Here's what I experienced in the dole queue

Lobelia Overhill

I remember the last Recession and this sort of behaviour (shouted conversations in public) was rife back in them days too.

As was the dole bashing. "They" coined the term Work Shy for anyone who'd been signing on for more than a month as you clearly weren't looking for, or interested in working. The fact that there were no jobs available wasn't taken into consideration, you were only unemployed because you were a shirker. Yeah, if that's what helps you sleep at night, get on with it.

"False" advertising of jobs has been going on for ever. I went for an interview in an office - never heard back from them, turned out they didn't hire anyone they just shared the work out among the staff that were already there. Rumour had it some places were advertising non existent jobs so that people could apply for them to prove they were looking for work - although that always seemed a bit far-fetched to me!

I remember being sent to a shop (from the dole office) that was looking for staff, the woman started screaming her head off. She'd no job going at all and didn't know why people kept coming in asking ... that sort of thing happened more than once (and it's still going on nowadays a mate of mine went to an address for an interview and the place didn't exist)

Tallon

Tallon wrote: »

If you don't mind me askin, what type of a job are you looking for?

A blowie, obviously.

holly1

Just noticed in post by shezzie,post 83.
There is such a thing as a mobile phone allowance,is it for real?

easyeason3

holly1 wrote: »

Just noticed in post by shezzie,post 83.
There is such a thing as a mobile phone allowance,is it for real?

I hope not. That would be taking the p!ss to a new level.

Professey Chin

holly1 wrote: »

Just noticed in post by shezzie,post 83.
There is such a thing as a mobile phone allowance,is it for real?

The telephone allowance for pensioners was extended to include mobiles a couple years ago alright. Dunno if applies to people on the dole though

syklops

Volvagia wrote: »

You can avoid nasty situations like that by getting a job.

I will be unemployed from monday. I have been job hunting for 2 months and have had one interview. They told me I wasnt technical enough, but I could apply for a more junior role, to prove my technical ability.

I work in security, and part of my job is to hack into corporate networks. That interview was half way between a smack in the face, and being rodgered with a small car. I never intended on going on the dole, but it looks like I will have to. And to anyone who says I am scrounging, for the last 2 years I ahve been paying over a grand in tax a month. I think I deserve it back.

holly1

easyeason3 wrote: »

I hope not. That would be taking the p!ss to a new level.

Well I got the impression they worked for social welfare,maby someone else would know,is there such an allowance!!!!!!:eek:

trustno1

easyeason3 wrote: »

Yeah I heard a story a while ago about a young mother trying to get on a bus with a buggy & because the buggy was a bit bulky she decided to leave it on the pavement because ' social will get me another '.

I'd love to know if that actually happened but I know a few heads where I'm from that would probably chance it

I have never heard of that before - but I did witness a similar(ish..very ish actually!) incident whereby a woman (foreign national) put her two children onto the bus while she was folding her buggy (as a lot of mothers do - I have done it myself on occasion) she had her foot on the first step of the bus and the driver closed the doors and drove off leaving the woman running after the bus with a buggy she couldn't even push as it was half closed. All of us on the bus shouted at the driver to stop and he went on and drove around the corner before he stopped - knowing full well what he had done...

But in relation to all things 'dole' like - did anyone receive this email? apparently it was a letter submitted to the Independent:

I recently had a long conversation with a friend of mine who lost his job. He was in a reasonably good job and after a little bit of overtime was earning a gross salary of 35,000 per year. So I asked him the obvious question of how he was going to cope now with four children to feed and, I have to be honest, the answer startled me. He was actually a lot better off and now in a position to go out golfing every day while his children are at school Frankly, I did not believe him until I sat down and did the sums. On a salary of 35,000, his annual net income after the mini Budget was28,854, after all deductions. Now he is on the supplementary welfare allowance which -- with a wife
and four children -- gives you 443.90 per week, or 23,083
annually. As he also has a mortgage, he is entitled to mortgage interest supplement which pays all the interest on your mortgage. In his case, this was 1,200 per month of his 1,500 mortgage, or 14,400 per annum. He is also entitled to back-to-school and footwear payment of 905 per year for four children, a medical card which is worth, on average, say 500 per year (probably more) and a heating supplement which Icannot quantify In total, he now has tax-free income of 38,888, an increase in his net income of 10,034 per year for working on his golf handicap. Based on the calculations after the mini-Budget, you would need toearn more than 47,000 per year if you have four children to justifycontinuing to work. This is even before taking into account the costs of working, such as petrol, car maintenance, tolls, lunches and so on. Now in any civilised society, and especially in a society in a deep recession with a huge welfare bill, surely the government must give
people an incentive to go out and work. Making the child benefit taxable or means tested later this year is just going to make the situation worse and encourage more people to give up work and rely on the State to live.It could even drive our small economy to collapse as the welfare bill gets bigger and bigger as more people, including myself, ask: why should I bother to go out to work when it is basically costing me money to work?. Unless something radically changes, I will be joining my mate on the golf course very soon.

