Going on the dole?

TMH

I'll be finishing a Masters in May, and don't want to have to move back home. But in order to survive until I can find a job (and who knows how long that'll take) I'm going to have to apply for the Jobseeker's Allowance.
With all the talk of huge backlogs, how am I going to manage until my application is processed?
People that need the dole are obviously in dire financial straits. How are they supposed to support themselves while their applications are being processed?
I'm in Dublin btw.

Any advice or help from people that have been in a similar situation will be much appreciated.

[Not sure if this is the right place for this thread, but couldn't find one that seemed to fit this query. Feel free to move it]

Fear Uladh

What subject did you do?

Stephentlig

go to the health board with evidence that you have an application in process for the dole and they will give you a check each week until your application comes through.

Pax Christi
Stephen

coldwood92

TMH wrote: »

I'll be finishing a Masters in May, and don't want to have to move back home. But in order to survive until I can find a job (and who knows how long that'll take) I'm going to have to apply for the Jobseeker's Allowance.
With all the talk of huge backlogs, how am I going to manage until my application is processed?
People that need the dole are obviously in dire financial straits. How are they supposed to support themselves while their applications are being processed?
I'm in Dublin btw.

Any advice or help from people that have been in a similar situation will be much appreciated.

[Not sure if this is the right place for this thread, but couldn't find one that seemed to fit this query. Feel free to move it]

Where are u from

dlofnep

From a Masters to the dole. Gotta love Ireland!

But on a serious note, I understand where you're coming from. The work just isn't out there. If I were you, start banging out CV's to everyone now and try line yourself up with a job for when you get out. Look abroad if you must. Even if you get a bar job or something to keep you ticking over until you get on your feet - I wouldn't set your sights on immediately looking for job-seekers allowance.

Mike 1972

There are things like crisis lones (not sure if they would be applicable in your case)

Pot Noodle =

Pax Christi
Stephen

What that mean

TMH

Stephentlig wrote: »

go to the health board with evidence that you have an application in process for the dole and they will give you a check each week until your application comes through.

Thanks, that's great if it works!

As for those asking what subject I'm doing and where I'm from, not exactly relevant I don't think.

Elessar

You go and see your local Community Welfare Officer and apply for Supplementary welfare allowance. It's means tested aswell but will be processed within a day or two and you live off that until your jobseekers comes through.

Odysseus

As noted above, find out where you local community welfare officer sits and they should sort you out whilst your waiting on your payments to come through.


edit: looks like it was pipped at the post

TMH

dlofnep wrote: »

From a Masters to the dole. Gotta love Ireland!

But on a serious note, I understand where you're coming from. The work just isn't out there. If I were you, start banging out CV's to everyone now and try line yourself up with a job for when you get out. Look abroad if you must. Even if you get a bar job or something to keep you ticking over until you get on your feet - I wouldn't set your sights on immediately looking for job-seekers allowance.

Yeah, I've applied for tons of bar/restaurant work, but there's so much competition out there now even for that type of work. I'm doing journalism so best case scenario I can get by on a bit of freelancing, but wouldn't want to be relying on it.

Mint Sauce

<trying hard to avoid an AH answer>

you might be better trying one of the benifit boards mate

IrishManSaipan

Stephentlig wrote: »

go to the health board with evidence that you have an application in process for the dole and they will give you a check each week until your application comes through.

They hand over cash before the claim is processed or accepted? Thats mad.

jd007

I can't get over all the serious replies!:eek:

Stephentlig

IrishManSaipan wrote: »

They hand over cash before the claim is processed or accepted? Thats mad.

yup, I've done it in the past, all they need is proof of your identity address and proof that you actually made the application.

Pax Christi
Stephen

TMH

irish-stew wrote: »

<trying hard to avoid an AH answer>

you might be better trying one of the benifit boards mate

I'm not as familiar with forum-speak as you guys. 'AH' meaning? I'm assuming something derogatory, I'm just looking for some info, not a hard time.

IrishManSaipan

TMH wrote: »

I'm not as familiar with forum-speak as you guys. 'AH' meaning? I'm assuming something derogatory, I'm just looking for some info, not a hard time.

After Hours = AH. The name of the forum.

Stephentlig

TMH wrote: »

I'm not as familiar with forum-speak as you guys. 'AH' meaning? I'm assuming something derogatory, I'm just looking for some info, not a hard time.

haha no worries TMH it means ''After Hours'' as in the initials of the forum you are browsing at the moment.

IrishManSaipan

Stephentlig wrote: »

haha no worries TMH it means ''After Hours'' as in the initials of the forum you are browsing at the moment.

