The public service in France is broken
I've been trying to get back to school for more than a year now. Actually, before I even left my former school, I was researching apprenticeship or scholarship opportunities. How many attempts did I even make to this point? Ok, let's add a bit of context first: I went back to school as an adult learner for an apprenticeship on how to be a lab tech. The program was supposed to be 2 years long. Then shit happened, six month in I tried to shift to another school or at leat another lab, but nothing came back of it. As my second year began, I quit. It was 11 month ago. Since then, I tried a few different jobs but everything failed (mostly due to my disability). Then I had to fight for 4 month to get unemployment. I also applied for disability benefits back in February, it is yet to be seen by the committee, six month later. I also started researching opportunities to get back to my degree, at another school. I think I may have applied for 2 in-person schools, who rejected my application. I researched two other online schools, attended a couple meetings with admin and staff, but it was too expensive. Then I found another online school that may be able to add me to their second year class. At this point we're still in February. I stuck to them, had a dozen calls with the director, had e-mail exchange with my regional board of education, researched the curriculum and started applying. A million years later, things are still not done. I think I had 4 meetings so far, with 5 different counselors, at the unemployment office:
- First meeting, I'm being said that there's no budget left for education, except for disabled candidats
- Second meeting, I'm being said that there's finally no budget for education at all, even for disabled folks.
- Third meeting, at this point I still want to apply to my online school, I'm being said that unemployment office may give me €1.030 to cover for school fees
- Fourth meeting, I'm being said that when I asked for €1.030 it may have unlocked €18.000 to cover for a year's worth of pay, and that I'll have my final answer in less than a week.
I don't get it! Even if I may finally get back at school AND be paid for that, I'm pissed! I've been fighting for six month so far, and everyone in charge told me they couldn't cover education whatsoever. Every step of the way, a counselor just said no right to my face. I pushed through and now you're telling me that I have a right for 20 grand?! Just for reference, our annual minimum wage is €17.560 here. There is actually a pile of gold sitting in the back of the unemployment office that is specifically designed for people to use it, but nobody is even allowed to know about this? This can't be fair. In one of the public meetings I attended, a disabled woman asked for a scooter because she couldn't drive her car anymore, and they said no. Orally, right to her face, they said no, we can't do that, don't even ask. We're talking about a public service that is meant to distribute resources equally to those in need, but nobody even gets to file a request in the first place, because counselors just don't allow people to do so. How could it be fair?? Once you push through, once you keep asking for help over and over and over again, they suddenly pull a year's worth of income out of their hat? It's not even decided by a committee or anything. My counselor told me they just need to run it through her managers and she'll get back to me with a decision. I'm pissed.
That's it for today's post. I you fancy sending me an e-mail, you can find me here
Please, I don't want to ask AI to help me improve my English writing skills. If anything is wrong in my writing, I'd be happy to get an e-mail and fix it.