The Jobbridge Scandal

Stabshauptmann

I'm all on board with naming and shaming. I'm disappointed that the scam bridge website doesnt have the info on the legislation and rules or how to make a complaint.

Who is going to be reading that website? Annoyed interns. Not gov. officials, not tax payers. May I make a suggestion to the world wide web, if you are involved in this website provide people with the means to make compelling complaints; there is a skill to making a complaint.

For the record, and to summarise what I've said to date:
Dont take a BS internship - you do not have to. Know your rights.
Report internships that displace quality. Know the law.
The current job market for new graduates sucks. Public sector in particular. However, theres not much to be said except make the most of it.

sdanseo

I agree that companies are exploiting this scheme to gain free labour.

However, I also agree that people on the dole should, where practical, do some form of work to earn the cash.

scamalert

sdeire wrote: »

I agree that companies are exploiting this scheme to gain free labour.

However, I also agree that people on the dole should, where practical, do some form of work to earn the cash.

People should be able to earn cash,but not by the way of spending more by earning,i said couple times already how the F*** someone is supposed to do any job bridge scam scheme with 50e without spending even more money on commuting,food other essentials that come when working.Doesn't add up any way you calculate this sh of scheme.Only stats manipulation for the government clowns.

There should be ground rules,as now i see benefits of what learning how to answer phone ? serving customers,stacking/cleaning experience is to be gained-that's the only thing one can gain from such scheme :mad:
there should be rules where such small or big companies should be banned from offering such positions.Same should applied who look for qualified people to do job bridge scheme.

The only fair option to this scheme would be if company wouldn't be able to find person having adequate skills needed for job,then signing contract that person will be trained to needed level,and guarantee that he will be kept when contract ends.

Or even better any job bridge job should be first advertised as fully paid position,and if company proves that there isn't suitable candidate to fill it,then they should be allowed to take and train person for it.

but we know that wont happen :cool:

lurkballs

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

No, trying doing some research into the state of the government coffers

government have no problem paying themselves big salaries and bonuses
they can spend millions on voting machines and never use them
they can suddenly find millions when they need to so no excuse

rolox

In my opinion the system is being abused by opportunistic employers and it is designed to deflate the numbers on the live register. I'm a student. I cannot get any employment at the moment because, as a student, I am not eligible for a JobBridge position.

All entry level jobs or traditional summer internships have been replaced by these "JobBridge internships".

Anyone offering a"Retail Assistant" internship, in my honest opinion, should be investigated. This is a job that generally, in the past, has been entrance level and requires little to no experience.

This along with a wide variety of "Deli Assistant, Cleaning Assistant, Car Wash Assistant, Etc" internships need to be investigated rigorously because they are robbing young people of jobs, while pandering to the business owners.

The employers are taking advantage of the free labour, as any business person would.

The fault lies with the regulators and their lack of regulation on the entire project.

A question that I am sure has been raised already but I will raise it again regardless is: Why can't these businesses pay half of their employees wages up to the minimum wage for a weeks work?

Instead of the Irish tax payer forking out for their free labour, which isn't even attractive to the recipient. 188 a week sitting on your arse VS 238 a week for 40 hours work.

I'm no mathematician .........

Smeggy

Girl in my job on an internship started two weeks early for some unknown reason and didn't even get the extra €50 per week! She has a 50 minute drive to and from home to work a 40 hour week for €50.. I told her I know what I'd be doing!!

JJayoo

http://intern.jobbridge.ie/Default.aspx?q=B+fomdowzS8kaDnSlUDk1zaMUPiFEeNrNWjviinu490thmC2C0u+DG6gBny9Tb9Kw2F45naQGcHxGNNfX788sfMIcVk+77gdLpKPFGYO3oz7E0UsgQwjQ+QPxooPQ1zMoqsaf/QvuuGRZimoWlY/bHpYXdGKzhQGWBy4gHoP7tNFrM9QJ9bhY5DeTFpBd2pP2HavFQNELx5aNl8Tq67Dfy20SspE9aH1HNd9XfoVSAgq4XSh1n+IFTku8XwlfJPTr0W/yGKayHc1fkeBsAdWy3tte+ysoC7uRlZWX8WUlPFLJbhE8r/NsI4EgjQWo1XUQM9EeVHB2uKEzhtlwrAJCbw9uWId/8q3vbPqQ04OiGsSgMhGXQREjjqX10poXHIrkF9ahq4RTLcz/Or+UqTpIA4eDuGI/vUpzHdyU0YBVS23NWDFFp+6W4K0Bai7SFWJLJfo+tByh1waggc6f+TlA0koHK5XN54kGhnuQDlWKyY=

"The intern will gain practical experience in loading and unloading of lorry and operation of crane. The intern will receive formal/informal training in the following: use of crane, how to complete paperwork on deliveries and collections, safe loading and unloading of lorry, and customer service. On completion the intern will have attained skills in delivery driving, filling in paperwork, dealing with customers and safety use of crane."

