The dole is too much!!

ntlbell

Nehaxak wrote: »

Not normally a grammar nazi but couldn't resist that one.
Cotton picking, shoe shining, English language teachers will be found on every street corner, pushing their oh so terribly delightful wares...

Do you look down on the guys in the airport that clean shoes? (and do a damn good job)

Do you think they're beneath you?

Do you look down on people who wash floors?

Do you think people should sit at home and do nothing instead of trying to provide for their kids?

What _is_ your problem with shoe shiners?

foxshooter243

realcam wrote: »

Nobody's judging, and you're sure very unfortunate with what happened to you.
But at the same time - and I'm not in any way suggesting you're doing that - the dole is still just meant to be temporary while you found a new job. It's not like early retirement money. And you will agree that while you and people in your situation are genuine there is a lot og people out there claiming exactly what you're rightfully claiming while they haven't worked a single day in their lives.

short of emigrating to Australia or trying to start my own business, the chances of finding employment is practically nil-the amount of people signing on in my area is up 80 percent this last 12 months- i dont think people realise how deep this recession is going to bite!- 5 local businesses
have closed here in 5 months- the only thing thats on the up and up in this country now is break ins and stealing, there has been four break ins
within 200 yards of my home this last month and thats in an area where up until a few years ago you could have left your front door unlocked..
sad to say but were in a downward spiral..and we have no tools in our toolbox to fix it..

schween

seamus wrote: »

It should be a series of "allowances", where the person presents receipts for their rent, medical bills and any other fixed costs, and the government looks after that..

And where does this unemployed person get the money to pay for the rent, medical bills etc so as to get the receipts?

seamus

schween wrote: »

And where does this unemployed person get the money to pay for the rent, medical bills etc so as to get the receipts?

Well you can do it either way and have the landlord/doctor/whoever go directly to the government for their cash. The idea being that the unemployed person has the means for a roof over their head and good health and after that they get the bare minimum needed to keep themselves ticking over while they look for work.

gurramok

Ogham wrote: »

€200 is too much for asingle 18 yr old school leaver - it's too tempting to rent a room stay on the dole. You would need to work abut 30 hours in a min wage job to earn enough to just match the dole and any rent payments you get. I can see why people wouldn't be bothered - and just do a few cash jobs on the side.
My son is probably going to be claiming soon - but I was shocked when I found out how much it was. It is not encouragement to find work - it is more like the other way round. Encouragement to do nothing. What a country!

A school leaver living with an income earner who has a job most probably would not get the full amount as its mean tested for those with not enough credits.

However, a school leaver with parents on the dole would likely get the full amount as they are deemed 'too poor' to fail the means test, the irony.

Irishcrx

Kyng High Ignoramus wrote: »

Have you considered giving your mate a kick the the ars and telling him to at least look for a job. The taxes that are reducing your income are funding his existence and there are people out there now with all the redundancies etc that need that money a lot more than he does.

Ah I've told him a million times, he doesn't care just laughs about and claims to be looking for a job or has an excuse like going back to collage next year so no point...never happens.

ordinary_story

I have a mortgage, a car loan and several other loans and I know that €200 a week wouldnt cover my main outgoings.
Having said that I survive on €100 a week which covers my petrol, food and general day to day expenses.

I cant believe there are people here complaining that there are no jobs, there are jobs out there if you lower your standards, I will work anywhere to keep the roof over my head. I am a qualified profesional working in cushy office job but if I get the sack tomorrow I will be calling into Tescos, the local petrol station and anywhere else that might take me on. Sometimes it sickens me that the Irish have such a snobbery about working in service industry jobs.

neil_hosey

maybe dole offices should be handing out plane tickets to Australia and the likes!

Seriously though.. is there no way this can be weighted, whereby someone who has worked 5/10/30 years and loses his/her job through redundency or what now, should get a higher amount (say the 200) and a school leaver should get a lot less.

