J. K. Rowling was on benefits three years before the first Harry Potter book was published. She couldn’t afford a computer or even the cost of photocopying the 90,000-word novel, so she manually typed out each version to send to publishers. It was rejected dozens of times until, finally, Bloomsbury, a small London publisher, gave it a second chance after the CEO’s eight-year-old daughter fell in love with it.
Getting a job in the ‘real world’ is a lot harder than getting a student part-time job at uni. It was really hard to find what I wanted: which was an actual career. Now in all honesty, I wasn’t completely sure what career I wanted but I just knew I wanted to help children. I’d done placements working with children with autism and Asperger’s and I found it really rewarding. I didn’t want four hours here and a zero-hour contract there; I wanted a proper career. But there were just no jobs. Not even in the field I wanted, just in general. For every job that was coming up in the North East, there were 200 applicants, even for part-time jobs. It was just ridiculous. There was just nothing out there. I had so many friends at the time who were on zero-hour contracts. The recession had really changed everything.
When I graduated from York St John’s I felt I had honestly been fed the dream: ‘If you go to university, then you can have a career you love. The world is your oyster.’ But it’s not as easy as that. I remember thinking at the time, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t gone to uni.’ I was up to my eyeballs in debt from my student loan and living off £40 a week. Now, looking back, I wouldn’t change it for the world; I’m proud I accomplished what I did and it was a great experience. It just wasn’t as easy getting a job afterwards as I had anticipated.
I just wanted to have a career, I wanted to work hard, be independent and make myself and my family proud. I ended up being on the dole for about five months before getting my job helping to assess medical information and helping disabled students at university.
I remember going to the dole office for the first time. I arrived fifteen minutes early and was greeted by the security guard. It didn’t fill me with confidence that they needed to have safety precautions. When I got there I tried to stay positive. I sat at the slate-grey desk and handed the lady my CV and we chatted about what jobs I would be suitable for.
‘I have had a lot of experience working in customer service, I have worked in part-time retail jobs since I was sixteen as well as working as a checkout operator. I volunteered teaching drama and dance to children who lack confidence and I’ve done many placements with children with special educational needs.’
‘Well, you know you haven’t got enough experience in the workplace for teaching or caring for disabled children like you’ve specified on your curriculum vitae. I know you have done placements at university but it just isn’t enough for the competition that’s out there, I’m afraid. Everywhere is wanting people with experience so they can spend less time training, do you understand?’
I did feel slightly patronised but I stayed positive. ‘Yes, I understand but someone needs to give me the opportunity to get some experience, otherwise I’m never going to get anywhere. It’s a vicious circle.’
It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the job of my dreams straight away but I just felt like they didn’t listen to what I was saying. I know they’re only trying to do their job of helping people get off Jobseekers’ Allowance but some of the jobs I had to apply for I knew I was never going to get.
‘So you live in County Durham, are willing to travel but can’t drive. Hmmm, there’s a job here just thirty miles from your home but it’s a pizza delivery driver so that’s no good for you.’
‘No, I’m afraid not.’
‘Here’s a job that’s just popped up on my screen today: a sandwich artist.’
‘What’s that?’
‘It’s someone who makes sandwiches. Right, because we are setting up this interview for you, you should be aware that your Jobseekers’ Allowance will be stopped if you don’t attend.’
‘I never said I wouldn’t attend.’ I honestly didn’t mind the idea of becoming a sandwich maker; to be honest I’d have taken a job eating the crusts from the sandwiches of kids who didn’t want to eat them if it meant coming off the dole. I handed a CV in and waited for the call to tell me when the interview was happening. Well, days passed and I realised I clearly hadn’t quite cut the mustard. Maybe I should have enclosed a picture of all the Billy Bear ham sandwiches I had made in the past.
The second time I went to the dole office, they said, ‘Oh, you need to go on this three-day CV-writing course.’
‘Are you joking? I know how to write a CV. I might have a lack of experience – even though I’ve had part-time jobs since I was sixteen – but I’ve been in education all my life. If there is one thing I can do and I have experience in, it’s writing.’
So I had to go on this course, otherwise I wouldn’t get my dole money. I went there, and they read my CV and went, ‘Yes, really good.’
‘Right …’
‘So if you could just help everybody else write theirs, that would be great.’ For the next three days, I was a CV-writing teacher.
The next week when I went to the dole office, because I had had to go by bus to the CV-writing course, I had
