Sour grapes!

The crisis has affected the way people view work, I'm sure.

I thought that given the number of people on the dole in Spain that it would make them more aware that a job is something of a luxury and a good job would be the winning number. But, alas, I am mistaken.

Contented they must be queuing up outside the INEM, filling in form after form, going from appointment to appointment, one interview to another to receive what -must be- a good sum of money at the end of the month. Hard work no doubt and well rewarded as it only needs to be done once every certain period, unlike real work where you must get up early everyday and actually go to do a full day's work.

Don't get me wrong I am not implying that everyone is lazy, but merely expressing that the problem that the government has is quite a deep one. Look here, if you are going to work somewhere for a minimum wage to earn less than you would on the dole and probably doing something that is not well - gratifying - then why bother at all. At the end of the day, you can still do that same job in the black and continue receiving your dole! It's a no brainer.

What if you were offered a job as an “Autónomo” (legal free lancer) to do hourly work where your expense would be covered and you would still have some over to supplement your income, but you didn't want to pay it because you'd rather get the full amount in black or be an employee full time.

The other circumstance is when you are actually looking for a job and you have no experience. What do you then? How will you get experience if you would rather get the dole? Is this confusing or is it just me? It must be me.

Maybe a subject at school and university should be "unemployment 101" wherein they would teach you what forms to fill in, what benefits you will be allowed to claim, how to avoid the dreaded courses you will be obliged to take, or accept a job where you will be earning less than you would on the dole. Another subject would be to start studying for the "oposiciones"

One of my personal favourites is when having a 'normal' job you resign to study for the "oposiciones".(For those of you who don't know what this is I'll make it a future subject) in the hope of getting a lifetime job as a government official in the local government or school. Thus enjoying all the benefits therein, among them the very rare occurrence of ever being fired or losing your job even if you are, well, inept!

Yes, you are right. The column should be called sour grapes rather than south of the border!

Kerry Sastrias