I claimed it for 3 months after college as I actually couldnt find a job, but ive paid it back now in taxes, so my conscience is clear

Madame Razz

Dole works out at just shy of €900 euro a month right??

To be fair the average bear, on the average industrial wage, paying the average mortgage doesn't actually have much more than the dole amount to play with in a given month, possibly less in some cases.

Can people who have lost their jobs but still have high mortgages to pay not get help from community welfare aswell as their dole??

iPlop

Ogham wrote: »

€200 is too much for asingle 18 yr old school leaver - it's too tempting to rent a room stay on the dole. You would need to work abut 30 hours in a min wage job to earn enough to just match the dole and any rent payments you get. I can see why people wouldn't be bothered - and just do a few cash jobs on the side.
My son is probably going to be claiming soon - but I was shocked when I found out how much it was. It is not encouragement to find work - it is more like the other way round. Encouragement to do nothing. What a country!

Lads thats not the real problem .Its getting let go going back to your home country and then claiming the IRISH dole along with childrens allowence and living like kings,no wonder were another billion indept every week.Irelands arse is hemoraging money:rolleyes:

dolliemix

tech2 wrote: »

I was only referring to people that have been on the dole for a incredible amount of time and couldnt be bothered looking for employment. I really sorry to hear you and your bf have been let go. There should be more support from the goverment for people that have been let go from their jobs and have to pay a mortgage to keep their house

While I do feel sorry for people in these circumstances, why should I have to pay for somebody elses mortgage? I am nearly able to afford a deposit after ten years saving and working. It's a hard blow for me to hear that I'll be taxed more to help out people with mortgages who can't afford to keep their payments up. I dont mind my money going to unemployed or or disadvantanged, but to increase my taxes to support home owners, when I can't afford that luxury myself is too much imo!

Lockstep

If anyone here is unemployed, you might give the army reserves a try.

It's good fun, meet new people, you get fed on field days and so on.
I know a few unemployed lads who do it, gives a bit of structure ad they find it good craic. Can train in a lot of differet stuff from medics to engineers.

Military forum has loads of info on joining up if anyone is interested.

sunnyside

EKRIUQ wrote: »

I agree with the original OP and but it's not just the dole it's the "entitlements"


free furniture and white goods,

Surely not.

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

but is there not something to do with land lords and stuf with rent allowance.... ?

Some landlords won't accept it. They are under no obligation to accept it. Others love it because it lets them charge higher rents. They will happily charge €150 for a room that would only get them €75 cash from a working person.

Irishcrx wrote: »

Ok, say I loose my job tomorrow and I've been working all my life I have a mortgage to pay, car loan, bills etc etc and all I'll get is 200 a month...Hardly enough I'll loose my house in no time and end up in big financial trouble.

.

This is reminding me of a thread for PI where everyone was telling the unemployed person to sell the car, television, not have internet. I am definitely not suggesting that but I do recall a big debate about what is and isn't essential.

Madame Razz wrote: »

Can people who have lost their jobs but still have high mortgages to pay not get help from community welfare aswell as their dole??

I've always wondered what people get from community welfare officers?

blackbox

HashSlinging wrote: »

Another Nigerian, living in Birmingham, had been claiming €2,240 a month in benefits, although he was stated to have left the country in 2005.

Can someone explain to me how you can claim 2240 per month.

I'd say a good strategy would be to claim in several different towns, possibly under different names - though it may work if you use a very common name, and just vary your first name slightly (e.g. Francis, Frank, Frankie, Francie etc.) It would also help if you were from some sort of "minority" so that people didn't like to challenge you for fear of causing offence, or of being called "racist".

