[xcdtowg]

Some people don' realise, but it is actually very VERY hard to get on to benefits. I receive benefits to help with my living costs and its a very small amount. I get them because I am in full time education and I have no one to support me.
I left school and worked for a year for some money before I went to college and it took me 4 months to find a job, and i applied to everything i found, at least 10 out of the newspaper at a time and wandered the shops for ads.
When I went to college i asked the council for advice and they first said i wasn't allowed any kind of benefit...so that would mean i would basically be homeless at 17. Having heard that the nice lady decides hmmm maybe i am allowed something... and sets me up with a load of forms to help pay my rate. This took another 3 months of going backwards and forwards.
When i went to college i realised i had no money coming in for anything like to buy new shoes etc and i asked the Connextions lady at my college and apparentely the council hadnt informed me i was entitled to a little extra money for things like that. Conveniant. This was christmas time another 3 months down the line.

So months and months it took me just to be able to get my A levels, and i'm no scrounger, i finish my A levels this year, work in summer and go straight to uni.

I think all the benefit systems are quite corrupt, giving out to peopel that are lying and not out to people that do need it. But the media love to make moral panics out of these kinds of things, i'm sure the majority of people are in true need of benefits and as with most things its the odd few that spoil things for the lot.