Ingeus

Celine, 30, was referred to Ingeus’ Employment Zone office in Brent by Jobcentre Plus in March 2008. She had spent the last seven years out of paid employment while she raised her children, and was keen to explore the possibility of returning to work.

Celine met with her Ingeus advisor, Charlene, and told her that while she was interested in finding a job in the catering industry, where she had worked before she had a family, she was worried that the move from benefits into work would put her at a financial disadvantage. She also felt that she would have difficulty finding suitable child care if she did decide to return to work.

Charlene conducted an in-work calculation to confirm that Celine would be financially better off if she returned to work, and they developed a strategy to find Celine a job that suited her experience and interests.

Despite her experience in the catering industry, Celine did not feel confident about attending interviews or explaining her absence from the workforce, so Charlene arranged for her to attend a number of mock interviews with different Ingeus advisors, so she was able to practice answering interview questions. Charlene also scheduled visits to local childcare centres so Celine could see what options were available to her.

Within one month of joining Ingeus’ Employment Zone programme, Celine accepted a position working as a catering assistant in a local school. To ensure that Celine was able to make a smooth transition from benefits into work, Charlene arranged for Ingeus to pay for her travel, food and childcare in the first few weeks of the new job, and helped her to apply for in-work benefits.