I have no idea how true it is - but I thought it was very interesting!

Joey the lips

The letter is true it was in the Irish Times or Indo yesterday.

It was written as a letter to the editor. The point of the writer was. There is no incentive to work. Really!

Snowie

An ipod and a book is essential for dole cue I've found!
I did see one girl there who looked like she was about to break down in tears felt so sorry for her....

So many other people like that...

Ouijaboard

At the end of the day, people on the dole didnt run this countrys economy into the ground , people like this did: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fas-chief-splashed-8364400000-on-credit-card-1711709.html

Nobody can deny that there is a rip off the dole attitude prevalent in this society, I just find it funny that there's a chunk of people in this country who really resent everyone who signs on because they are still in their own dead end job and up to their ears in debt and blame everyone who 'takes the easy way out'. Its a shame really, no doubt the social welfare and HSE 'payforall' systems need to be shaken up a bit to stop the rot but the average social climber would do better to redirect more of their anger towards people like the FAS chief above and his ilk rather than the the average joe who is having real problems getting a job in the current environment. Of course the average climber wants to be Mr FAS above and resents everybody on the bottom of the ladder.

Trouble is if the anger is not directed properly we will continue to vote the current idiots back into power and we will be looking at another reckless spending and profiteering recession in another 10 years after this one abates.

Lobelia Overhill

trustno1 wrote: »

All of us on the bus shouted at the driver to stop and he went on and drove around the corner before he stopped - knowing full well what he had done...

I hope ye reported him! :eek:

Letters like that one in the Indo are old hat, there's always going to be someone who can "prove" that you're better off on the dole than working ...

Puddleduck

syklops wrote: »

I will be unemployed from monday. I have been job hunting for 2 months and have had one interview. They told me I wasnt technical enough, but I could apply for a more junior role, to prove my technical ability.

I work in security, and part of my job is to hack into corporate networks. That interview was half way between a smack in the face, and being rodgered with a small car. I never intended on going on the dole, but it looks like I will have to. And to anyone who says I am scrounging, for the last 2 years I ahve been paying over a grand in tax a month. I think I deserve it back.

Ill employ you...then we can take over the world....

All we need is a paper clip, some gas, a piece of string, a computer and a hostage.

Milkey Bar Kid

I think people are very narrow minded at the moment. You cant compare the people who were on the dole years ago when companys were hiring anyone from 16 to 60 who just didn't want to work to the people whos who lose their jobs by the thousands every month.
There seems to be a lot of smug people in this thread who are probably sitting at there work PC's at the moment. By next week your job could be gone and you will be standing embarrased that you insulted others about the issue.


*Im still lucky to be in a job at the moment

shezzie

holly1 wrote: »

Just noticed in post by shezzie,post 83.
There is such a thing as a mobile phone allowance,is it for real?

yep there is its a once a month payment of 26 euro for mobile/telephone allowance....

Woger

trustno1 wrote: »

I have never heard of that before - but I did witness a similar(ish..very ish actually!) incident whereby a woman (foreign national) put her two children onto the bus while she was folding her buggy (as a lot of mothers do - I have done it myself on occasion) she had her foot on the first step of the bus and the driver closed the doors and drove off leaving the woman running after the bus with a buggy she couldn't even push as it was half closed. All of us on the bus shouted at the driver to stop and he went on and drove around the corner before he stopped - knowing full well what he had done...