40 hours per week

I like this one.

Xenji

JJayoo wrote: »

http://intern.jobbridge.ie/Default.aspx?q=B+fomdowzS8kaDnSlUDk1zaMUPiFEeNrNWjviinu490thmC2C0u+DG6gBny9Tb9Kw2F45naQGcHxGNNfX788sfMIcVk+77gdLpKPFGYO3oz7E0UsgQwjQ+QPxooPQ1zMoqsaf/QvuuGRZimoWlY/bHpYXdGKzhQGWBy4gHoP7tNFrM9QJ9bhY5DeTFpBd2pP2HavFQNELx5aNl8Tq67Dfy20SspE9aH1HNd9XfoVSAgq4XSh1n+IFTku8XwlfJPTr0W/yGKayHc1fkeBsAdWy3tte+ysoC7uRlZWX8WUlPFLJbhE8r/NsI4EgjQWo1XUQM9EeVHB2uKEzhtlwrAJCbw9uWId/8q3vbPqQ04OiGsSgMhGXQREjjqX10poXHIrkF9ahq4RTLcz/Or+UqTpIA4eDuGI/vUpzHdyU0YBVS23NWDFFp+6W4K0Bai7SFWJLJfo+tByh1waggc6f+TlA0koHK5XN54kGhnuQDlWKyY=

"The intern will gain practical experience in loading and unloading of lorry and operation of crane. The intern will receive formal/informal training in the following: use of crane, how to complete paperwork on deliveries and collections, safe loading and unloading of lorry, and customer service. On completion the intern will have attained skills in delivery driving, filling in paperwork, dealing with customers and safety use of crane."

40 hours per week

I like this one.

I like how they are breaking various health and safety laws, no mention of a Safe Pass and you have to have a ticket to operate a crane, which involves official Fas training.

Rainbow_Bright

High 5 for the lady with the predictions!! 👠I notice that there are quite a few Classroom Assistant positions being advertised as internships. According to the regulations, an internship cannot be available where people have been let go, or is the loophole in the fact that these schools may not have previously had them..? Either way, the country is familiar with the controversy over letting CAs go.

Sorry to rant on this again - it's got me a little riled 😊

Aidric

It has spread to that states now.

Facebook billionaire Sheryl Sandberg is facing criticism after it emerged that her Lean In foundation, a non-profit that ‘encourages women to pursue their ambitions’, was seeking an unpaid intern.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-billionaire-sheryl-sandberg-seeks-unpaid-intern-8771086.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=

Andy454

there's nothing more soul destroying that working for free.

A person working a 40 hour week and coming home with 50 euro more that he'd get on the dole is scandalous.

Companies that engage in this practice should be named and shamed.

A FAIR DAY'S WAGE FOR A FAIR DAY'S WORK!!!!

Thom Merrilin

Smeggy wrote: »

Girl in my job on an internship started two weeks early for some unknown reason and didn't even get the extra €50 per week! She has a 50 minute drive to and from home to work a 40 hour week for €50.. I told her I know what I'd be doing!!

Jaysus, the €50 extra a week would hardly even cover the petrol used spending 1hr 40mins per day in a car.

I think this would actually be a good scheme, and less prone to abuse if the employer was required to pay €100/week, while the intern maintained their social welfare rate of €188/week, totalling €288/week.

It would save the State the €50/week, and still give employers a staff member for €100/week (€2.50/hour) which is well below minimum wage anyway and allows them plenty of time to decide if they want to hire the intern properly.

I can't see too many employers objecting to this kinda setup.

annascott

I know that there are many employers who are exploiting the scheme. However, in some cases it is an opportunity for certain people to get work experience where they would not stand a chance of being considered otherwise...

gutteruu

annascott wrote: »

I know that there are many employers who are exploiting the scheme. However, in some cases it is an opportunity for certain people to get work experience where they would not stand a chance of being considered otherwise...

But vast majority of cases, its just abuse of the jobs market. If you wanted to make a proper internship/training program, there are much better ways of doing it.

Boombastic

annascott wrote: »

I know that there are many employers who are exploiting the scheme. However, in some cases it is an opportunity for certain people to get work experience where they would not stand a chance of being considered otherwise...

One school in kerry is looking for 5 interns, some as cleaners. ...I'll dig up the link of the paper I read it in. ..

princess-lala

I was self employed for a few years and took two of these interns on!

