Happy ever after

ON The Apprentice, a bunch of would-be entrepreneurs are battling it out to give 110 per cent and prove they have what it takes to go into business with Alan Sugar.

But for a lot people, a dream job does not have to involve working side by side with a grumpy multi-millionaire. They’d just like something that gives them a reason to get up in the morning, puts some money in their pockets and gets them off benefits.

And that’s where The Fairy Jobmother – aka Hayley Taylor – comes in. She first found fame in an episode of the series Benefit Busters, which followed her as she tried to encourage single mums back into work.

It was certainly a great career move for Hayley, as C4 saw her potential, rechristened her The Fairy Jobmother and presented her with her own series, which returns for a second run.

The concept is fairly simple. “It explores the difficulties faced by individuals who, for whatever reason, have found themselves seeking employment,” says Taylor. “It’s my role to help them identify the underlying causes that hold them back, to identify their personal skill set, to identify their transferable skills, to show them how important it is to have a good CV, and the highest standards of marketability in order to gain sustainable employment.”

She certainly knows the job-seeking jargon, but she can also speak from personal experience.

“I took seven years out of my working life to be a stay-at-home parent. That was by choice, but difficult, because my husband was made redundant from a job that he had held for ten years and had to take a very low-paid job.

“We struggled financially for many years, it was a huge setback. I helped him find another job that he has held for ten years currently, but will never forget the devastation that redundancy caused. It was hard to survive at times, but you have to keep looking forward knowing it won’t be forever.”

Taylor admits that some viewers seem to be a bit sceptical about her motives for taking part in the series. “I think they’re hostile because they don’t fully understand that I am supporting these unemployed individuals and want to help them move forward,” she says.

“Some view me as bullying people back into work and of being in collaboration with the powers that be to reduce the unemployment figures. They couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The first of four unemployment hotspots she visits is Bootle, Merseyside, where more than a quarter of work-age residents claim out-of-work benefits.

THE final series of Smallville – the story of Clark Kent/Superman’s early years – gets under way and it’s not looking good for Kent.

Happily, Lois is on hand. She finds Clark’s lifeless body and removes the kryptonite, enabling him to heal himself.

We’re not spoiling anything because we all know he’s going to grow up and be the most famous superhero in the world.

In her desperation to find Oliver, Chloe turns to an unlikely source for answers.

Jonathan returns to the Kent Farm with a message for Clark, and Tess wakes up in a LuthorCorp lab.

EVEN in these financially straitened times, it may come as a shock to learn that there are an estimated 3.5 million children being raised in poverty in the UK.

Poor Kids looks beyond the statistics to find out what it’s really like to grow up under the poverty line.

By focusing on four children, it explores how a lack of money affects their lives, and discovers that for some of them it means going hungry, being bullied and having nowhere to play.

But the youngsters also have their own unique problems to deal with.

Courtney, eight, thinks she has a rough idea of how the other half live – she classes her friend, Holly, as loaded because her family could afford a holiday last year.

Courtney and her sister, who live in Bradford, meanwhile amuse themselves by playing in a dangerous derelict building.