I'm convinced the whole process is designed to be as torturous as possible whilst staying just this >| side of the Geneva Convention. Somebody somewhere has the job of coming up with as many hoops as possible for people to jump through in order to 'prove their worth'. A lot of companies here want an HND (Higher National Diploma - roughly the equivalent of two years of university) for the most basic admin jobs. I can type and I know the alphabet so I can file stuff. How much more do I need? Ah, I need the magic experience. That's a whole other vicious circle. Also because the minimum wage doesn't kick in here until you're 21, most businesses hire schoolies to do their admin so they don't have to pay them properly.
I don't know what employment agencies are like over there, but here some of them have been banned from using the government-run Jobcentres because they were advertising jobs that didn't exist just to boost the numbers on their books. I'm 32, I was ill for three years and I've had a succession of temporary jobs or been made redundant through no fault of my own. I've gone on courses, I've done unpaid voluntary work, I've done everything I can to find work and nobody's interested. It sucks, honey. It totally sucks, and I wish you all the best. Because despite all that, I'm hoping I'll find a teaching job and end up doing something I love, and I hope that for you too.
