Are you on the dole? You might be able to get work experience. Apart from that, if you're able - bodied, try going door to door in an industrial estate, the lads there are helpful and can often direct you towards someone that's looking for work provided you look like you can pull your weight.
>>12900 >I want to get a job but I can't give any references
Make them up. You worked at Comet, Woolworths, Jessops, HMV, Patisserie Valerie, Carillion, Poundworld, Toys 'R' Us, etc., depending on how far back you need to go. Heck, if you look on Google Street View at the areas of your town at the areas full of restaurants then about half of them will have gone bust since the pictures were taken; you worked as a waiter for one of them.
All that is holding you back is a lack of ambition and creativity.
Do some voluntary work or ask at the Jobcentre about work placements. It'll help build your confidence, get you back into the habit of working and you'll get a reference. It shouldn't affect your benefits.
There are loads of local organisations who offer back-to-work support programmes for the long term unemployed. You could do a bit of Googling, or ask at the Jobcentre or Citizens Advice.
You might want to consider your education options. If you don't have many qualifications, taking a vocational course at your local FE college might be a good route back into work. A recent qualification on your CV shows employers that you're actually motivated to get back into work, rather than just applying for stuff because the Jobcentre told you to.
Self-employment is also an option worth considering. You can get free mentoring, a loan to cover your start-up costs and claim the New Enterprise Allowance for the first six months.
If you're disabled/mentally ill there are a lot of services which give advice to people with these conditions looking for work. I used a couple last year, and while they were a bit basic for me (I already had a half decent CV with a fair amount of work experience) I can see it would be useful for those who have less experience.
>>12904 The whole point of work is looking busy rather than actually doing work. Everyone in the finance team at Patisserie Valerie was so good at looking busy rather doing their jobs that they didn't notice there wasn't any money for them to shuffle around and those lovely people at Grant Thornton were so good at pretending to audit that they didn't notice it either.
>>12905 >ask at the Jobcentre about work placement
fucking don't lad, its slave labour under a different name. volunteer at a charity. alternatively alot of places don't give two shits about employment.
best advice get on the train if you live somewhere that has one. blah blah blah ticket prices its bullshit. any cunt can find a job in london or brighton or birmingham. so do that and commute.