported a lot in certain sectors of the media.  I can't have it both ways, I can't claim and want to be seen as a genuine claimant when I rage at other claimants.

My attitude of fear and anger when put together with an interviewing officer's attitude of mistrust is not an omen for a pleasant experience for either of us.  Long gone are the days when DWP was tasked with getting people back into work, now the target is 'getting people off benefits' through any means possible.  However, I will do them the courtesy of presuming they are competent.  In return I would like to think my claim is treated fairly.  More trust and less anger on my part is called for here.  I cannot control how DWP and its staff behave, I can control how I behave and must do so.  This may seem obvious to most people, but I suspect that group would be 'most people who have not had to sign on the dole recently'.   In fairness, a culture of suspicion and ridiculous 'targets' must be a burden on the staff themselves.  Bearing that in mind makes it easier to go in with an attitude of empathy, rather than in my normal state - which is just with an attitude.