Just a warning to everyone on here. Ingeus are checking this site and are keeping an eye on it. Ive been called into the office whilst job searching and warned that my messages have been read. I assume my email messages Ive posted have given me away so recommend that all messages dont contain any information that may give personal info away. Silly mistake by myself i know but a moment of madness and upset can give personal info away.

I was supposed to turn up for the mock interview in a shirt and tie but i turned up with just a shirt. The mock interview lady asked why i didn't have a tie?... I said why should i make effort for this mock interview when your colleagues dont make effort with me? And that if this was a real interview i would have made effort like i did on my 2 previous interviews. I told her how i am sick of being lied to by my advisor and also how i feel forced to take any job opportunity etc. I said i will make EFFORT when you as a company make the effort to find me a suitable job THAT I WANT! She made it out that i was being aggressive to her when in fact i was being honest and raised my valid point to her. At the end she said i wasn't suitable for the vacancy and that she will be in contact with my Advisor. All in all i told her how i felt and lets just see if things start to change for the better!

Had my weekly appointment yesterday at 3pm. I was asked to come in today at 10:30am for an interview screening or something. I told my advisor Ingeus should be associated with lastminute.com! hahaha. I told him all 3 of my interviews had been last $%^£%£ minute and that under normal interview conditions you would normally have a few days to sort things out ect. The problem is it costs money to wash and iron clothes ect and for Ingeus to ask me to get ready in less than 24 hours is a joke! Interview screening? Some sort of mock interview? well i will make a ^$%"&£ mockery of the whole thing and turn up in jeans and a t-shirt and hardly say anything. I was told that the reason for screening is so they can find the right candidate for the job or something. I don't even want the JOB! Another 16 hour ^$&"$£& pile of dog dirt! I told them I'm not prepared to do their horrible work trials unless I have proof of liability insurance and the correct signed documents etc. UPDATE YOU ALL LATER!

I don't know the rules and regs regarding CRB checks, but i would have had direct contact with children in this role. They wanted me to serve the tables ect and come into contact with children. Just because parents are present, does that mean i don't need a CRB check? Also not all parents were present during my interview! I assumed any job working in a child environment needs a CRB check. My advisor seems to think differently! At the end of the day my advisor has backed off me now. Either it's correct that i needed a CRB check or he just want's to forget about this job in question. What confused me was, if my advisor is correct that i don't need a CRB check then why is he not pushing me into contacting them to apologise and ask for another work trial:???:

Thanks Caledfwlch! I told my advisor that i won't be doing Ingeus's dirty work and he replied with :- Hi Richard, Thanks for getting in touch and letting me know. I’ve passed the message onto Nicola, so she will contact Playtown. Just so you know for the future, you’re only required to be CRB checked for a role if you have unsupervised contact with children. Obviously, with Playtown, a role in the kitchen wouldn’t have required this and, also, as their parents are with them, a CRB check would not be necessary. If this were the case, any environment where children under 18 could enter (shops, restaurants, cinemas etc), even with their parents, would require their staff to be CRB vetted. Obviously, your possible role with the Scouts is different, as there is the potential for you to be working directly with children or young adults unsupervised. Either way, I appreciate you were concerned about both the hours and nature of the role, so it probably wasn’t going to be the job for you anyway! Another vacancy has come up (in Preston) that I think is far more suitable.

Ingeus phoned me within minutes of sending the e-mail. They know they are in the wrong and accept that i don't have to take the job offer. But the cheeky buggers want me to call the employer to cancel my trial as it would make them look bad! hahaha INGEUS??? ADMIT WHEN YOU ARE WRONG!

THANKS caledfwlch!... I'm not feeling too well today mate! GOT THE BRAD PITTS! hahaha. I emailed my advisor with :- Hi Dan, After recent research with regards to the work trial, i am unable to take part in the trial... Playtown is a childrens facility - Have you performed a Criminal Records check on me? One needs to be CRB checked, before working with children, nowadays, even parents volunteering at a school have to have one (and pay for it) For all the Employer knows, i could have been convicted of an offence which could stop me working with or near kids? CRB check requirements are not magically "waived" just because its a trial, rather than an actual job. The reason i have brought this matter up is due to currently filling out forms to be a scout volunteer and needing a CRB check. I'm not refusing to do the work trial in the future but, i want to do everything legally. I want proof of liability insurance and also proof that i am able to work in a child environment. Which legally done would require a CRB check. Regards, Richard

