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“APPALLING”

written by cmTrujillo186 on 05/12/2017

Leeds, 17 Albion Street. I registered at this branch at the beginning of November 17 needing work. I went in asking about a MOJ job that was on their website and I had been told about from a relative that currently works there. I was told over the phone that without a valid passport I wouldn't be eligible for any MOJ jobs. Fair enough.
However, the consultant was keen to get me to come down and register any way. I spent an hour online the night before filling in CV details work experience etc based on the email the agency sent me. Took all the documents required including out of date passport but birth certificate to make up for this. I got to the office and had to fill in all the same forms again!
Once I had manually filled in all the same forms, you get called to sit at the consultant’s desk to discuss what types of roles you are looking for. This all felt very unprofessional and a bit intimidating. All the other consultants can listen to what you are saying. Maybe it's just me but I didn't feel comfortable. They have a meeting room why not take you in there to discuss job requirements. I went through what I was looking for, based on not been eligible for any MOJ jobs at this time. The consultant said very little and I just felt that I was wasting my time. I was right. I had mentioned prison admin as I didn't want to work in a large open plan office if I could help it. She asked around her colleagues in the office. One couldn’t get his head around smaller office environments and blurted out “what do you mean small offices?” That made me feel as though I had asked for the moon on a stick! The response from the consultant that actually dealt with the prison admin jobs was “no sorry we have people going through the placements we currently have at present. So, nothing available in that line, at this time.” I left the office that day and she was going to ring a few placements she had and get back to me. She didn’t.
1 week after registering a different consultant from Brook Street sent me the weekly job vacancy bulletin. There was a prison admin job on this. I sent my CV to her and said I was very interested. She emailed back saying she would send it to the client. I heard nothing more. I emailed the consultant I signed up with 1 week after this to touch base and ask for an update on the prison admin job. She didn't respond. The week after this I didn't receive the weekly job update bulletin from them either!!
I wonder if they get commission JUST for getting people signed up. That would make sense based on my experience with them. They don't have to get me any work, just so long as I signed up with them. “Once your compliant”, was the terminology used by my consultant. I haven't received any text messages for any jobs either, which I remember when she was keen to get me down to the office to sign up; she said I would receive text messages regarding vacancies.
Now maybe I am been too hasty as it is only first week in December. However, I was signed up with them back in 2015. It was a similar experience then although much worse this time around. Back then, once they realised my postcode, I was past to the consultant that deals with a large utilities company in my area that uses Brook Street for temps. It was a terrible job and I lasted a couple of months. Luckily I managed to find myself something else. What I found strange back then was that I was covering for someone on long term sick. When she returned to work the staff at the company and my Brook street consultant could not bring themselves to tell me my services were no longer required.
It was weird. You know and are told when you take a temp job that the positions can end before the term of the temp contract finishes. This is the only job I ever got with them. Again, back then it just came across as underhand. No communication. If they stop communicating with you hopefully you will get the message eventually. This job agency is not in the business of getting people jobs! Reading the reviews on here confirms this. I wasn’t asked for a DBS check payment at registering thank goodness. But i am in the process of renewing my passport to be eligible for MOJ jobs. An expense I could have done without at this time of year and now realise won’t make any difference anyway. I find it appalling that some branches have charged people for DBS checks and these people have never received work. They are wasting your time and money. Do not bother with them.