I have been unemployed (apart from 8 weeks at the beginning of the year), for 1 year now.  I have applied for countless jobs, had a few interviews, most companies I apply to don't even bother acknowledging my application let alone contact me to say I have been unsuccessful, and employment agencies are just as bad.

I have heard so many excuses for not getting employed, over qualified/experienced, not experienced in the right field, not asking for more money than is on offer and therefore selling myself short, not being posh enough (yes this is true),the company has changed their mind about employing someone, internal interviews are taking place.  Every single job I have been lucky enough to get an interview for I have been turned down and told I was 2nd choice, like this is supposed to make me feel better.  

I know it will be difficult for me to get employment not because I am not good at what I do, or because I don't have enough experience or the right qualifications in my field but simply because of my age.

I had a meeting with my 'advisor' at the Jobcenter who told me there was nothing they could do for me.  I am applying for every job I could, there are no 'schemes' to help me retrain or move to a different area where my chances of finding work would improve. I simply have to keep applying for jobs.

Meanwhile I have to live with the stigma of being lumped in with the 'workshy, lazy, scroungers with 5 kids from different fathers', no matter that I have worked since I was 15 years old, no matter that I worked my way up the ladder, no matter that I took further qualifications to help improve my lot, as far as a good many working people in the UK are concerned I am a workshy scrounger. Retrain is the mantra that is shouted around whenever someone says they are finding it difficult to get work in the field they have been in for many many years, don't you think we would if we could we don't all have pots of money we can use and besides retrain to do what?

There are no choices out there for the over 40s and even less for the over 50s, I feel as if we are being written off as surplus to requirements. Our children are for the most part grown up and going out into the big wide world on their own and the government and many potential employers just don't want to know about us or our potential.

It's difficult to stay in a positive frame of mind when at every turn we are being kicked down, stopped in our tracks from trying to get our lives back on track and giving us a chance of getting a decent standard of living back.  

Somedays I wonder what is the point of going on.......

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