I don't see how people can compare -
Person selected to represent GB over in Asia, and taking kids (who cant exactly work for any money) abroad on a great trip....
To - guy wants to go abroad for work experience because he's not found anything here.

I think why so many are against it Damo is that all that time spent over in Brazil if he gets there, will it actually help him get a job when he gets back??? Or will he of just missed out on several good vacancies whilst being out of the country and have to start from stratch again.
It sounds like students who go on gap years to 'find themselves', funny how they have to 'find themselves' in very nice locations like Thailand and not Dundee for example.

I agree with everything that you say. However I think that people become ‘scroungers’ because of a series of dire circumstances had made them give up. But people don’t give up forever and I’m example of that because I was completely defeated last year thanks to years of unemployment. So sometimes I do fit the definition of a scrounger but it’s not like I’ve had much choice.

Unfortunately there are some people on this forum who like to make a bad circumstance even worse by having a go at individuals without even considering every point.



I agree that it’s all about situation and that every situation is unique. Most people would probably fit me in the first situation that you described. However I think that situation is aimed at people between the ages of 16 – 18 in this day and age. Most of the unfussy jobs are poorly paid and you could probably only get a good enough income if you did a couple of jobs on the go. Unfortunately there are not enough jobs out there to provide for this.

The bottom line is benefits are there to help people fit in society because without them they’d be excluded. I certainly couldn’t live the lifestyle that I live if it wasn’t for the modest amount of money that I get. I want more but I just can’t get more at the moment so I’m just been content with what I’ve got and approaching opportunities when they arise. Same goes for your neighbour who’ll probably be getting criticised by tad and Josh soon because he’s turning down opportunities.



Agreed.

You shouldn't make judgements like the above on people without knowing all the facts. I don't know damo other than on these boards, and I know sometimes when people post they set themselves up for abuse and if you don't want stick don't post. However without knowing him or his situation not fair calling him a "lazy coont" as you say earlier

I don't know how different we are in age, 32 this year! But when I was out of uni there were plenty of jobs knockng around which allowed me the chance to work 4 jobs to get a decent wage. I have a decent job now and have done for the last 9yrs which puts me out of touch with the Job
Market.

In my current role I see people from different parts of society and a worrying trend I see is not circumstance people being on benifits but a choice being made not to work and get money for free.

Again from my neighbours perspective he has always worked but made redundant. He has been offered a cleaning job 5hrs a week which isn't worth doing. And he even worked at a car wash place for a bit but was made redundant from there!

My excuse is that I’m focusing on my beckoning career in the creative industries.

I’ll be starting tomorrow because I arranged a meeting with a few people who’ve had international success in that industry. They’ll be giving me the best advice and best contacts that someone like myself could wish for. It’s only a matter of time before my work starts to pay and I’ve just been unlucky to be with the right people at the wrong time recently.

I’m not going throw all that potential away to wash cars just to please a couple of people on this forum. Getting endorsed by the deputy prime minister was no fluke because I’ve been recognised by loads of different people at the top of their game by doing the things that I do.

The entry level job brigade has had their chance to employ me and they ignored me.

When I do become well paid in the creative industries then I shall give all my benefit money back eventually plus taxes. I remember watching the Cinderella Man which was about the boxer James Braddock. One scene that will stay with me for life is when he went back to the dole hole to pay back all the benefits he’s ever had to take from the tax payer. He didn’t have do it but it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately I doubt most people on here would do the same if they had the chance. They’d probably look at ways to rip off the government by paying someone to help them evade tax.

Kids can work. I’m sure there’s a paper round that they can do. Heck I remember when I was a kid my mates around the same age as the ones you are coaching now went around cleaning people’s cars and they earned quite a bit of money that day. Lawns always need mowing but that’s beneath these kids because some adults are walking the three peaks for them.

In all seriousness though I wish them all the best.

They are only 10 so not sure many people want bottom half of their cars washed, They have done bag packing at supermarkets etc so maybe thats something you could try

I’ve come to the conclusion why some people on this forum are against this. It is because they misunderstand the whole concept of why Bens going to Brazil. On the other hand we all understand the concept of people representing their country abroad in sport because we’re a sporting community on RLFANS. What this thread has been is a clash of community’s where one doesn’t understand the other.

With regards to gap years then the same can be said for playing in France. Don’t we have kid’s teams in less glamorous locations than France that the under 10s can play against?

It’s just nit-picking of the highest order and it needs to be stopped because it does no one any good. I’ve already had a few insults thrown my way because I have a different viewpoint. I have friends who have gone on gap years and it’s benefitted they lives for the better. Heck even one couple were delivering the Yellow Pages to fund their gap year despite having parents that could pay for them for a full year. That job could have gone to someone who needed it to feed their family. But it went to my friends and not one single person complained because they didn’t even think about things from the prospective that I’ve thought about things. Funny world we live in..

The jobs market is pretty poor today. You later go on to write in your comment that your mate got redundant from a car wash place. Now I’d like to think that working at a car wash place is a job that would be a nice earner alongside other jobs. It’s not something that most people can earn a living out of full time otherwise employment figures would be a lot lower by now.

Getting four jobs to make up a decent wage in this day and age would be quite a feat. But maintaining those four jobs without one of them becoming redundant for a sustained period of time would be next to impossible. As I’ve said before on this forum one of my old friends struggled to even find one part time job despite coming from a better background than most of the unemployed.

The bottom line is people want long term stability and most employers offering entry level jobs these days don’t offer that. It’s a case of you can be fired at any time because your easily replaceable. It’s wrong because people are more important than the job.



People do have to make a choice but what choice do they have?

Take your neighbour for example. He could take on that cleaning job but his family would suffer as a result. So in the end that choice becomes more of a circumstance. I know I wouldn’t want to take on a job that’s a couple of hours a week. I also wouldn’t want to take on a job where people get fired just so employers can use past examples to instil fear into future employees.

There are a couple of people on here who would rather see others worse off by working as opposed to taking benefits which I think is sick. Thankfully most people are un-judgemental and want the best for everyone.



All the best to your neighbour and I hope he finds a suitable job soon.

You are correct there are less glamourous places to play than france but our season is on a weeks break for easter so a good opportunity to test ourselves as a team and for the parents to let their hair down

Ben’s going to Brazil to test himself as an individual on a farm that will be totally different to the English farm he’s been volunteering on. We hope he becomes the best farmer in the world and this is a good opportunity for him to achieve that status.

So has he actually got a job lined up over there? Or is he just hoping once he gets over there he will find one. Also I presume he has learnt even basic Portuguese so as to be able to communicate over there, and i hope he has his Visa all sorted out, maybe if it's a yes to all these thinks people will understand it a bit better.

So your waiting for a 'creative' job. I hope you get one. I would love a job as a porn star, being paid to service groups of ladies. In the meantime I have a job whilst it happens. As opposed to being a scrounger. How long is it since you had a proper job and how long did it last? Or is it over picky employers?

I’m not too sure if he’s learnt Portuguese but I guess he’ll pick it up when gets over they. He has work experience lined up so he’s not going into the country totally unprepared. I assume that his visa is all sorted out but stuff like that isn’t the area I’m dealing with.