We like the moon coz it is close to us - But not as high as dirigibles or zeppelins...

[gemfyre]

I am now on the Centerlink treadmill.

I must apply for 10 jobs a fortnight. Apparently they have to be full time. Christ, there AREN'T 10 full time jobs a fortnight that I am qualified to do!!

I will just apply for anything. And I thought volunteer work counted as an activity and if you did it you didn't have to so much job searching. But from the impression the woman gave me this isn't true and I'm now confused.

Stupid damn Centerstink.

I'm sure all these employers just love getting loads of half-hearted applications from unqualified people just because these people have to make up their numbers or else they won't be paid.

Comments

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

I did that treadmill for the last year of studying part-time to finish off odds and ends of my degree.

You have a couple of other options, but whether you will get approved or not for them is up to the discretion of the particular centrelink officer that you see.

You can sign up for a Mutual Obligation Agreement which requires you to do:
1. At least 130 hours of part-time or paid casual work within 13 fortnights
2. At least 200 hours of community work within 13 f/nights if aged 18-20, 240 hours if aged 21-39 or 150 hours if aged 40-49

Now I'm not entirely sure about this, but I don't think you get to do a MO agreement straight away - I think you have to be on the dole for 3 months first, but ask someone at centrelink and if you are not happy with their answer, ask to see someone else.

I have been doing the p/t or paid casual work option for about 6 months now, and it's cool, but mostly i have ended up working so much that I havent been paid anything by da Link....

PS - centrelink do not have the resources to check whether you actually applied for all the jobs you have written in your diary, and contrary to what that rude CSO told you, you have to apply for part-time and casual positions as well. What they are looking for is that you have filled it out pretty well, legibly, and that its believable that you have filled it out as you went (i.e. not filled it out from the phone book, put in alphabetical order through the diary in the same colour pen). Even then, all they can do is record their suspicions and give you a bit of a harder time about it.