28 year old mum of 2 thinking of joining?? HELP ME!!

smufett

Hi all, really sorry if you are sick of reading this post or similar of over the place I can’t seem to find the correct place- i know technically it should be in the application section but everyone on that is in the same boat- so I wrote a post on the “im in” and all the fonts were all over the place so got no results.. Ok I’ll just get to the point… I’m a 28 year old mum of 2 – and since I can remember I’ve wanted to join the guards I cant really explain why its like its meant for me…. That probably sounds ridiculous – so I have final taken the bull by the horns and register with publicjobs.ie and added the alert..Now the fear I have is that I will fall flat in my face at the first hurdle.. I’m defiantly going to do the one day intensive course..( and any other courses I can to help me have a fighting chance of getting in) So all going well and a long wait later- lets say I’m accepted.. Then what?? Is there anyone in this boat i.e. 2 kids mortgaged bills etc.. is it a huge financial burden are you all coping ok in templemore? And say you finish your stint- are there’re any chances of getting stationed near home?? In lets say a 20mile radius??So that’s all really so its so v v long- I’m just looking for guidance in some shape or form, I have no one to talk about it with that is in the know..
Thanks for even reading it..

Kidd-o

hey, im not in your boat, being 19 and no complications, but my friends aunt who was helping me with prep told me that she was stationed close enough to home because of here children and she had a house, 30 or 40 minute drive.

Thats about all i can help with, they will understand your position dont worry about that.

cpstears

Just to let you know there are many people in the Garda College that have children. I've a 3 year old and a new house in Dublin. There are people who are in my class with 2/3/4 children and ranging from 20 years of age up to 34.

If it's what you want go for it. Having children is great life experience, to bring to the job with you, tolerance, paitence etc etc use it in your interview and any other job or area of responsability you may have.

Good luck.

jt123456

Hey smufett. Welcome aboard. ill try to give you as much info as possible. Firstly make sure to apply for your aptitude test as early as posible coz it seems to be much better in batch 1, so therefore less time to wait around for the interview afterwards. If you think you are gonna fail then you probably will Thats how confidence works, but im sure the aptitude test will be no problem as those preperation courses have a very high sucess rate. They usually do one for the interview as well which should give you a good chance to pass to. Id recommend it if you have never done any formal interviews in the last 5+ years. So pass stage 2 and your flying.

I hate to pry into peoples personal lifes too much so ill try and keep this general. You were stating a few worries about what happens financially and how to juggle kids and placement issues. You will need sound answers to these questions and others before you go to meet your local sergeant and before the interview because for sure they are gonna grill you big time on it. If they think you havent thought it through enough or if there may be a chance you drop out of training then they wouldnt want to waste €60-70k training you over 2 years. Convince them its not a hurdle and decide what your gonna do before them stages. To get the aswers though its best off consulting someone in the same position if they are willing to come forward. Im just a young fella with and hopefully i dont have any children yet.
I know this much though, its pretty much no pay for the first 18 months when your in the first 3 stages and you only get around €200/week for personal allowence so not really enough to support a family. When you start you start as a probation officer its pretty much full pay from then on. So you would probably require someone to support you financially or get a loan or something. im not too sure how to advise on this one.

In regards to getting stationed, its pretty much by the book. "Anywhere in the country" One thing is almost a certainty, it wont be your home town or current local station. I heard there is some sort of request system if some ppl have requests on where they want to go but id never count on it and its probably at the descretion of the comissioner. So be prepared for central dublin or south west kerry or anywhere in between. Best of luck anyway.

Paolo5

Check your PM

redlane

cmcskeane wrote: »

I know this much though, its pretty much no pay for the first 18 months when your in the first 3 stages and you only get around €200/week for personal allowence so not really enough to support a family.

It is more correct to say that the low pay of just over €200/week last just 58 weeks. There is a big difference between 13 months and 18 months when you're trying to save for these things... trust me I've added it up enough times in my own head!

Rihanna

redlane wrote: »

It is more correct to say that the low pay of just over €200/week last just 58 weeks. There is a big difference between 13 months and 18 months when you're trying to save for these things... trust me I've added it up enough times in my own head!

For phase 1 you are on about €190, phase 2 is €190 + €120.47 and for phase 3 €190. remember you are also paying almost €25 a week on medical scheme if u opt for it.... money is **** but once you get over that its great.

redlane

What is the medical scheme? First I've heard of that.

old_ball

As far as I know you can apply to defer payments for loans or mortgages untill your finished your training. Also the garda credit union have really good rates and while your training you only have to pay back a minimal amount.

lightyear

redlane wrote: »

What is the medical scheme? First I've heard of that.

Garda Medical Aid
Best medical insurance in the country.
I think its about €23/€24 at the minute per week, can't remember exactly, but its well worth it cause yer covered alot better than what ye would be by Quinn or VHI.

