Census Enumeration - Sensible, Nonsense or Incensing?? (My Experiences and Advice)

Member Name: Marcus_T

Product:	My Experiences and Advice
Date:	25/04/01 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free drink at the training sessions.

Disadvantages: Time consuming, poor pay and THAT bag...

Having been made redundant and now updating my IT skills on a course that makes it difficult to fit in with temp agency booking requirements, I am needing to earn extra money until I am back in a full time job…….. along came the Census!! This is the count of people and property that has happened every decade for the past 200 years to provide statistics for government and business spending plans. I noted that the payment for the job of “Enumerator” (a person who delivers the forms) was somewhat derisory but I didn’t fancy the “considerable” administration that went with the dizzy heights of “Team Leader”.

I phoned a *hot line*, left my details and the forms turned up about 2 weeks later. Rather a comprehensive application I thought for such a temporary job but I guess things have to be done correctly don’t they? They wanted examples of my experience of working to deadlines, dealing with the public and such like. I duly received a phone call inviting me for an initial interview. I pitched up at a rather dilapidated church hall at 7pm one Monday evening in March to be greeted by 2 council employees who I found out were a Team Leader and a District Manager of the Census. I was told 45 minutes later that I was successful and would be hearing from them in due course. My letter of appointment duly arrived along with instructions to return to the church hall at an allocated time, with 2 passport photos, to be formally appointed (oooooOOOOooooo) and to pick up my “supplies”. During that 1 hour meeting, one person took me through the reading and learning that I would have to do over the following couple of days, another made up my identity badge and my Team Leader showed me the area I would be covering. He said “Most people will have an average of 450 addresses to enumerate” How many??? Four hundred and fifty??? Jeeez… Then it was outside to the car park to pick up some boxes; f
orms, more forms, envelopes, more envelopes and then I looked again as I was handed the most hideous piece of equipment ever… a bright yellow fluorescent bag with pink writing on it… “You cannot be serious?” I thought.. Did they really expect me to walk around my local area with THAT on my shoulder?? Unfortunately they did. Sulking, I went home only for Rachel to laugh at me when I walked in with THAT bag…

Next was a couple of days to do some reading, learning and to complete a test before attending my 2 hours of “Delivery Training” at a local pub. There was a tab running at the bar!! Free booze!! Hurrah!! I wish I hadn’t drunk the first pint so quickly because I nearly fell asleep during a video hosted by the wonderful Anne Gregg of travel show fame advising us, amongst other things to: “Watch that weather forecast as you may need to take your umbrella with you”. Yeah, cheers Anne, thanks for the advice!

So it was onwards to the start of delivery. Prior to that, quite some hours were spent writing codes and addresses on the front of the forms as this would save time at the door. “Prepare your bag” my instructions told me… THAT bag… please don’t make do it. I admit I was a little apprehensive to start with and didn’t cover many addresses on the first day. You don’t know who is on the other side of that door do you? Having said that, neither do the residents. As each day went by I got more and more confident going through my “doorstep routine”. If no contact is made at the first attempt, you log the date and time, stick a leaflet through and make a plan to call again. By the 19th April, 2 weeks in, I had called on all addresses once, delivered to half, nobody had said “No”, hardly anyone had resisted and I was feeling quite confident. It was a great feeling to have completed the 2nd Phase by yesterday (24th April)..2 and a h
alf weeks and all 423 delivered and still nobody had said no! Yaay!!

I now have some time off until the 8th May before commencing 2 weeks of “Follow up” work chasing the forms that people haven’t sent back. There is a 2 hour training session to go with that incidentally and that is next week, the 1st of May (in the same pub so I hope we get free beer again!) The whole thing will not be over until nearly the end of May. As far as money goes, you get paid in 2 lots with the second instalment not due until the middle of JUNE! I will post some more on this op in due course.

If computerisation has it’s way, this will probably be the last time the Census information is gathered this way. There may be one more but that will be it I reckon. So, the point of writing this opinion is not to say what a wonderful job this is but to enlighten people to how much work has gone on behind the scenes when THAT person knocks on your door with THAT bag on their shoulder and you cuss because you miss 3 minutes of Eastenders!! :o)

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