redundancy

LegacyUser

ok, heres my problem,

ive been working in the IT sector for a couple of years after doing a degree in computers.
I have been working for the same it company in the city centre since i came out of college,
but this week i got laid off.
the package i got was ok, nothing great. not enough to see me through to the new year anyway.
also i live in dublin, so the cost and rent etc. of living in dublin is mad!

does anyone have any advice for me?
i know that the job market is prety grim, to say the least.

thanks

phoenix2181

maybe just try to get yourself a crappy helpdesk job to tide you over till something comes along, there is a good few out there at the mo, especially if you are willing to work on a shift

Kone

Ahh the joys of the helpdesk! fah lah lah lah lah!

Sposs

Thats Life.......no advice

thegills

What exactly have you been doing in the IT sector. Are there not loads of IT / software / programming jobs / contracts around??

You should also sign on immediately. Its only about 110E/week but it's better than a kick in the backside - make your application immediately as you can't back-date it. I was laid of and I signed on. It took 5 weeks to process my application but the E550 cheque made it worthwile.

Saruman

Hey there is always MacDonalds!!
Seriously though there are always people looking for helpdesk workers.

daveg

It happened to me about 18 months ago. I was out of work for about 6 months. It were a tough time I'll tell ya. Def sign on ASAP. You should also get tax back.. but it maybe worth your while to wait till you start working again as you'll pay feck all tax. The hardest thing I found was ajusting to not working everyday. It drove me round the twist. Daytime tv and all that sh*t.

Typedef

Whatever you do don't sign on.

Why? Because if you are looking for a job from employer (x) you have a much better chance of getting that job if you are already doing a job, no matter what that job is, literally. Work sweeping the streets if needs be, an honest days work for a honest days pay is no shame. Drawing the dole, when you 'could' be working is.
€0.02

Shinji

Distressingly, I almost agree with Typedef.

If you can find some kind of work - even if you think it's a bit "below you" - then do that in preference to the dole. It'll pay better, you'll FEEL a hell of a lot better about it, and prospective employers will certainly see it as a bit of get-up-and-go that may well set you apart from other candidates.

lphchild

I would avoid Typedef's suggestion - if you need the money fair enough but his reasoning is screwy.

Claim the dole - you're entitled to it.

Whatever you do at any interviews don't be ashamed of being laid off - it isn't your fault-, every employer knows the economy and the state of IT jobs and are totally understanding of the situation. The worst thing you can do is make up an excuse or skirt around the question when in interview.

When asked what you did while looking for new employment tell them you took time to asses your goals and career objectives, you researched new technologies and undertook personal projects.

Don't say I took a ****e job cause I was desperate, it lowers their expectations of you immediately and gives them the impression that they're doing you a mad favour by hiring you.

lph

thegills

TypeDef - Are you crazy. How are you expected to look for jobs, prepare for interviews and be available at the drop of a hat to attend meetings and interviews if you are out sweeping the streets. This 'honest job' lark is rubbish. As Tax and PRSI payers we are entitled to draw the dole when the need arises.

Another point - If you were paid a lump-sum redundancy payment you are entitled to a once-off additional IR5000 tax free. I got it and saved about IR2,500.

Typedef

You honestly tell your employeer that you are looking for alternative employment, or on days where you have an interview you avail of ye olde paid 'sick day'.

Find a newsagent with a 'help wanted' sign, there are lots of those.

Work there, safe in the knowledge that you are in fact a productive member of society, as opposed to sitting on your ass and living off of everyone else's PRSI payments.

Excuse me will I don't care if someone thinks a job is below them, I think my job is 'too easy' for my programming skills, but that didn't stop me taking it because if another job in the area I'm 'really' interested in did come up, I'd have to god forbid 'lie' to get to the interview.

The unempolyment rate in Ireland is not even 4.6%, that is almost full employment, that means there is a job for everyone who will take one and really some excuse that while you are working, you can't go for another interview is the most lame excuse to draw the dole I've ever heard in my whole life.

yossarin

I'd have to agree with type there. Drawing the dole might give you far too much time to introspect. get another short term job, it'd keep momentum going, and make you look better to another employer.

temp work would be ideal for that - short term, easy money, no pressure.

I cant find them on the web (there is a news paper with the same name), but there is a dublin temping agency called southside / northside people that my GF has used and reported well on.

thegills

Yosarrin, Nixers.ie is a good place for those part-time jobs.

Typdef, when I was in College I did all those part-time jobs for a bit of spending money. Admittedly they did look good on my CV on leaving college, but they have long since disappeared to be replaced by relevent experience.

The Unreg was working in IT for years so is probably used to working a 9 to 5. If he earned 40K per year he would have paid about 18k in Tax's and PRSI - he is entitled to some assistance whilst he is out of work.

As regards my lame excuses, perhaps you should write the words 'Hypocrite' somewher on your CV. One minute your taking about 'honest jobs' and the next minute your taking about faking sick-days and lying to get interviews; your some boy.

