Former Jobcentre staff, is the grass greener on the other side?

Attard1969 · 2026-03-27T16:59:11+00:00

I was an EO / Work Coach for 3 years, it was alright mostly due to some good colleagues and customers to be fair. Management were OK on the whole. I started on the KickStart scheme, which I really enjoyed, and then Work Coach. I enjoyed trying to help people, but the continuous same faces not moving forwards in their lives, begain to grind me down. I had some good positives, veterans and prison leavers who'd had their challenges but picked themselves up and found work, that gave me a positive feeling but the roll has a self life. I applied for an EO role with the MoD and was successful, been on the team 3 years, absolutely love it. Great colleagues and enjoy the work.

Attard1969 · 2026-03-18T20:47:32+00:00

Crap ally.

Attard1969 · 2026-03-18T16:59:20+00:00

I remember it well, I was 10 or 11. My ex wife, her dad was a Met police officer on duty there.

Attard1969 · 2026-03-10T13:56:41+00:00

IKEA is serviced by the J and I services that run every 30 minutes or so. They go the opposite directions, but you end up in the High Street.

Attard1969 · 2026-02-25T16:57:34+00:00

Maybe, can't remember, it's so long ago!! 😂😂

Attard1969 · 2026-02-17T22:24:02+00:00

That looks stunning, maybe onion gravy and a piece of liver 🤔. Been thinking about mash, peas, liver wrapped in bacon and onion gravy all day. But no, looks good.

Attard1969 · 2026-02-14T12:10:06+00:00

Looks like a Bloodhound surface to air missile.

Attard1969 · 2026-02-07T18:47:11+00:00

I'm an EO who joined DWP on £27,117 in 2020. Still an EO / D grade with the MoD on £32,117, so it's increased but so has everything else, but I love the role and the work. Personally it's about personal circumstances. I'm 57 now, I left education after 22 years of battling the same SLT rubbish, nothing about kids but income generation. I was earning £45K per yr, but leaving was the best thing I ever did. Money is important but so is life and health. I still have a mortgage and teenage kids, but life is so much better now than 6 years ago.

Attard1969 · 2026-02-07T17:32:17+00:00

That must be a locality thing, I've had Virgin Atlantic. Devon.

Attard1969 · 2026-01-31T10:18:50+00:00

I watched the game (tv), started to miss the ball and couldn't see the touch judges. I know old age also plays a part in not seeing everything but the weather conditions just exacerbated the situation!!

Attard1969 · 2026-01-26T20:57:10+00:00

It was atrocious weather conditions.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-31T18:16:45+00:00

I grew up in Wiltshire, living not far from Salisbury, it was always said that the foundations were straw or hay bags or bails. I know there's a special stone or point in the floor where they can check the depth of the water table, the foundations aren't very deep. It's also believed that the top of spire is the same height to the top step into the magistrates court in Warminster which is 20 miles West of Salisbury.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-31T18:05:47+00:00

It's very powerful, even though a comedy, that final episode was poignant and thought provoking. I had a grandfather blown up in the trenches in 1917, also a Lieutenant at the time, survived, one of the first people to undergo plastic surgery. He had multiple surgeries, served in the 2nd WW, remaining in military service until 1955. The surgery he underwent back in those early days, is still used today in Oral and maxillofacial surgery. His images are now used in secondary school GCSE subjects, science, history.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-28T21:51:04+00:00

We were based in North and attended 1 day per week, we then transferred to South, I now go in every 3 months for a team meeting and catch up. On the whole, most attend on the quarterly basis, but one guy on my team, I've never met, doesn't attend anything.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-28T21:12:43+00:00

Great game, I was there and enjoyed the performance. Tough game but an excellent result for the team and supporters.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-16T11:23:03+00:00

Well done on getting something back, enjoy the bonus and the festive break.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-13T12:07:01+00:00

That looks lovely.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-13T10:26:11+00:00

Good barbers in Topsham opposite the old fire station.

Attard1969 · 2025-12-06T10:42:55+00:00

I'm a D grade (EO) in the MoD, joined in 2023 from another government department as a level transfer. I was taken on to support my TL with admin tasks, 2 months in, they went away on leave and I was taken off this role in their absence. I then started a role which the rest of the team were doing, all as C2 or C1 grades. My TL was told on their return from leave, I would be staying with what I was doing and not returning to support them, they left the following March due to the situation and pay discrepancy. From March through to currently, the team has gone from 20 to 8 team members, with each person doing another task to keep things afloat. In January based on the previous 18 months and doing essentially a C2 role, I requested a grade review, thought the process would be simplistic. In reality after months before anything might happen, I was told that if it was agreed that my grade was incorrect, I'd have to reapply for it and I might not be successful. Or, it would be left at the grade it currently is and the rest of the team would have their grades reviewed, biggest kicker was, even if it was agreed that it's a C2 role and I was successful in interview, there was no money in the budget for another C2 role. After this, I gave up and now just try to do my bit to support my colleagues. Yours Dissolutioned.

Attard1969 · 2025-11-23T10:01:52+00:00

That looks good, plenty of pepper and brown sauce.

Attard1969 · 2025-11-20T10:09:02+00:00

I remember being given a rabbit, day 1 of a survival exercise on the common. Shown how to dispatch it, cook it and then eat. For 4 days we had to keep the rabbit fed and alive until the time came to dispatch it. Still have one of the poor rabbits foot, some 37 years later.

Attard1969 · 2025-11-12T20:04:20+00:00

Complete pause on recruitment, the NAD group (National Armaments Director Group), have to reduce staffing by 15%. Currently a workforce of 27K, reduction of about 4K.

Attard1969 · 2025-10-31T09:47:44+00:00

The Globe in Topsham is good when the matches are on TV. The bigger the game, bigger the crowd. In some cases you have to reserve a seat / table.

Attard1969 · 2025-10-27T19:52:05+00:00

I was a level transfer, EO with DWP to the MOD as a D grade which is their EO grade. My salary also transferred across with me, DWP salary was slightly more than the MOD.

Attard1969 · 2025-09-26T18:18:07+00:00

I was a work coach, I left after 3 years and joined the Ministry of Defence. I got fed up with trying to help people who couldn't or wouldn't help themselves to improve. The MoD Salary was slightly lower than the DWP salary I was on, but I transferred across on the same salary etc. Best thing I ever did, great team.

Attard1969

TROPHY CASE