JP Liz

The dole is not too much considering the cost of living in Ireland is so expensive

antodeco

:eek: its 200 a week? I could survive on that. People need to lower their expectancy, and remove their self obsessed pride. If I lost my job, Id gladly sweep roads to get my dole. It gives self worth and something to do. People on the dole should be made work for a few hours every week. Even two hours a day. Get them out there. Do some postal delivery. Save excess charges in the public sector by having people actually do something.
If i had a choice of 200 per week to sit at home, or 200 per week to do a few hours work, Id take the work option any day.

foxshooter243

I see lots of posts on here from the self righteous about their great work ethic and how they would all work for their dole if they lost their jobs-lets be honest , how many are posting here in company time and not their own,how many are supposed to be working but stuck on boards?- work ethic my ass!!!:rolleyes:

CiaranC

foxshooter243 wrote: »

I see lots of posts on here from the self righteous about their great work ethic and how they would all work for their dole if they lost their jobs-lets be honest , how many are posting here in company time and not their own,how many are supposed to be working but stuck on boards?- work ethic my ass!!!:rolleyes:

Great Point.

ShooterSF

antodeco wrote: »

Do some postal delivery. Save excess charges in the public sector by having people actually do something.
If i had a choice of 200 per week to sit at home, or 200 per week to do a few hours work, Id take the work option any day.

And put poor postie out of a job. For shame :pac:

John Mason

well, i may shortly be signing on

and i was think about it - my mrtgage is €950 a month and the dole is €800 a month.

i naturally assumed my mortgage protection included redundancy, but also no.

so a bit concerned about what i am going to do


i think if you have been working for 20 years without ever signing on you should get more money

KikiDee

foxshooter243 wrote: »

I see lots of posts on here from the self righteous about their great work ethic and how they would all work for their dole if they lost their jobs-lets be honest , how many are posting here in company time and not their own,how many are supposed to be working but stuck on boards?- work ethic my ass!!!:rolleyes:

+1

homerjay2005

my thoughts. dole should be not a set figure, as pointed out by PFB, if your an earner, then you should get more. so for example - here is the current state.

a lad that does not give 2 f*cks about a job and has been on the dole for years (not saying all people are like this but theres a massive amount of people that are screwing the state and are too lazy to work) gets 200 a week, each week and very few questions asked.

somebody else, being laid off, paying taxes for past 10 years, get the exact same. where is the since in that??

so, maybe something like this, though this country is too afraid to get off its ass and change things.

if your fully fit and able to work and not making any effort to work, then it should be for example -

left at full for first 3-6 months. then reduced by €10 a week each month meaning that after a yeat on the dolw they are down to €70. they wont be long getting off their asses then.

people who have been paying tax should be give given extra per week. so for example, if youve been paying tax for 5 years, then maybe an extra €50 a week, reducing by €10 a week after 6 months back down to origianal figure if still no movement.

its time like this though that im glad i dont have a mortgage .

can anybody on the dole confirm everything that a single male/female gets. do you get rent allowance and if so, what have you to do to proove that your paying rent? can everybody get it? free medical? free travel? what are the constraints there?

endasmail

Irishcrx wrote: »

Am I the only one that thinks the dole is far too high in this country, why would anyone want to get a job even if there was any. I have a mate I live it and he has more bloody money than I do and I work 45 hours a week. He has his rent payed for him by the government and pays 30 euro a month himself, and then the extra 200 a week as normal and this is without lifting a finger all he does all day is sleep, eat, smoke and eat and complain about being busy if he has to walk 5 mins to the shop at some point in the next 4 hours.

Do you think the government will be forced to cut the dole payments if the national debt and unemployment keeps rising?

yea yea i think ya have just a problem with your mate ,if his situation bothers you that much ,join him ,and dont be giving it all that "dole to much"blah blah
dole should be double what it is

Motley Crue

My personal opinion is that I am glad the dole is that high in case I should ever return to Ireland and need it to survive.

However, I would be the type of person who would rather wash windows or work in a call centre then go on the Dole and actually do something worthwhile or at least meaningful to someone during the day and then relax in the evening, and I have done both of those things rather than claim.

On the other hand, my qualifications mean that I have the skills to get a job in my chosen field...even if it is a cut throat industry...and I am also more than happy to go out and work because I realise the value of earning skills and money having gone through college.

EKRIUQ

sunnyside wrote: »

Surely not.

