Thursday 13 August 2009

Volunteer with A4e!

Do you fancy working for A4e, that "dynamic, fast growing international organisation with headquarters based in England", for nothing? You can if you live in London. The Gumtree site has an ad dated 13 August for volunteer mentors for clients on New Deal programmes. You can work for as little as one hour per week, and in return you could get training in "Time Management, Communication & Assertiveness, CV & Job search, Equal Opportunities & Diversity, as well as ‘’how to achieve long-term success’’. Additionally, after one month of mentoring, volunteers will be able to opt for City & Guilds recognition certificate as a ‘’Community Mentor’’." Tempted? Or are you thinking that A4e is being paid handsomely to do this, so why are they recruiting free labour?

5 comments:

  1. why not get the clients they have to do that, isnt that what they want to get experience for them..

    they are recruiting free emphasis on FREE, labour. means they dont have to pay anything

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good point, Martin. I think A4e are more interested in getting as many clients as poss into low paid temp jobs so they can cop for the two grand bonus.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Milly Tant, I'm afraid you're mistaken about the process and the figures. They can't claim job outcomes for temporary jobs; and the payment for a job outcome is not a bonus, but built into the payments structure. And Martin, A4e do use clients as what you might call teachers' aides, unpaid, but they can hardly use them to mentor other unemployed people!

    ReplyDelete
  4. actually i was asked to help everyone else because i knew computers, i was asked to work in the office. I was asked to teach them how to do a proper document, proper cv because i can type have my rsa's.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is an edited version of an anonymous comment:
    "Well my dad lives in Cornwall and he has mental health problems and was forced through the doors of A4e, after he was found unfit at the job centre plus he is nearly 60 and has worked all his life but had a break down after losing his father A4e on the first day forced him to sign all the health and safety DO'S and DONT'S even before he had a chance to read it and was told if he did not his money would be santioned THREATS I call it any way halfway into the programme of Q&A sessions Dont matter about his mental status the interviewer who was supposed to be helping him found out she has lost her job with A4e due to staff restructuring when he found out she was leaving he offered his apologies and she told him that she was sorry for the pushing at the monthly meetings but had people on her back as well pushing her for results and after that she couldnt be botherd and left my father alone and just filled up the computer screen/programme with easy answers which gave my father a break now he is on a disability pension and he feels getting back some of the money back he has paid in over the years."

    ReplyDelete

Keep it clean, please. No abusive comments will be approved, so don't indulge in insults. If you wish to contact me, post a comment beginning with "not for publication".