I need some advice please everyone... I lost my delivery job a couple of weeks ago so the job centre put me back on this Ingeus Programme! On Monday i had an interview at Premier Inn (Preston) but accepted that is was only 16 hours and was happy with that due to it being only 5 miles from me. I heard nothing from them, but to be honest you very rarely hear back from an interview. On Wednesday Ingeus gave me another phone call regarding a restaurant vacancy at a childrens entertainments venue. I asked the Ingeus lady if it was more than part time hours and she said yes! At the interview i was asked if i have any kitchen experience to which i replied no! I only have basic catering experience ect. She asked if i could do a work trial to which i said yes as it would only be for a few hours. After this i asked about the hours to which she replied it's only 16 hours. I said i was unhappy due to being told it would be more hours ect. I then phoned Ingeus when i got home and she made out that i was in the wrong and that i did'nt understand her. She came up with a bull $%£^ story to get herself out of it and that she would contact the employer for me. 4 hours later! She called me back saying it's 16 hours minimum but pos more hours in the future. I told her i want more than 16 hours due to me living 20 miles away from Southport but she made it clear that i have to do the work trial at 2pm today. After reading about work trials and being told by Ingeus that it's unpaid i just want to clairfy a few things :- Do i have to take part in an "illegal" unpaid work trial? Would my benefits be sanctioned if i don't take it? I have read many websites and spoke to my job centre advisor who says unpaid work trials are illegal ect. Why then do Ingeus pressure people into doing them? I told Ingeus 16 hours is $%£$ and that i wont be any better off but they continue to push me and push me to where i nearly punched my advisor in the face! LOL

I found myself a job after being with Ingeus for nearly 2 months. I told Ingeus that i had found a job and they questioned me about the job as though i was telling porkies! hahaha.... I then filled in my job centre book with :- 'Going to live with parents down south and search for jobs in Oxford' I have had hundreds of phone calls from Ingeus asking what happened to my job i said i recieved. I told them i was still working! hahaha. And then they questioned what i told the job centre! but i have read that Ingeus only recieve money if you find a job, but because i wrote in my job centre book going to live with parents then Ingeus don't get anything! I think i have really $%£$"$% Ingeus off and it feels really good! Plus i found the job myself so Ingeus can go $£%^ themselves! BYE BYE INGEUS!

Hey, I used to be on TWL (training west lancs) a few years ago. It was a 3 month placement where you had to turn up at 9:15am and stay till 3pm Mon-Friday. As mentioned by the previous person, this scheme was scrapped. I actually preferred it to be honest. Because you had to be there for the whole day. I applied for 20-30 jobs a day with free envelopes and stamps which I took advantage off. I found friends and had a laugh from time to time. They put me on a 2 month placement at CSV which is a film a media company. I had a great time and built up some confidence. I never found a job but they paid £100 per week for 13 weeks. My point being is that on Ingeus you only receive your job seekers and nothing more. MEANSTOANEND?????.... They get money for up to 4 years? I never knew that! I can’t believe I just read that! That’s so messed up that Ingeus would earn more than me for doing no work at all. My new job is 20 hours on min wage, I would be lucky to come out with £100 a week. And Ingeus would earn more than me, for me doing the work. IT’S JUST SO CRAZY!!! No wonder Ingeus try and palm you off with jobs even as low as 8 hours per week. Well they did with me, and now I know why! TO GET THEIR EXTRA PENNIES FOR DOING F ALL!!!!

Thanks for your response... I still live at home with my parents so I won’t lose anything other than my job seekers when I sign off. I’m looking forward to getting back into work and I congratulate myself on finding the job. Just the thought of my Advisor (Dan) to take any credit makes me feel sick! I’m attending the job centre today for my last sign, and I shall fill in my booklet to hand in to them. I start my job next Monday, and I have an appointment with Ingeus on the Wednesday. I don’t think I will turn up for it, plus I will be at work so I couldn’t anyway. (LAUGHS) I reckon my advisor will try to contact me and ask why I didn’t turn up. That would be the most the advisor would have done for me. He never called me nor did he help in anyway. I actually received more help from my job centre. At least they actually sent me possible jobs in the post from time to time, and did a job search every 2 weeks. All Ingeus did was print off 5-10 jobs from the job centre website, but never actually spoke about the actually job. The job centre gave info regarding the job in question and actually spoke about it ect.