But in relation to all things 'dole' like - did anyone receive this email? apparently it was a letter submitted to the Independent:

I recently had a long conversation with a friend of mine who lost his job. He was in a reasonably good job and after a little bit of overtime was earning a gross salary of 35,000 per year. So I asked him the obvious question of how he was going to cope now with four children to feed and, I have to be honest, the answer startled me. He was actually a lot better off and now in a position to go out golfing every day while his children are at school Frankly, I did not believe him until I sat down and did the sums. On a salary of 35,000, his annual net income after the mini Budget was28,854, after all deductions. Now he is on the supplementary welfare allowance which -- with a wife
and four children -- gives you 443.90 per week, or 23,083
annually. As he also has a mortgage, he is entitled to mortgage interest supplement which pays all the interest on your mortgage. In his case, this was 1,200 per month of his 1,500 mortgage, or 14,400 per annum. He is also entitled to back-to-school and footwear payment of 905 per year for four children, a medical card which is worth, on average, say 500 per year (probably more) and a heating supplement which Icannot quantify In total, he now has tax-free income of 38,888, an increase in his net income of 10,034 per year for working on his golf handicap. Based on the calculations after the mini-Budget, you would need toearn more than 47,000 per year if you have four children to justifycontinuing to work. This is even before taking into account the costs of working, such as petrol, car maintenance, tolls, lunches and so on. Now in any civilised society, and especially in a society in a deep recession with a huge welfare bill, surely the government must give
people an incentive to go out and work. Making the child benefit taxable or means tested later this year is just going to make the situation worse and encourage more people to give up work and rely on the State to live.It could even drive our small economy to collapse as the welfare bill gets bigger and bigger as more people, including myself, ask: why should I bother to go out to work when it is basically costing me money to work?. Unless something radically changes, I will be joining my mate on the golf course very soon.

I have no idea how true it is - but I thought it was very interesting!

BS
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055540985

easyeason3

shezzie wrote: »

yep there is its a once a month payment of 26 euro....

What???

Is this for people on disability & pensioners or is it across the board for all people signing on?

shezzie

easyeason3 wrote: »

What???

Is this for people on disability & pensioners or is it across the board for all people signing on?

i have paid a few pensioners and a few on disability - maybe it is for long term social welfare recipients rather than new peoople to it as its not all pensioners or disability recipients receive whatever their criterium is - thats a social question.. and with the cut backs on budget it maybe gone soon...

easyeason3

shezzie wrote: »

i have paid a few pensioners and a few on disability - maybe it is for long term social welfare recipients rather than new peoople to it as its not all pensioners or disability recipients receive whatever their criterium is - thats a social question.. and with the cut backs on budget it maybe gone soon...

Maybe. But if someone has a genuine reason to have one, ie: a health condition, then I have no problem with that.
But I really hope it's not something that's handed out freely because if it is there is a greater chance of it being cut & it's the people who genuinely need it that will suffer.

scorpioishere

Sanjuro wrote: »

I was once in the dole queue and I couldn't understand what anyone was saying because they were all speaking Foreign.

[/social commentary]

You should start learning foreign languages so that in future you could understand them.

shezzie

easyeason3 wrote: »

Maybe. But if someone has a genuine reason to have one, ie: a health condition, then I have no problem with that.
But I really hope it's not something that's handed out freely because if it is there is a greater chance of it being cut & it's the people who genuinely need it that will suffer.

isnt that the truth but i think thats the only way our government know how to govern - you know let the rich keep the money and let the poor get poorer and poorer - have spoken to some pensioners who cant afford the heating bills and say they are resorted to putting on a few jumpers cause they cant afford the heating - that is absolutely crazy - these are the very people who need the help the money and services

the government must think they'll never get old and needy though they are the rich ba**ards so they''ll be sorted so it doesnt really matter bout the rest of us - they drive me to distraction -

had one or two customers who literally didn't have a penny and cause i know them from coming to me over the years - one week the social didnt send them the money - they were so upset - they had no money so i gave them a few bob of my own money to sort them - only because i know them wouldnt have other wise as you do hear the stories - she tried paying me back the next week she had a small baby so told her to treat the child to something nice...its always nice to be nice and if i was down on my luck i would hope someone would help me out....

KeyLimePie

i went there for the last two weeks, as mutual support for a friend cause they're kinda ashamed, but anyway the first time was funny cause i was looking at all the people who i went to school with signing on, and the the second time was also funny cause about half the people there come into my shop and got a vodka an apple juice..........

Terry

shezzie wrote: »

i have paid a few pensioners and a few on disability - maybe it is for long term social welfare recipients rather than new peoople to it as its not all pensioners or disability recipients receive whatever their criterium is - thats a social question.. and with the cut backs on budget it maybe gone soon...

It's just for those on disability and pensioners.

People getting basic JSA/B just get the basics.

As for the argument that you're better off on the dole than working;
If you make €300 a week, you may spend €100* of that getting to and from work, lunches and other bits and pieces.
The thing is though, you'll be working and not sitting on your arse all day.

