The Jobbridge Scandal

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 10:25pm

Daith wrote: »

I think 9 months seems a long time to commit to just trying something new though.

And you cant just up and leave in the middle of it (unless you get a job), or be penalised.

28-01-2014 10:26pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

And you cant just up and leave in the middle of it (unless you get a job), or be penalised.

Yes you CAN give it up! STOP scaremongering!

Xenji · 28-01-2014 10:28pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

And you cant just up and leave in the middle of it (unless you get a job), or be penalised.

You can leave whenever you want and nothing happens.

Tombi! · 28-01-2014 10:28pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I DO have reservations about JobBridge. Having said that, I personally know 4 people who have been on one. 2 of those got jobs out of it. One full time, the other part time. One just did her time and one left after 3 months (Without losing any of her benefit). So, thats MY experience of JobBridge. Anything that takes people off the dole and gets them into the working routine has to be good.

I agree with everything but the last part... you're on the dole. You do get an extra 50 a week but the government still pays your dole.

If the company even paid half of what you got, yes sure, great. But as it is, you're considered "working" but still getting "paid" by the government for less than minimum wage.

You are still on the dole but not considered unemployed.

JohnMarston wrote: »

And you cant just up and leave in the middle of it (unless you get a job), or be penalised.

I have to ask for proof of this claim. I've heard of plenty of people being able to leave it if they fight hard enough for it. The bottom line is that at the end of the day it's just like a FÁS course to the welfare; if you can show you're not fit/capable of it or it wasn't what you expected (as happened with me and a course I took once), nothing bad happens to you.

Daith · 28-01-2014 10:28pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes you CAN give it up! STOP scaremongering!

Is there a limit to how many JobBridge schemes you can do?

Xenji · 28-01-2014 10:30pm

Daith wrote: »

Is there a limit to how many JobBridge schemes you can do?

You can do up to 3, but they have to be with different companies.

Daith · 28-01-2014 10:30pm

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

You are still on the dole but not considered unemployed..

The Government dont consider a person on the scheme as having a job. Its an internship.

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 10:30pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes you CAN give it up! STOP scaremongering!

I wasnt saying you couldnt give it up, but lets say you need a good reference, you want to get on another jobbridge. That isnt going to happen if you just up and leave

Tombi! · 28-01-2014 10:32pm

Daith wrote: »

The Government dont consider a person on the scheme as having a job. Its an internship.

You are off the unemployment list.
Sorry, that's what I meant. As in, you are considered not unemployed but are to still look for work.

Xenji · 28-01-2014 10:32pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

I wasnt saying you couldnt give it up, but lets say you need a good reference, you want to get on another jobbridge. That isnt going to happen if you just up and leave

Yes you can, we have had plenty of interns in our department and not one was asked for a reference in their interview.

28-01-2014 10:33pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Rightly so. If they don't try something, they'll never know whether they like it or not. Or whether they'll learn something. I'm not a great fan of JobBridge, but on the other hand, I've little time for people who are not willing to give something new a go.

For a lot of people it's just not economical to do a jobsbridge. I know people on a course that requires work experience and for some of them their placement is neary 45 minutes away and unless they can get a lift they have to pay for a €15 return bus ticket every day. FAS suggested them move closer or else "buy a car".

face1990 · 28-01-2014 10:33pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

I wasnt saying you couldnt give it up, but lets say you need a good reference, you want to get on another jobbridge. That isnt going to happen if you just up and leave

Entirely depends on your reason for leaving. No different to any job/internship/JB.

Daith · 28-01-2014 10:36pm

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

You are off the unemployment list.
Sorry, that's what I meant. As in, you are considered not unemployed but are to still look for work.

Yep. I don't think you should be counted as off the live register.

28-01-2014 10:41pm

Daith wrote: »

Is there a limit to how many JobBridge schemes you can do?

You can do 3 over a peropd of 18 months, but no more than 9 months with any one.

