Well as I've now been unemployed for 12 months I think that I am fully qualified to review the Job Centre.

If you've never had the misfortune of having to go into one of these places then count your blessings, as then no part of your life has been tarnished by these cold, inpersonal, depressing places.

Personally I've never had a good experience with the Job Centre on any occassions that I have been unemployed and had to use their services. For example any employment I have undertaken has always been through my own endevors, never theirs. I actually hate having to go there as it's so depressing and a waste of my time. I just walk in, view the job points, wait whilst my appointment time comes and goes and then around 20 minutes late I see an advisor who asks how I am and I have I worked and then I sign my little bit of paper. I walk out feeling like all hope, happiness and enjoyment has been squeezed out of me and I just want to go home and curl up in a ball. I'm normally a happy go lucky person, but this is one thing that does affect me.

The advisors, which is a term I use losely, rarely look for any work for me or advisor me of anything. To me this is a great injustice as this is what they should be doing. There is one man who occassionally points out jobs for me that he knows I can't do due to location and then has the nerve to call me picky. I don't drive but I will travelling on public transport but this man expects me to do a job as a hotel receptionist where the start time is 4am. At this time there is no public transport in my area, so I would have to travel by taxi everyday at great cost, I am not going to do this and I think this is quite reasonable, but he's one of those that just doesn't understand.

Recently I enquired about any funding for new businesses so I was amazed, and happy, when I was told the governments Enterprise Scheme was now available in my area. All I was told was that I could get a loan of up to £1000 towards start up costs and a mentor for 6 months. All I had to do was submitted a business plan and then once it was evaluated I would be told if I was successfull or not. I asked about the loan, ie repayment times and interest and was told there was no information yet available. I looked online and couldn't find any information about this. I needed this information to finalise my business plan so I went back to the Job Centre and asked them about this and also if there were any minimum timescales for which your business had to run for. The answers I got were shocking and dissappointing. I was told they don't know anything at all about the loan and was this information really important, and I was informed that I was asking too many questions. I walked out dumbfounded by this lack of help, I finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel but it was getting dimmer and dimmer. I did some further research online, research the Job Centre should have done for me, and all I could find was that no one knew anything about the repayment period or interest! So as this couldn't be written in my business plan and I've no funds of my own I have had to leave my business plan. So basically the Job Centre have prevented me from starting up a business, coming off JSA and being self reliant.

I normally hate it when I hear people saying thinks like, "I could do that job, they're so rubbish" but I really think I could do their job as I'm a friendly, understanding person who likes to help people and I would actaully spend time with whoever is sat in front of me treating them like a human being and look on the computer to see if there is anything suitable.