*It's very easy to go through €20 a day on little things.

easyeason3

shezzie wrote: »

isnt that the truth but i think thats the only way our government know how to govern - you know let the rich keep the money and let the poor get poorer and poorer - have spoken to some pensioners who cant afford the heating bills and say they are resorted to putting on a few jumpers cause they cant afford the heating - that is absolutely crazy - these are the very people who need the help the money and services

the government must think they'll never get old and needy though they are the rich ba**ards so they''ll be sorted so it doesnt really matter bout the rest of us - they drive me to distraction -

had one or two customers who literally didn't have a penny and cause i know them from coming to me over the years - one week the social didnt send them the money - they were so upset - they had no money so i gave them a few bob of my own money to sort them - only because i know them wouldnt have other wise as you do hear the stories - she tried paying me back the next week she had a small baby so told her to treat the child to something nice...its always nice to be nice and if i was down on my luck i would hope someone would help me out....

That's very sound of you to give them a few quid. I have a friend who is working at the moment but she is coming out with about the same amount of money as me at the end of the week because the company she works for is extremely stingy on wages & they have introduced a pay cut even though they haven't seen a drop in profits.
Anyway she has a wedding coming up in the summer & I made a dress for her. She bought the material, which cost about €40 - €50. She tried to pay me for making it & when I refused money she nearly cried because she couldn't afford it even though she knew she was a project because I'm new to making dresses & had told her from the start I wouldn't, couldn't, charge her.
It's always nice to do something nice.

red-demon

Went - took a whiff - head my breath - got dizzy - left

JONJO THE MISER

Anyone see Paddy o Gormans tv show where he was in the dole lineup in Cork there were so many people, its still on RTE player and is good watching as he is really good at listening to people.

stovelid

I found it awful the last time I was in a dole queue.

I'd always enjoyed dehumanizing the people on the dole and complaining about the drain on my taxes, but then found myself queuing with them for benefits!

I did briefly consider only accepting 50% of my benefits, in keeping with my trenchant views on social welfare reduction, but that's really only for people that deserve to be on the dole. People from houses with pebble-dash on them and so forth.

The problem was this: how would the world know that I'm unique, different and that I went to college even though I'm in exactly the same boat as everyone else in the queue?

Thankfully, I find that posting cruel and cliched vignettes about the other recipients anonymously on boards restores some modicum of superiority and worth.

I didn't say this to them at the time obviously! One of them offered me a read of their paper (The Star!!) and I just about stammered No Thanks through a rictus grin of fear and disgust.

I'm different. I will persevere.

JONJO THE MISER

stovelid wrote: »

I found it awful the last time I was in a dole queue.

I'd always enjoyed dehumanizing the people on the dole and complaining about the drain on my taxes, but then found myself queuing with them for benefits!

I did briefly consider only accepting 50% of my benefits, in keeping with my trenchant views on social welfare reduction, but that's really only for people that deserve to be on the dole. People from houses with pebble-dash on them and so forth.

The problem was this: how would the world know that I'm unique, different and that I went to college even though I'm in exactly the same boat as everyone else in the queue?

Thankfully, I find that posting cruel and cliched vignettes about the other recipients anonymously on boards restores some modicum of superiority and worth.

I didn't say this to them at the time obviously! One of them offered me a read of their paper (The Star!!) and I just about stammered No Thanks through a rictus grin of fear and disgust.

I'm different. I will persevere.

Maybe been on the dole will knock some of the snobbery off ya.

dr.bollocko

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Maybe been on the dole will knock some of the snobbery off ya.

I think you somewhat missed the point buddy.

ChocolateSauce

In general, I'm always horrifically unimpressed by the things I see in places where they hand out money. I'm not going to go into any further.

stovelid

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Maybe been on the dole will knock some of the snobbery off ya.

Read again Jonjo.

Wuggectumondo

Once in the dole queue these two heroin addicts or something were really off their heads in the queue. The woman passed out and her boyfriend put her lying on the bench at the back. Then he started calling her but she didn't budge. So he started shouting her name and throwing bits of paper at her to try and make her move!

Another time this drunk man was telling me that he's been an alcoholic since he was 12. His friends were supposed to go to the dole office with him but they got arrested on the way in for drinking in public. He tried to steal a bottle of vodka from Lidl the week before and is getting FINED (not rehab or anything). After signing on he said he was off to Smithfield with his friends to drink for the rest of the day.

Dave!

Wuggectumondo wrote: »

After signing on he said he was off to Smithfield with his friends to drink for the rest of the day.

Sounds like he's living the dream