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 10:44pm

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

I have to ask for proof of this claim. I've heard of plenty of people being able to leave it if they fight hard enough for it. The bottom line is that at the end of the day it's just like a FÁS course to the welfare; if you can show you're not fit/capable of it or it wasn't what you expected (as happened with me and a course I took once), nothing bad happens to you.

I worked at a 9 month jobbridge internship almost two years ago now. I had to leave 4 months in for personal reasons. My manager/mentor refused to provide a reference for me, calling me 'unreliable' and couldnt even apply for another jobbridge for another 6 months. All i could get from them is an acknowledgement is that i worked there for period x to y. While i managed to smooth things over eventually it just put me out big time.

Maybe i just reacted strongly to the comment 'you can leave anytime you want' because of that.

Xenji · 28-01-2014 10:46pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

I worked at a 9 month jobbridge internship almost two years ago now. I had to leave 4 months in for personal reasons. My manager/mentor refused to provide a reference for me, calling me 'unreliable' and couldnt even apply for another jobbridge for another 6 months. All i could get from them is an acknowledgement is that i worked there for period x to y. While i managed to smooth things over eventually it just put me out big time.

Maybe i just reacted strongly to the comment 'you can leave anytime you want' because of that.

You could not apply for another back then if you left after 3 months, it is only in the last few months you could of done or applied for a second one.

28-01-2014 10:49pm

Xenji wrote: »

You could not apply for another back then if you left after 3 months, it is only in the last few months you could of done or applied for a second one.

He could still have done another 5 months. It didn't have to be all in the one placement.

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 10:49pm

Xenji wrote: »

You could not apply for another back then if you left after 3 months, it is only in the last few months you could of done a second one.

It was even more recent than that. I found out just before i started my current WPP (July of 2013) that i couldnt do another internship. The additional jobbridge provision was brought in shortly after.

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 10:51pm

Deleted User wrote: »

He could still have done another 5 months. It didn't have to be all in the one placement.

I had issues to deal with at home at the time. After which i couldnt find a placement that would only take me on for 5 months

Xenji · 28-01-2014 10:58pm

Deleted User wrote: »

He could still have done another 5 months. It didn't have to be all in the one placement.

That's not actually true, you can only have a 6 or 9 month contract, so if you left after 3 months you were not eligible for another, that was till September of last year when they extended it to 18 months and they also scrapped the employer cooling off period.

JohnMarston · 28-01-2014 11:12pm

Xenji wrote: »

That's not actually true, you can only have a 6 or 9 month contract, so if you left after 3 months you were not eligible for another, that was till September of last year when they extended it to 18 months and they also scrapped the employer cooling off period.

Extended the scheme for 18 months? Im going to assume its here to stay. Where else are employers going to get free labour new employees from?

Xenji · 28-01-2014 11:42pm

JohnMarston wrote: »

Extended the scheme for 18 months? Im going to assume its here to stay. Where else are employers going to get free labour new employees from?

Yep, originally you could only do one 6 or 9 month internship, but now you can do either two 9 month internships or three 6 month ones, plus the employer no longer has to wait 3 months before they can hire a new intern, if the previous intern is not hired at the end of the internship.

sunflower27 · 28-01-2014 11:46pm

Xenji wrote: »

Yep, originally you could only do one 6 or 9 month internship, but now you can do either two 9 month internships or three 6 month ones, plus the employer no longer has to wait 3 months before they can hire a new intern, if the previous intern is not hired at the end of the internship.

You know, I give up. This country has gone to the dogs. This is absolutely scandalous.

JohnMarston · 29-01-2014 12:02am

Xenji wrote: »

Yep, originally you could only do one 6 or 9 month internship, but now you can do either two 9 month internships or three 6 month ones, plus the employer no longer has to wait 3 months before they can hire a new intern, if the previous intern is not hired at the end of the internship.

Queue image of revolving door with graduates and unemployed hopeful of an opportunity going in and dejected jobseekers going out. Several floors up is the boss, watching indifferently.

Im done with this game after i finish my WPP