First one was brilliant, I was training her and all was grand, guaranteed a job at the end of it! Then she just lost interest and became lazy, stopped coming to work! Eventually got rid of her and took on the second who from day one was lazy and had zero interest in the job!

sligoface

princess-lala wrote: »

I was self employed for a few years and took two of these interns on!

First one was brilliant, I was training her and all was grand, guaranteed a job at the end of it! Then she just lost interest and became lazy, stopped coming to work! Eventually got rid of her and took on the second who from day one was lazy and had zero interest in the job!

Maybe getting a proper wage would motivate them, works for me.

Tombi!

sligoface wrote: »

Maybe getting a proper wage would motivate them, works for me.

I'm assuming princess actually couldn't afford to keep her business running and hire employees so she did the next best thing.

hfallada

No all internships are bad at all. Its just irish companies have no ****ing clue what an internship is. In the us in a internship you learn skills that will eventually you a job. A job you want and will work for. What the motivation in training to be a deli assistant. A ****ty €8,65, which wont get you much if you live in Dublin. Its not in anyway a motivator

sligoface

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

I'm assuming princess actually couldn't afford to keep her business running and hire employees so she did the next best thing.

Doesn't matter really what state the business is in, you can't expect to pay people nothing and get good attendance and job performance for nine months. That was the point I was making. A lot of businesses are struggling, that doesn't mean that the people who are out of work should be expected to prop them up for free.

The scheme has removed many entry level jobs that people need, especially young people. If people have a paid job they will spend locally and THAT will help the struggling businesses in Ireland more than this scheme. People stuck on the dole for a long time will spend far less and will emigrate if they can. These internships are so counter productive it is unbelievable.

princess-lala

sligoface wrote: »

Maybe getting a proper wage would motivate them, works for me.

They were getting proper training and qualifications instead! Sorry but I couldn't afford to pay them a wage!

Isn't getting something better than nothing at all?

HughieQ

the whole system in fas is in a sorry state now......work placements, jobs and skillnets......not great at all...........

king size mars bar

Boombastic wrote: »

One school in kerry is looking for 5 interns, some as cleaners. ...I'll dig up the link of the paper I read it in. ..

just appilied to one the other day, mainteance/cleaner for a secondary school

Tombi!

sligoface wrote: »

Doesn't matter really what state the business is in, you can't expect to pay people nothing and get good attendance and job performance for nine months. That was the point I was making. A lot of businesses are struggling, that doesn't mean that the people who are out of work should be expected to prop them up for free.

The scheme has removed many entry level jobs that people need, especially young people. If people have a paid job they will spend locally and THAT will help the struggling businesses in Ireland more than this scheme. People stuck on the dole for a long time will spend far less and will emigrate if they can. These internships are so counter productive it is unbelievable.

Really depends on what job it was. There's a stark difference between "shelf stacker" and something like working as a receptionist.

Gongoozler

princess-lala wrote: »

They were getting proper training and qualifications instead! Sorry but I couldn't afford to pay them a wage!

Isn't getting something better than nothing at all?

Should you really be in business if you're making so little money you can't afford to hire badly needed staff?

Freddy Smelly

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

Really depends on what job it was. There's a stark difference between "shelf stacker" and something like working as a receptionist.

not really... one stacks shelves and answers customer queries the other one stacks filing cabinets and answers phones.... hardly brain surgery

Raging_Ninja

Gongoozler wrote: »

Should you really be in business if you're making so little money you can't afford to hire badly needed staff?

Most startup companies operate at a loss and only start turning a profit after a few years.

kylith

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

Really depends on what job it was. There's a stark difference between "shelf stacker" and something like working as a receptionist.

A receptionist doesn't need a 9 month training period to be taught how the switchboard works. If someone with past experience can't pick up how to staff reception or work in admin in a couple of weeks then they're not suitable for that job.

Internships should be for positions which require a specific skill which cannot be attained overnight; maybe web development/writing code/garage mechanic, stuff like that.

FTA69

princess-lala wrote: »

They were getting proper training and qualifications instead! Sorry but I couldn't afford to pay them a wage!

You said above that "they were guaranteed a job at the end of it". If that was the case you should have been paying her during her training period (if she was as good as you said she was) instead of exploiting her and getting her to work 40 hours in return for SFA. Fair play to her for stopping coming, you were clearly taking the p*ss and yet you've the temerity to complain she was "lazy" while ignoring the fact you weren't paying her a red cent.

Isn't getting something better than nothing at all?

No, getting paid nothing for hard work isn't a positive thing at all.

Grandpa Hassan

FTA69 wrote: »

No, getting paid nothing for hard work isn't a positive thing at all.

The poster said they were getting training and qualifications. That is a more positive thing for the individual concerned than sitting at home on the dole