If you are not fast, you are last.:p

TMH

jd007 wrote: »

I can't get over all the serious replies!:eek:

Is it so hilarious that I'm looking for help with this? All well and good if I do get a job upon finishing my course, but let's be realistic, the country's a mess.
Emmigration is a serious possibility for me right now, and I'd rather try my luck here before I have to resort to that. If that means drawing the dole for a while, then I think I'm entitled to do so, and I think I'm entitled to ask for the opinon of you guys on here, don't you agree? :eek:

Mint Sauce

TMH wrote: »

I'm not as familiar with forum-speak as you guys. 'AH' meaning? I'm assuming something derogatory, I'm just looking for some info, not a hard time.

not lookng to give you a hard time dude, AH means 'after hours', one of boards many many forums, and not always to place to get serious answers, yes we have been known to give help, but for every serious answer you get you might get 5 more making a joke from the situation, hence my sugestion to try one of the benifit forums

Stephentlig

IrishManSaipan wrote: »

If you are not fast, you are last.:p

wow, poetry on AH, how suprising hehe.:P

CK2010

the community welfare officer is your best bet but i know a few people whos supplementary welfare allowance wasn't processed til just before their JS was, roughly eight weeks, so it was no real use then. defeats the purpose of it too!

if you're in need of a large sum of money for a deposit/rent you can ask for an urgent needs payment, which is either a one off payment that you get based on the fact you have no income and need the money urgently, or they'll give you a 'lend' which you can pay back when you're in employment (although you may need to be already in employment to do this one). the urgent needs payment is from the community welfare officer too.

id strongly recommend you just bombard everywhere with cvs no matter how crap a job it is. you're going to have to apply places anyway cause they check up on your jobhunting. and at the end of the day its better to work a crappy job where your money is your own than to go on the dole and have to answer to them, fill out paperwork, prove everything, etc.

IrishManSaipan

TMH wrote: »

don't you agree? :eek:

Only if you have made enough PRSI contributions.

Stephentlig

TMH wrote: »

Is it so hilarious that I'm looking for help with this? All well and good if I do get a job upon finishing my course, but let's be realistic, the country's a mess.
Emmigration is a serious possibility for me right now, and I'd rather try my luck here before I have to resort to that. If that means drawing the dole for a while, then I think I'm entitled to do so, and I think I'm entitled to ask for the opinon of you guys on here, don't you agree? :eek:

they say everyone is off to Australia these days. perhaps you could look into that a bit more?

Dudess

Would moving home not be a viable option at all? If it's only a means to an end it's not so bad...

mikom

TMH wrote: »

All well and good if I do get a job upon finishing my course, but let's be realistic, the country's a mess.

But let's be realistic, how many journalists are there in the country looking for work.
What sort of a portfolio you got?
Do you blog?

Keith2010!

Am regarding getting money to keep you going, I know what you mean. Regarding finishing in May for your application to be processed you will be required to provide letter from college regarding actually finishing with course. Also make sure you have p45 etc regarding previous employment. Secondly am if you have worked in the past three years this will be taken into account, it then may be a possible you may be entitled to jobseekers benefit. Credits are acquired both from working but also credits are added as you were in education. Regarding jobseekers benefit it may be that you will only qualify for the graduate level of payment. Am as your claim is been processed by social, you are better off to go to the health board to get payment, here you will be required to provide details of your financial situation i.e. bank statements. In order for claims to be processed as quickly as possible I would seriously stress that you be able to provide a letter from the college and P45's on previous jobs. There are times that if you were working two jobs at a time that your credits are not calculated correctly and if that is the case once the social welfare receive these documents they are then forwarded to a separate department to make the specific alterations to allow the claim to be processed properly. Is hope what I have said is a help. I know it’s a complete shambles at the moment and for a lot its robbing peter (us) to pay Paul (loans) but we will pull through. If you have further questions I would be glad to help if I can.

Tiddlers

I don't think there's any harmin going on the dole while you are trying to sort out a job and stuff after you graduate,especially since journalism can be a hard area to get a decent job in.

Getting supplementary welfare from the HSE is usually pretty swift or at least it seems to have been for a few friends of mine who've got it.Only difference between it and regular JSA is that usually someone from your local HSE office will call to your house to verify your living arrangements are what you say they are on your application form.

TMH

IrishManSaipan wrote: »

Only if you have made enough PRSI contributions.

Well I'm 22, I've worked 2 years full time before doing this Masters along with doing 3 years of undergrad study, so I'm not a waster if that's what you're implying.
And even if I hadn't done so, I'm entitled to government support if I fall on hard times as much as anyone else is.


To everyone else:
The penny has dropped and I realise this isn't the most serious of forums to be posting this thread! Thanks for all the genuine replies anyway guys.

mikom

TMH wrote: »

To everyone else:
The penny has dropped and I realise this isn't the most serious of forums to be posting this thread!

Investigative journalism was it?