This morning, my first customer is a young woman from one of the ex-Soviet Union countries, who speaks good English, and has a degree in economics. Clearly, just the sort of immigrant we need, but when I look into her record I find that although she has lived here for ten years she has never worked for a single day during that time, and now has ensured she never will, as last month she gave birth to a baby girl. When I make noises about child support and maintenance she bursts ino tears, and wails that the baby's father was a horrible man, that he has gone back to his home country, and she will support the child herself. I point out (although I am not supposed to) that she is not supporting the child at all, the taxpayer is, and if you have fled persecution to a foreign country, is having a baby, when you have no work and no partner a sensible thing to do? She tells me that sometimes these things happen, and you can't help it. Funny, I always thought that having a baby was something a woman did because she chose to do so.
This young woman lives in a flat in a lovely old house nearby. This area is actually quite expensive, being close to where a famous film was made, and the rent of her flat is extremely high. I won't give you three guesses as to who is paying the rent, because you only need one.

Next up is a pretty young girl of nineteen who is claiming benefit for the first time. She's never had a job before, either, so I ask her how she has been supporting herself since leaving school, and receive the news that she was in prison, or the youth detention equivalent, and that she has a conviction for armed robbery. I do not comment on this, for the simple reason that I can think of nothing to say. I ask to see her passport to verify her immigration status (anyone not from an EU country must have their immigration status checked, in case it is 'no recourse to public funds') and find that not only does she have no passport, neither dos she have any Home Office documents. The only thing she has is a letter from a solicitor, stating that leave to remain has been applied for. No immigration status, no benefit, so I send her on her way, hoping she will not decide to hold up another off-licence at gun-point. I then ring Immigration and give them her name and address,secure in the knowledge that they will do nothing at all, but at least I've told them.

I need a cup of tea after that, so I go off to the tea room accidentally knocking against the chair of a colleague on the way, disturbing him from his diligent application to his computer game. I look at his score on the bottom of the screen and see that it runs into millions, but then I'd expect him to be good, he spends so much time at it. All the staff have access to the Internet here, but we're only supposed to use it in our own time, eg lunchtime, however some of us have very long lunch hours.

In the afternoon, my colleague at the next desk interviews a man who arrived in Britain yesterday. He comes into the job centre, waving his EU passport, and stating that he has no money abd nowhere to live. I ask him why he has come to a foreign country with no money and no means of support, but he does not understand me. That is strange, for his English has been quite good up till now. He makes a claim to Job Seeker's Allowance, and is then referred to the homeless unit of the local council, so departs quite happy.