Hey there, Dear Readers! Here's my second update/blog for the day! I have so much on my mind... I think I should just offload as my experiences could possibly help you in your situation. I think that people who are employed can see that through no fault of my own I am being targeted and screwed by the system of institutions said to be able to help people get back into work be it with an employer or self-employed. Were you, like me, naive to believe that the DWP/JCP/Universal Credit/Tax Credit Office system is there to help people? HARD TARGET Yes, there are times I feel as though I am on a continual movie set where I play the archetypal one man against the system lone wolf character. Because I refused to go on the Mandatory Work Activity in September 2013 in favor of becoming self-employed, I have been targeted for systematic consecutive sanctions. I have the idea that I am flagged up on the DWP/JCP systems as someone who needs to be taught as to what happens when I defy the system. ENTER: TRICKY VICKY I tell you, it was humiliating having to go back to JCP Enfield to sign up to Universal Credit. After bringing in my papers I then met with my former work coach (coax), Tricky Vicky. I had met her briefly when I came off the 2-year Back to Work program; she had to interview me with the notion to see where I wanted to go from that point. I found the woman to be irritating due to the fact that she does not listen to a word I say. And when she does listen it is with a view to counter whatever I state with her own brand of "wisdom". It got to a point where I just stopped talking to her. She was pissing me off big time and because I knew what I wanted to do, which was to go on the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme (NEA), I let her talk. I tuned her out mostly. I think I was responsive when it was appropriate to be so. To be honest, I could not stand the woman. Her body language, demeanor, voice, intellect, understanding and general approach to me as a person left me cold. So, when I saw that she was going to be my new work coach (coax) I was not thrilled. Typically, Tricky Vicky was the same person that I had met briefly in 2013. I was trying to tell her about my self-employment and she just wasn't getting it. I had to give up! It's as though she is incapable of listening to anyone without inserting her ideas in the middle. Her inability to listen is very alarming. Check out this example... Tricky Vicky: Have you got a CV? Me: Yes, I have one... It shouldn't be a problem to update it. Tricky Vicky: OK, I am going to book you an appointment with someone in the National Careers Service to help you write a CV. I told her that I had a CV and that I wouldn't have a problem to update it yet, despite working in IT and with computers for about the last 15 years, she booked an appointment with someone in the NCS to help me with a CV. I started to bubble inside but thought the better of it; I decided to make the most of it. I met the person in the NCS, showed him my CV and, to my surprise, he was impressed and quite animated. What's more is that he suggested that I should try my hand at self-employment. I did mention to Tricky Vicky that I wanted to be self-employed again much to her disdain. So, I was very reassured that, at some point, I'd be able to develop one of my many different business ideas. Again, I was struck with how disagreeable Tricky Vicky was whenever I brought up the subject of self-employment. That got me wondering as to what the hell is on the DWP/JCP system with regards to me being self-employed. Come March... EXIT: TRICKY VICKY Tricky Vicky went on leave and I was assigned a temporary work coach, an empathetic Keep It Simple Susan. I asked my temporary work coach if I could go on the NEA and within a minute I was booked on an NEA induction day. Yes, just like that! As I have said, Tricky Vicky kept fixing me with a dirty look and a grunt of disapproval whenever I brought up the subject of self-employment. By the time Tricky Vicky came back from leave she must have had kittens to learn that I was on the NEA. Naturally, Tricky Vicky was not supportive with regards to me on the NEA. She lacked knowledge of the process from start to finish. She kept on saying things that did not sound right/true. But I was so busy preparing myself to start the business that I had it in mind that things would come together at the right time. My underlying grievance with Tricky Vicky is that she was unable to give me support from her side of things. She's supposed to know the JCP products. I resented having to do her job for her by finding out the exact process of what happens when I want to sign off - so to speak - and go into business. You'd have thought that between the NEA and my work coax that they'd be able to give me the exact lowdown of the process. I felt so stressed out! Fair enough, Tricky Vicky did allow me to have some extra time to complete the NEA but my problems were numerous. MY BUSINESS IDEA I wanted to produce some Vegan based foods; I was given the go-ahead to make contact with the buyers at Holland & Barratt on the strength of my sample product. Now, I don't know about you but I think this is very significant. I was having trouble with finding a solution