Smufett
You may not get as close to home as people seem quick to tell ye.
Only back off phase2 and I know of several cases where people had a serious commute to their station. One particular case was a man with a wife, child and farm who was stationed two hours away.
Lads in Dublin seem to have been better accomodated by the college.
But thats only 22 weeks for phase two, they could be looked after when the permanent stations come out.
Anyway, best of luck

the locust

Rihanna wrote: »

For phase 1 you are on about €190, phase 2 is €190 + €120.47 and for phase 3 €190. remember you are also paying almost €25 a week on medical scheme if u opt for it.... money is **** but once you get over that its great.

yeah the medical scheme and other stuff you sign up for and any major loans which you need to take out from the credit union to stay alive! If you've a mortgage etc... you'll be on 110-160 a week... its absolute peanuts.

smufett

Thanks for all the comments :-)

TheNog

Hey OP I was 30 when I joined have 2 kids, 2 mortgages and my partner went back to college full-time too. I won't sugar coat it for ye but it was tough on all of us at first but we got through it. Going through your questions:

Mortgage:

Talk to your mortgage holder that you are thinking of joining. They may be able to reduce your mortgage to 60% of your current monthly repayments (I know of one bank that can).

Pay:

Unfortunatley the pay is still geared towards the belief that all recruits/students are young and living at home. There is no consideration for the older canditates with mortgages. The pay is around the €200 a week but take tax, medical aid, savings etc. If you are on a tight budget don't sign up for GRA, IPA, Benevolent Fund, Travel Club and definitely don't sign up for the AVG pension. If you sign up for these you will find as I did that you will get about €20 a week. All of the above are only a couple of euro a week each,with the exception of medical aid, but the lecturers make them seem brilliant etc but the end of the day you may need money to support your family and pay a mortgage.

Medical Aid:

Is the best around and also the most expensive but you have to consider the job you are joining. While the risk of injuries on the job are higher you will have to pay or medical aid pays for your medical bills. Any claims from the job can take years to finalise. I would recommend putting your kids on the medical aid too which will set you back €55 a week but in my opinion it is worth it. Every medical problem you can think of is covered.

Training station:

In the college there is a Welfare Officer who you can go to and explain your situation with the kids. An application form is filled out and forwarded to HRM to consider and hopefully they can accomadate you. I did it and got Drogheda whcih was 1hr 15mins from home. It was tough but tbh it worked to my advantage. Even though I was a student I worked my balls off and got on well with the people there. Also the fact it was the Divisional HQ for Louth/Meath and the Sergeants, Inspectors, Super and Training Staff (tbh I don;t know who I impressed) but they asked for me back to the division. Fortunatley for me I got a station even closer to home when I went out in Phase 4. I saw many students at Drogheda and what struck me was alot of them while very gung-ho were lazy. For the first few months when we were on nights my tutor and unit sergeant said to me I could go home early especially on the change-overs but I refused. Partly in case I missed something and partly cos I didn't want others on the unit to think I was only a student. Over time I reckoned that even though I had no powers I was more than willing to get stuck in and the unit more or less considered me as another member that they could rely on. Maybe I was lucky with the unit I got.

Family:

If you are married or have a partner or even if you are single and need help from your parents in minding the child make sure to sit down with them and discuss the job and the shifts. Tbh with the country roster it is tough with the 2 changeovers in the week and you will need alot of help with minding the children. One thing about this job that I have found is that it can consume your life in that you seem to sleep, work and take care of your children. Sleep deprivation is definitely a part of the life style.

When I change over from nights to lates I get home for 7am, get the kids up at 8am and bring them to school. I get home at 9.30am, go to bed and get up at 12pm and off to work at 1pm to be in at 2pm. Thats only 2.5hrs sleep at best. It is tough but unless you have help from family (unlike us) then you will have to get used to it.

Credit Unions:

St Pauls and St Raphaels are brilliant credit unions and both have offices in the college. You can get loans quite easily from either of them and the repayments are tailored to your current wages. Your repayments will increase when you leave for Phase 4. The trick is to borrow what you need and not to splash out. I had to go to them twice to help with the mortgages but I have seen people down with no ties or mortgages borrow way more than I did for cars, holidays etc. Just be careful with the loans.

Pre-Interview Courses:

Well worth doing. I did one before my interview and learned some new techniques. I also applied for every job out there to get interview experience. Also did a mock interview with a Super who used to be on the Interview Board. Really helped me no end.

Thats all I can think for now but if you have any other questions, just ask

TheNog

smufett

The Nog- Thanks so much that was very helpfull, thanks for taken the time to do that... It really gives my a great insight as what to expect...
Its all i ever wanted to do and i dont even know why... Thats probably the main question in an interview, and i'll be like:o:o... Anyway thats a long way off yet... I think the shif work will be something i really need some help getting used of- but again if there is a will there is away... Only one of mine will be going to school, do clue how i'll manage the small fella Ah well the joys of it Thanks again to everyone for sharing your stories..... :P