Something wrong here

PeterByrne1987

I've been unemployed for a good while and started a part time call centre job through to February through a recruitment agency last month as beggers can't be choosers and all that jazz I understand that.

1st week 2 full, 2 half + Travel expenses = €18 under JSA
2nd week 5 full long shifts going into 3rd week + Travel expenses - €225 over JSA
3rd week 3 but was meant to be 4 but couldn't work 8 days straight and asked and then demanded the 7th day of because I was exhausted - €16 under JSA
4th week 4 full days 3 of 4 done so far with 4th to come + Travel expenses = €65 over JSA

A casual claim requires no more than 3 days, but I get 4 most weeks and I will maybe get 1 for the 3rd week because although I was available I was exhausted. So all that minus the double week those on JSA got last week I'm up €63 ( €256 without double week ) not including lunch.

My goal with this job is to update my CV ( as I said I have been out of work for a while) and get a good reference ( which I will get because I work hard and do a good job and bar the exhaustion day am reliable ) for the next job.

But there is something wrong here.
This week there are 7 out of the 11 of us working 4 day weeks earning €277.50 before tax that down't qualify for casual claims.
1 of the other 4 working 3 days getting €285.32 with a €77.20 casual claim
3 of the other 4 working 2 days @ €254.55 with a €115.80 casual claim

Where the fu** is the incentive for me to work a 4 day week @ €249.50 including travel when I can get more for less

Batgurl

So that you can upskill and get a job that pays more than the minimum wage / offers more than casual hours?

_Brian

I agree.
The incentive should be coming from within.

Many of us worked jobs where we would have been better off financially on the scratcher but that’s a road to nowhere.

Interested Observer

You're right OP, JSA is too high.

_Brian

Interested Observer wrote: »

You're right OP, JSA is too high.

I’ve never needed to draw JSA but not for a minute do I believe it’s too high to provide a standard of living for someone unfortunate enough to be between jobs.

Now, the problem with the system is it fails to identify and act on those who have made being unemployed their primary source of income and plan to remain that way.

The solution to “some people cheating” the system isn’t to reduce payments to everyone, more effort should be made to reduce payments to those who are serially unemployed by choice.

rawn

Well done OP for taking the initiative to get back into the workforce, this is the first sep of many til you find your perfect job! Call centre jobs can be incredibly stressful, but take in as much training and skills as you can while you're there to use in your next job.

The only thing I will say is stop comparing what you have now to JSA. The point of working is to get away from it, so focus on working full time and moving up in the world. Forget casual dockets unless you're only being rostered for 3 days, you can't claim casual dockets because you were too tired to work the fourth day.

Also, stop including lunch in your expenses, i don't understand why people do that. Do you not eat lunch/dinner at home?!

Best of luck