to my packaging. I also asked Tricky Vicky, temporary work coach, Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan, and NCS to locate a Food Safety & Hygiene course as I would need certification in Food Safety to allow me to trade. No course could be found between the 3 of them! Remember that fact! SEPTEMBER 2016 I couldn't get the packaging together and I could see that I wasn't going to get the rest of the components ready in time... God knows it took me long enough to find the right molds to fashion the food product. You'd have thought finding molds and packaging would be simple, right? WRONG! Let me quickly give you a funny but true story regarding packaging... I found a packaging company online - as you do! I made contact via a telephone call. I got the person's name and address. I then sent her dummies of my food made from plasticine. After a few days had elapsed I called the woman to ask if she has a packaging solution for me. She seemed to be suffering what can only be termed as a mental breakdown because of the plasticine food. Her tone was very dismissive and I was practically apologizing to her for sending her plasticine food. I was freaked out because she was freaked out! Here's me thinking that the food dummies would give her the exact dimensions of the food and therefore be able to give me a precise packaging fit. There you go! This woman was hysterical over the phone and I couldn't believe it! So, I had to bow out gracefully from the NEA. I did express a wish to come back on it once I solved my problems. There was pressure on me to get everything done in a specific timeframe. I did try! EXIT: TRICKY VICKY AGAIN Tricky Vicky went on leave again and I had Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan once more. It was October (2016) and I had my appointment with Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan. She was concerned that I wasn't doing enough (work activity) to look for work. I told Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan that I had been working on creating my online portfolio as my work commitment was to look for Graphic & Multimedia Design jobs. I also worked on a business card that cost me £35 out of my Universal Credit personal allowance to print. I said, "I have been getting good responses from employers based on my CV but they want to see a portfolio of work," my temporary work coach agreed that I was doing the right thing in order to create a portfolio. Plus I was distributing my business cards based on Social Media Marketing in order to get some kind of work - even if it was just a few days work! RE-ENTER: TRICKY VICKY Tricky Vicky comes back from her leave and vetos what Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan and I agreed upon. I get issued a notification that came from her to say that "We are concerned that you did not do everything you could to find work..." Who the hell is "We"? The notification came with form - I think it was a UC70 or UC71 form. But I rejected it on the basis that it did not make any sense to me; I did do enough to look for work. Empathetic Keep It Simple Susan was okay with what I had done (to look for work) and why should it be that Tricky Vicky should dismiss it? I tell you, Tricky Vicky loves to throw her weight around! She a senior worker at JCP Enfield and she wants everyone to know it! The next thing I know, on my next appointment with Tricky Vicky I had Callous Karen as a "witness". Callous Karen wasn't a witness... Oh, no! The role of Callous Karen was to try to bully me to say that working on a portfolio for the purpose of getting Graphic & Multimedia Design work was to do with self-employment (when it wasn't). The same with my business cards. Look, I wouldn't go as far to say that my business cards meant that I was self-employed; no. The purpose (of the business cards) was to put me out there for the odd bit of work that could come my way. I am good at Social Media Marketing and I could easily take over someone's Social Media accounts for a day or two in exchange for a fee that I would declare to the Universal Credit system. Apparently, Universal Credit takes 65 pence from every £1 I earn. Anyway, I did not concur with what Callous Karen was forcing upon me. The next appointment I that I had with Tricky Vicky her line manager sat in! Once again, I had to retell what I had done for work activity for the 13th to 19th of October 2016. The line manager understood what I was saying and told Tricky Vicky to allow me two weeks to generate my portfolio. Seriously, you can't do a portfolio like that. Yes, I can get some work completed but there is more to it than the 2 weeks would have allowed! The line manager, Denial Delilah, took a business card from me. At the end of that meeting, we established that I did do enough "work activity" and when asked, "Can we do anything else for you?" I replied, "Can you please rescind the 'concern' you had." Tricky Vicky then gave me the phone, sat me in front of another desk and the woman I spoke to (at the Universal Credit Service Centre) told me that she could not see an issue on her system and that I should go back to Tricky Vicky to have her withdraw this 'concern' of hers and she wouldn't do it. Standby for Part Three...