Yeah, I’ve found myself a job!!! Only part time mind, but it’s a start I suppose. Just a part time delivery job that I found myself online... Now I'm in a situation where I’m unsure what to do. Ingeus have done nothing for me as mentioned on previous posts. I don’t want Ingeus to take any credit for me finding this job on my own. As mentioned by other people I might fill in my book with signing off due to travelling or something similar. I have an appointment with Ingeus in 7-8 days time. Do you think I should phone them and tell them I will no longer be needing their help? Or should I just not turn up? The thing that worries me is if I sign off and take the job, I want clarification from someone that Ingeus won’t get any money!!! Because I will have to sort out my forms ect to give to my new employer. I take it that Ingeus only know if you’ve got a job if you tell them, or the job centre tells them? And that Inland Revenue know nothing about anything... Correct me if I’m wrong.

It makes me feel even worse about Ingeus. Why should Ingeus make between £4000-13,700 when I find myself a job! I have read further articles online of people being forced to apply for any job as the staff who work for Ingeus are told to force any job on a client. It’s all about numbers and so that Ingeus and other agencies can make money! It’s not about client happiness and looking after clients needs. My first post just proves that Ingeus will do anything they can to force you into a job. Like they tried forcing me to take the unpaid work trial THAT I FOUND MYSELF! Yet Ingeus would take every credit for me getting that job. It’s a shame that I am forced to stay on this Ingeus placement for 2 years. I 100% want to get myself back into work, but I don’t want Ingeus getting any credit what so ever. It would be different if Ingeus actually helped me find work and actually phoned potential employers for me. But all they seem to do is print me job centre jobs which I could do at home...

Hi everyone, I attended my first Ingeus appointment about 6 weeks ago. This is a short description of my experiences with Ingeus... First appointment: 25-30 minutes talking about myself (NOT MUCH TO SAY!) hahaha. And we talked about my C.V which I then emailed to Ingeus at home. Second appointment: I turned up at 4pm to be told that my advisor was ill, so I was only at the Ingeus office for 5 minutes. Thanks for calling me INGEUS! Third appointment: 25-30 minutes (seems to be their average time) Well anyway we talked more about my C.V and my advisor had updated a few little bits. He then printed me off 6-7 job centre jobs, which I could have done at home!!! Fourth appointment: Before I had attended this appointment I had an offer of a work trial from a local restaurant. I had attended an interview with the restaurant on the Saturday, and they wanted me to do a work trial on the Sunday. I bought a black shirt and black trousers, and turned up for the trial on the Sunday. After arriving I was told I would have to work 8 hours unpaid. I refused this offer, as the restaurant manager had told me there would be no definite job at the end of the trial. On attending my fourth Ingeus appointment and telling my advisor, my advisor was adamant that I should have taken the unpaid work trial. After explaining my situation he began to become slightly aggressive with me and searched his computer for the restaurant phone number. He then passed me his phone for me to call them! His attitude stunk! Ingeus have done F%$K all for me, yet they seem to want to take all the credit for finding you a job. I never phoned the restaurant as I refused due to a small argument I had with the restaurant. But my point is, if I had received a job out of the restaurant Ingeus would have taken full credit. Fifth appointment: I had another job centre job search (WOOOPIE DOO!). I then asked about travel money due to my friend mentioning I was entitled to it. My advisor then sorted everything out, and apologised for not mentioning I was entitled to it at a previous meeting. I only received £2 petrol instead of £10 for the previous meetings ect. He said the case needs to be brought up on the day of the meeting, yet they have funding for if you have an interview. So I will have a nice day trip to London which is 250 miles from me! Hahahaha. Sorry to waffle on so much, but I f$%King hate this Ingeus with a passion! They have done nothing for me at all. I used to complain about the job centre. But they actually do more for you than these silly little agencies. I DONT WANT INGEUS TO TAKE ANY CREDIT WHEN I FIND A JOB! If I find a job, it will be me that finds it NOT INGEUS! I am trying to figure out how I can sort all the paper work out when I do find a job. I was thinking about filling in my job centre book with:- Reason for signing off... Going on a 2 month holiday, or something like that. I don’t want to put down I have found a job as I don’t want Ingeus to get any credit what so ever. Do you think this would work?