Young people and unemployment

Alex Colbert, 25 - I was working in a bar for two-and-a-half years after leaving uni. I studied computing and economics. Going into the bar was intended as a short stop – work in a bar until I could find something more suitable, a career. I got a bit too comfortable. I got to the point where I had to change my career.

I’m looking for something in accounting now. It’s very difficult – it’s very competitive. I applied for a job this morning and there were about 30 or 40 other applications for it.

It’s a little bit frightening but I’ve got to stay positive. I’ve got to pay rent, I’ve got to pay bills, so I can’t stop looking for a job or things will get really bad. I’ve got to keep plugging away Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian

Hannah Jackson Povey, 22 - I’ve just graduated from University of the West of England and now I’m looking for a job in Bristol. I know it’s not going to be easy. I only want a job in a bar or restaurant or something, then I’ll look for things that I really would like to do as a career.

I want to get some money so I don’t have to live at home. Today I’m handing out CVs to the bars and restaurants. There’s quite a few who say there might be some part-time work but there’s not a lot full-time.

I’d like to work in the radio industry in the end. I just want to find a job to get some money and then I can start writing to companies. All you ever see in the news is that graduates can’t find jobs. I don’t regret doing the degree, though Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian

Charlotte Stray, 16 - I left school in July and since then I’ve applied for quite a few jobs – working in shops or in cleaning. I must have applied for 10 or 15 jobs but I haven’t had any luck. A lot of them seem to only want to know if you’re 18 or over, which doesn’t seem very fair.

I don’t really have any ambitions. I just want to work and make a living. I don’t want to go to college or university. I’m not that interested and I don’t think my grades would be good enough anyway for me to do something like that.

I hang around with my friends all day in the park or whatever. It would be nice to have a bit of money, but it’s alright. I get by Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian

Dan Tucker, 17 - I left school last year, and I haven’t been able to get a job. I was on a placement for six months with the council. It was alright, I liked it. There was no permanent job at the end of it. I knew there was no guarantee it would lead to a job. I learned a lot and I was pretty good at it.

Today I’m off to college – they get you out on placements. We haven’t really tried for jobs. We’ve just been going on placements and hoping they’ll take us on. I don’t really have any qualifications from school.

In the end, I’d like to do plastering. I’m trying to get on an apprenticeship. I’ve got to do a two-year course and a test, so we’ll see. It’s horrible not having a job. You can’t do nothing. It’s hard not having any money. I get £30 a week. It goes nowhere Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian

Grant Aherne, 17 - I got kicked out of school three years ago. I had to go to a different place and I’ve got no qualifications. Over the past year I’ve been doing courses – level one painter and decorator, level one construction. But that hasn’t led to any job.

I get £30 a week. It doesn’t go very far – just on fags and stuff like that. There’s nothing going on. We go and try to find work but there isn’t anything around and that’s very frustrating. When we go to college they just get you to fill in forms but it doesn’t come to anything.

Last Christmas, I worked in Tesco for two weeks. I’m hoping to do that this Christmas, but I don’t know if there’ll be anything in between that. It’s just boring. I think the government should make sure there’s more for young people like us to do Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian

Natasha Cordey, 19 - I’ve got GCSEs in art, English and science. I failed maths. That makes things difficult. I’ve had quite a few jobs. I found I was mistreated a lot because I didn’t have good grades. They thought I was thick. I’m not, honest.

I’ve been unemployed a year and five months. It’s horrible. I can’t do anything. I live in a council flat but I haven’t got much of a life. I stay at home, watch TV, talk to neighbours. That’s it. It gets boring. I get depressed.

I’d like to get into care work. I’ve been trying but nobody wants anybody at the moment. I get £156 a fortnight and I have to pay part rent out of that. After I’ve bought my food, gas, water, electricity, television there’s nothing. I can’t get a job in town because I couldn’t afford the bus fare. It’s catch-22 Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Guardian