Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My case manager sort of slagged me because I said that I can't be working in an area that is well over 20-30 minutes away from our home.
He said that's it the law to look for jobs that can be up to 90 minutes away from your residence (which is true - it is the law, so they won't sympathize or excuse you). I was just flabbergasted and was like "no way, 90 minutes is way too much". He then sort of had a heart and said, "well, okay, at least an hour in your case?". And that's still too much for me. He sort of patronized me and went like "that is so unbelievable", telling me that I'm the only one who does this.
He then went to tell that me that he used to drive an hour everyday to his job. You know, telling me how much of a hard worker he was and that whole cliche.
My question is, do I have the personal rights to only look for jobs (or even courses) in my locality and turn down those that are over 30 minutes away? It's a personality and comfort thing - Anxiety and pressure play a role in long commutes for me and I can't handle those. Why can't they acknowledge that?
If you have a case worker and there is some law that says you must do it, then no, you don't have the right to pick and choose what you want. It is not their job to acknowledge that you stress over long commutes. If they did, everyone could say the same thing, making the law void. If you have a physician who agrees that the commute is a problem, you may be eligible to get some type of medical dispensation.
If you get a job offer and you are on unemployment, whatever the state regulation says about that, you have to comply.
However you cannot be forced to APPLY to jobs that are that far away. As long as you apply to 2 jobs per week that's all they can make you do. Especially with gas being $4 and $5 a gallon, driving that far does not make any sense.
Just keep applying to the requisite number of jobs in your area every week. However, if there are not many jobs in your area or if they pay very poorly, it might behoove you to consider the fact that you may have to move to where the jobs are. No one says you can't move closer to that job that is a 90 minute drive away.
You don't say what your situation is - unemployment office? Job training? Something else?
And btw - I do think 20 minutes from home IS ridiculously restrictive. An hour is a bit much, but still doable. At least for awhile. You can always keep looking for a closer job once you have a job. Or, move to where the job is.
Since you're in Australia, I don't know what the rules are as far as how many you have to apply to, etc. But if the law does specify a certain boundary (90 minutes) then why would you expect to be exempt from that?? Sorry hon, that's not how the world works.
I don't know how the laws work in your area, but here one can get their benefits suspended for not complying with whatever requirements they give you. You can always check with a supervisor if you think the case manager is being unrealistic. They usually have guidelines to follow so he's probably told you the correct information.
Since you're in Australia, I don't know what the rules are as far as how many you have to apply to, etc. But if the law does specify a certain boundary (90 minutes) then why would you expect to be exempt from that?? Sorry hon, that's not how the world works.
Well....hon...most of the people around me (family, friends, relatives) are 10-15 minutes away from their work, by drive distance. What makes THEM any better than me? Why should my life be more difficult than other people? People should be wise and smart looking for jobs - The distance would be a factor to SOME people, like myself. You drive an hour to work and you like it, cool, but NOT everyone has your mindset.
Since the boundary is 90 minutes, who said I can't look for 20 minute distance jobs? The law never stated we should be looking for jobs only over the 60 minute mark. The case manager made it seem like we should be ALL looking for jobs more than 60 minutes away! Now that's how YOUR world works?
Btw, I don't even drive. Taking public transport everyday would be a killer. I like it from time to time, but not everyday. That's why I need to learn how to drive quickly.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,957,550 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by theropod
Well....hon...most of the people around me (family, friends, relatives) are 10-15 minutes away from their work, by drive distance. What makes THEM any better than me?
They're working. You're not.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
