Signing on

This morning I had my first jobseeker's interview: for the first time in 19 years I have joined the ranks of those officially registered as unemployed and it's a strange feeling. I think because the whole system as we now have it is geared [on the whole rightly I think in sme respects] to seeing it as a support in finding work and it does appear to me that this is indeed the mission since it is clear that various kinds of support are offered. But none that less thre is still a tendency for it to hook the justification by works module in me. There is also a certain humiliation in going through this process, though the staff I've dealt with have not been responsible for that; it's systematic by the nature of the beast. I'm doing it because by doing so I can access help in setting up my business for free if necessary and perhaps get other kinds of start up help and advice. That they might also give me a bit of money is a plus but it put it in perspective when the week after my contract in Bradford finished I did a piece of work writing a report for £250 and this is more for two days work than I get signing on. Only problem is that I can't get regular work at that rate!