So I thought I would start a post where everyone in a similar position to me can post any ideas of what has worked for them and what didn't work.This can range from training to self employment to employed work. I will list everything I have managed to do with an SO. I still have 2.5 years before mine is unspent. I can't sit here till then. 

Clean Sheet -  Just started with this company. They call me up every 2 weeks to ask how the job search is going. They have an employment portal with vaccines. Most are out of my area or don't accept SO applications.
Nacro -  They actually got me a job once. I had a guy calling me every 3 days checking up on me. Applying for me. Really super proactive. That was over two years ago. I tried to get in contact with them again but all they do is send me generic links I should check out. 
OffPloy -  The job centre tried to get me on their books. But I was basically ignored. Tried 3 times. All they said. They were waiting for funding. 

Self employment; I would really love any extra ideas that people could suggest. I wish I knew someone personally who had started an ebay business who I could learn off. The whole process seems daunting. But if I could sit here all day taking pictures of items and listing them. It would be ideal. 

Education/Training. 
Go train. Managed to do a course with them. Never actually got a certificate, got told the whole class failed. Because the teacher taught us all wrong?? I didn't really care at the time. Just glad to be out the house
ACL - Managed to do a maths and forklift course with them. 

So yeah as the title states. Lets start a post and try to help each other though this difficult time in our lives. 

Agnecy's -  I have gone down to sign up for them in the past. Taking all my I.D etc. Then just get ignored. 

Hi
I applaud your topic but after 8 years since my release, 6 since ending my licence, circa 2000 applications, various job offers / headhunted but as soon as I declared all roles are rescinded.




Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

Just out of interest, what kind of jobs have you been applying for?  Were they all in one specific area of employment, or were you looking for a particular level of salary and were unwilling to consider anything less?

I don't doubt that you have faced huge levels of unwarranted discrimination, but as I said in another post, there are some employers who don't ask you to disclose and they tend to be either really low paid, low skill jobs, or jobs with smaller, family owned companies. The other way that SO tend to get jobs, is through personal contacts, friends and family etc. 

When an SO goes up against other people, in an open competition, particularly for a well paid job, they are at an obvious disadvantage. If the employer is a big name, who can afford a big HR department, they can be especially concerned about reputational damage too, so will want to tick all the boxes. Smaller firms, in my experience, are less inclined to ask questions. They just want someone who can do the job and can start asap. Everything else, is immaterial to them.

I have been applying for jobs like warehouse assistant and workshop assistant on minimum wage. I would even do cleaning but I know that can be a tricky thing to get into. I also managed to get a job delivering leaflets. But I was not able to keep up with the amount they wanted delivered. Now that my health is better I was thinking of starting to look for this type of work again. Because they didn't ask. To be honest I only have close family left. I'm not in contact with my other family and have basically lost 90% of my friends. Funny you should say that about big company's I actually heard some success stories for people in my position getting a job with tesco. Not sure how true that is. A huge part of my problem is confidence. I had none to begin with. Now after all this. I find it nearly impossible to put myself out there. 

I had a job interview with Tesco for a warehouse job. Completed the physical assessment and went back to the supervisor's office for the paper work. Very last question was "Do you have an unspent conviction?" I answered "yes". The interviewer thanked me for being honest but said he had to refer it to HR. 

Next day my probation officer said that she received a call and told me she gave me a glowing report with no negatives. Never heard from Tesco again. This was less than a month after Amazon "let me go" from working in a distribution centre. It was a zero hours contract. Technically I wasn't sacked. They just weren't going to give me any more work .
 
Now, my PPO told me that she had several SOs employed at the same warehouse. I have no way of knowing whether that was true. She'd lied to me before. The police are legally allowed to do that. 

Confidence shot, that is when I decided that if I couldn't even get a warehouse job I had to start looking at other financial arrangements. Luckily I could do that. Many other people can't.

Those are pretty similar to the roles I've been applying. "Red shirt" roles where the checks are low and the work is straight forward.

The problems I'm facing seem to be 1 of 2.

The first one is the obvious one relating to my offence (images). It's quite interesting watching their face turn almost instantly in an interview when you tell them what it is. I've had it a few times where they ask about unspent convictions and I say "yes" and they're usually still on board "Oh that's okay, we're strong believers in giving people a second chance! What was the offence relating to..?". Then when you say images the interview is cut abruptly and "we'll let you know..." said with a face like they've just walked in on your shagging their cat.

The other issue is relating to my work and experience pre-offence. For most of the 'red shirt' work I'm getting turned down because they feel I'm too qualified for it and will leave as soon as something better comes along. Then the same employer will be moaning on BBC or whatever saying they can't get staff. Hello? You've got a guy with nearly 2 decades of experience in that sector ready to go and work for your poverty wage yet you turned him down.

I think there is some truth, Khafka, in employers saying you'll leave if something better comes along, especially as you say their 'poverty wage' isn't something to strive for. But equally, employers need to recognise that skills you could bring to their company, as opposed to this one job, could have huge potential, but maybe I'm being too idealistic. I understand the frustrations though. Not only have we put ourselves in a disadvantageous position but inflation and the cost of living crisis could turn lethal and I think we're far past the line of: "Well, you shouldn't have..."

Another potential alternative, I was speaking to someone recently and they say DWP often get employers in to do presentations and in a position to offer jobs on the day (this might be dependent on location). This also happens in prisons I think. I've first-hand experience of neither. Does anyone have much experience of these? Opportunities when you can be in front of someone and sell yourself seems to be better than firing off applications in our position, especially if the employer is aware there may be "circumstances" shall we say.
I'm just wondering if access to these could be widened or even just information about when they happen would be helpful?

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Fighting or Accepting - its difficult to know which is right and when.

The DWP getting employers in is something I have actually spoken to them about before and at least my local job centre has a system in place for local employers to come in and it is actually more geared towards those with criminal records to try and get them back in employment however RSO's are not allowed and have a blanket ban. This whole boogeyman nonsense with RSO's really does annoy me at times. Repeat violent offenders, drug dealers, robbers? Have at it, we have faith you can turn your life around! Downloaded some illegal images? Banishment for you.

Everyone deserves an opportunity of a second chance or nobody does.

Jobcentres do get employers in, to do presentations and interviews. If you are already registered with them, just ask your work coach to keep you informed of any events that are coming up.

I was reading about another organisation called Forward Trust, as well. They offer employment support to ex-offenders. Has anybody else heard of them?

https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/collaborator/employer-services/

So I actually went to one of these events you speak of. Basically all the desks where the job centre employees normally sit. Were taking up by separate companies and they basically just gave out information and if you were interested took your information. I had a lady from an agency ask me if I had criminal convictions in a room full of people. So that was great. Of course it turned out to be a waste of time and got ignored after sending all my I.D and right to work to them. I actually went to the job centre today. I really don't think the guy that is in charge of me really gets the situation. He went on about me being highly employable. Wanted me to go to some job fair next week. Where I can meet employers. I just sat there thinking what is the point. Why embarrass myself, give myself tons of anxiety for no reason. I just don't know what to do guys.