Some landlords won't accept it. They are under no obligation to accept it. Others love it because it lets them charge higher rents. They will happily charge €150 for a room that would only get them €75 cash from a working person.

This is reminding me of a thread for PI where everyone was telling the unemployed person to sell the car, television, not have internet. I am definitely not suggesting that but I do recall a big debate about what is and isn't essential.

I've always wondered what people get from community welfare officers?

The entitlements, not a fortune but more than I ever got when I moved into a new house. And this money doesn't have to pay for any of the goods as the money is transfered directly into the persons bank account once thay have a quotes from a furniture or electrical store. I Know of at least €20,000 (It works about €3,000 for a new council house) that didn't go on the things it should of

http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00000001pj7.jpg

Note: These are 2007 guidelines and they have gone up after each budget

97i9y3941

in this country you be an ejit to work and pay tax,i observed the following-

1-free med card

2-Worked half your life,then want to go to college?,i knew someone like that,late 20s,was told then he woundnt be entilted to a grant or back to education allowance-because he wasnt leaching off the goverment

3-allowances paid

4-an couple seem to get punished more because of this loophole thingy of how long u worked and stuff and how long you are out of work for,the €200 is too small for couples/people with kids

5-holiday allowance,yes holiday allowance,you can get that *even if you have spent years on the dole doing nothing and not look for a job

6-Fas/Fetac-this is open to abuse aswell,some people switch courses to stay out of work

7-College-dont want to work?,over 25?,go to college!,they give you an education allowance!,whilst the other poor students mightnt get a grant or education allowance because their parents are ejit tax payers.

*no offence intended to anyone

Highsider

No. in fact it's nowhere near enough to survive on

97i9y3941

Dearg81 wrote: »

Do they still do a means test for everyone applying for the dole?

I got means tested after i finished college 3 years ago and ended up getting only €50 cos i was living at home. I agree that €200 is too much for some people. It definitely made me try harder to get a job anyway.

you get means tested on your parents income if you are 24 and under and living at home,however if your 25 and over but still live at home,you are accessed on your own income *dont know how the gov expects people 24 and under to live if they arent entilted to anything

Cost of living in Ireland is why the dole is that value.

As a person who was made redundant 3 years ago, I didn't want to sign on.
During my jobless spell, I gave 3 days with out eating because off my pride.

Only for a friend called and noticed it, not one off my proudest moments.

I had to go to a Doctor whom a year earlier had no problem taking 50 bucks off me, though when I asked if I could be on the medical card, no they were full, went down the road to another, made an appointment, came out bewildered as on the card was 4 weeks from that day, and outside that clinic was all the canvassing signs for the General Election and M Harneys office was right beside the doctors clinic with her Face looking at me with messages of 6000 new beds etc.

I have worked all my life, contributed to Bupa and never used it, went to college, payed my taxes, never caused a problem within society as I was never in court had to deal with the law, etc.

It is a sad day when people here are picking at the misfortunate, when it is the policies off greed in the last 20 years that have put us into this mess that we are all trying to get out off.

At present I am back in college, finishing my Degree in IT and I help out people here in my community with there PC problems free off charge.

I'm sorry for ranting, though this country is the size off a normal sized city in Europe, yet we have loads off politicians and who's sallaries are more than that off the G8's, etc.

It is wonder we don't have a minister for pot noodles as they have being milking the system when everybody was too busy working.

Going back to Dole, it puts money back into the economy, you can buy an extra packet off rashers in Dunnes, etc and don't starve.

Again, sorry for ranting..

zillmere

Why don't the government allow you to top up your dole with money from your pension fund?

That would let people that have worked and payed tax & payed into a pension fund get a bit of short term help between jobs. Anyone that gets let go because of the current economic situation should have the right to access money they contributed. Even if there is an agreement to pay extra pension money in when you start working again.

This would also mean that people that have contributed to society get a better dole than the scum / professional scroungers.

Personally, I don't care if a person ripping of the system is from Ireland, Nigeria or the moon. They are as bad as each other.