Signing on.

I'm going home at lunchtime. I have an appointment at the Job Centre at 2.15 to process my paperwork for Jobseeker's Benefit (that's like unemployment benefit but we're not called "unemployed", we're called "job seekers" ) and have a work focused interview with some guy.

He's probably about 12 years old. I can't say I'm looking forward to this.

Then I think I will take Roy out for dinner to:
- thank him for being so brilliant while I'm away from home so much
- celebrate me leaving my job on Monday and
- spend some of my redundancy pay.

All being well (and Dad seems pretty stable at the moment) I'll be home until Monday morning. We've organised for carers to pop in at night to do the couple of things that my sis and I do for dad - move him to a comfy position in the bed and some other things which aren't for mentioning whilst people are having breakfast!. Dad says he is happy with that but I will check that it goes ok tonight and if not, see what else we could organise.

Comment added in May:
Oh I wanted to comment on the signing on process! I had got myself so worked up about this. The whole idea of it (having worked since I was 16 and never claimed a penny's benefit) was making me quite anxious.
So I got home to find a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions asking me to bring along about 433 separate items to my interview! What? Most of it seemed to be about Roy - his accounts, etc. etc. In a mad rush I just threw whatever I could find into my folder and ran out. Somebody was digging up our road, and blocking the way - more stress... they were dillying around saying they'd only be 5 minutes - and I was flapping that I'd be denied dole if I was late for the appointment!
Finally arrived at the Jobcentre, to find 2 big burly bouncers at the door.... they had a list of names and checked me off on the way in. I was sent into one side of the office for "processing". I sat in the waiting area (surprisingly pleasant with sofas!) and eyed up the assistants sitting there... all of whom looked to me like complete jobsworths. The one who I was called to reminded me of "Computer Says No..." from Little Britain. I had a really bad attitude as I sat there, sulking because I didn't want to do it. Just pay me the money, will you! Anyway, I was totally wrong. The lady who I saw was very nice indeed. She dismissed the pile of papers I'd brought with me - apparently the people who fill the forms in don't understand the benefits and ask for everything - and just wanted my last payslip. Which of course I'd lost (turned out I'd dropped it in Lorraine's car) so she took details of Pru and said she'd call them. Once she'd finished I was taken in to my appointment (Job Focused Interview!) with Mark Somebody. He wasn't 12 (as I'd predicted). He was late 40's I'd say... and looked like the type who still lives at home with his mum. I don't know if the staff had been to the pub at lunch, but the whole office smelled of stale booze. Maybe that's the smell of jobseekers, LOL. I was frightened half to death by one of the jobseekers being yelled at by his "consultant" for not bringing in his diary (you have to fill in a record of what you've been doing to find work). Hmm, maybe they're clamping down on people!
So, back to my interview, Mark was keen to know all about me... what O Levels did I have (crikey I had to make them up, I couldn't remember!) and could I use my languages in work? Erm... doubt it, it's been almost 30 years since I spoke French or German! He was so funny - like a sketch show character, a really fussy pants. He seemed very frustrated that my address was so short - just my house number, street name and Leeds! So he made the middle bit up!! I just let him add in the district that he thought I lived in. We filled lots of forms in (he got very agitated at one stage when he'd filled the wrong date and ripped up the form in temper) and then he gave me a little folder with my diary in, and all the things I had to promise to do to find work.... and then my signing on dates. To be fair to the guy, I told him about my personal situation and he worked it so I only had to sign on once in April and once in May due to the bank holidays and easter. Then he asked if I wanted to do a job search there and then on the jobcentre database. Go on then, I thought. So we spent 15 minutes deciding what job code to put in, and agreed on "insurance manager" despite me trying to explain to him what I did. Then he asked what salary I wanted. Same as my last job, I said. Fair enough, says he - what was that then? When I told him, he visibly gulped. But didn't bat an eyelid as he said "Well, you've presented me with quite a challenge there, Janice". After a while trawling through jobs offering no more than a quarter of my desired salary, we decided to call it a day. "I don't really think we cater for people like you". He said. People like me? I thought I was normal!!!