Jamie's work experience

Knocked back 

This work experience got me a job. No doubt about it. I finished the placement in the summer of 2009, and in September I was working.

I’d had my forklift truck licence for almost two years but nothing was happening. I wasn’t trying hard enough because I didn’t have any confidence; I got knocked back a few times and didn’t think anyone would take me on.

Going to an office for two weeks isn’t something I ever thought I’d want to do. But the offer of work experience came up and I thought I should give it a go. I had nothing to lose.

Before, people looked at my CV and saw I had no qualifications, no past experience and no previous employment. After the work experience, they could look on my CV and see that I’d done the two weeks and I was reliable. I could be trusted, I’d turn up on time and get the work done.

Trust me

I really enjoyed the placement. I was working for a big company, called Asprea. It’s a call centre that handles insurance claims.

They didn’t just shove me in the corner and ignore me. They got me involved in all the different parts of their work – starting off in settlements, right through to customer complaints. I was just like a normal person working there.

One of the highlights was being allowed to speak to a customer. I wasn’t really allowed to, because I wasn’t employed there full time, but the people showing me around let me phone the customer and tell them how their insurance claim was progressing.

That was really special: I’d been trusted and I’d only been there a week. I’m used to people not trusting me even after a year.

Business man

One of the strangest things about going to work was that somehow people noticed me more.

I’ve got tattoos and a shaved head and I sometimes think people look at me and think the worse.

But travelling to and from work, things were different. I was wearing office clothes, not my usual things. People would chat to me; they were thinking “Oh he’s alright, a business man”.

That change in people’s reactions made me feel important and proud. It made me feel strong again, instead of thinking ‘I can’t be arsed’.

I suppose that’s one of the biggest things I’ve gained from doing the work experience. I don’t think ‘I can’t be arsed’ anymore.

I feel a lot better about myself. Everything’s changed for the good. I’ve got a new house, a baby, a girlfriend, I get on much better with my family and I’ve got a job.