Another point is that if there are so much jobs out there then the Unreg would need more time lookingt and applying for jobs.

Maybe its just me but I certainly wouldn't take up a job as a road sweeper just to keep the 'continuity' in my life.

foxinsocks

Originally posted by Typedef

Work there, safe in the knowledge that you are in fact a productive member of society, as opposed to sitting on your ass and living off of everyone else's PRSI payments.

I do believe Unreggie, if he chose to sign on, would be actually living off his own prsi payments typedef, not yours, or anyone elses.

When you turn 60, or 65, dont claim your government pension, you're only being a burden to all the people who are still working. :rolleyes: Its his money, social insurance, he's been paying into a fund for exactly this reason... apart from anything else, its like saying 'dont claim on your house insurance just because your house burned down, you are leaching off everyone else who paid premiums'

Honestly, what is the matter with you?

dougal

You honestly tell your employeer that you are looking for alternative employment

Are you mad Typedef and when you are interviewing for this stopgap job do you honestly tell your prospective employer that you will be only there until you find something better and expect him to pay you, insurance for you, your employers prsi as well as your sick days while you are off looking for this other job? You live in fairyland boy!

Typedef

Well dougal what should I say, I have just been given out to for suggesting you shock horror 'lie' and say you are sick to attend an interview and now you have given out to me for suggesting you simply level with your employer (which is a token PC option anyway).

I do believe Unreggie, if he chose to sign on, would be actually living off his own prsi payments typedef, not yours, or anyone elses.

Really? And for how long? Why should person(x) be allowed to say I'm not doing that job in McDonalds and draw the dole, when there are people all over the world who would literally kill for any job?

I do believe Unreggie, if he chose to sign on, would be actually living off his own prsi payments typedef, not yours, or anyone elses.

When you turn 60, or 65, dont claim your government pension, you're only being a burden to all the people who are still working. Its his money, social insurance, he's been paying into a fund for exactly this reason... apart from anything else, its like saying 'dont claim on your house insurance just because your house burned down, you are leaching off everyone else who paid premiums'

Honestly, what is the matter with you?

This is me not taking the bait.

/rant

Basically Unreg, I wouldn't draw the dole, eof, you have a college degree and in an economy with near full employment you can probably find a job to tide you over till you get back into the field you want to be in. Tech support for HP, Dell, IBM, m$ and the like spring to mind.

foxinsocks

Originally posted by Typedef

Really? And for how long? Why should person(x) be allowed to say I'm not doing that job in McDonalds and draw the dole, when there are people all over the world who would literally kill for any job?

This is me not taking the bait.

/rant

Basically Unreg, I wouldn't draw the dole, eof, you have a college degree and in an economy with near full employment you can probably find a job to tide you over till you get back into the field you want to be in. Tech support for HP, Dell, IBM, m$ and the like spring to mind.

Try to get a new job unreggie, anything, within IT if you can manage it (there is *always* horribly dull helpdesk work) but in the meantime draw the dole, and pay your rent, and buy your food... you've earned it, and will continue to earn it for as long as you work...

Typedef, not everyone on the dole is a long term unemployed scrounger, there is a middle ground with everything, including this issue. There are many at the moment who simply cant afford to take very low paying jobs, as they just do not pay the rent. For those people, and others like them, using the dole for a few weeks, as a stop gap, they can put *all* their energy into finding a job that will not cause their house to be repossessed.

Typedef

Originally posted by foxinsocks

Typedef, not everyone on the dole is a long term unemployed scrounger

Ah so this is what you really think isn't it? I never called anyone a scrounger, you did. That's not really too politically correct of you is it? I never suggested everyone on the dole was a scrounger rather I suggested that going on the dole, first thing after being made redundant is not the way to go, when instead you should get a job, any job and work from there, because it is too tempting for people drawing the dole to sit around on their asses as many people allegedly do and get money for nothing. Don't shout J'Accuse, you yourself have acknowledged that welfare abuse exists and I say that if your first act on loosing your job is to sign on as opposed to take one of the jobs available in the near total employment economy Ireland enjoys, that, that would fundamentally be the wrong attitude to have.

I usen't to mind paying tax, but for example cumlatively this month I will pay somewere in the region of €250 in tax to the government and umm to be honest, I can't afford that, so from where I sit, never intending to draw the dole, I fundamentally object to having to cough up PRSI. I shouldn't have to pay for services I don't avail of, why in the hell should I?

Eveyone could spew some anecdotes about people they know who abused the dole and people who really don't, but there doesn't as far as I'm aware exist a mechanism to adequately make sure people have been looking for work, instead of defrauding the system and basically making me pay more tax to support fraud in the process.

Does that make be pissed off? Damn right it does, I shouldn't even be in the damned tax net. I'm sitting here and my pay check says €250 of my money for this month has gone in tax. Recently I had to pay to replace €4000 worth of stolen motorcycle, a motorcycle that got stolen from my place of work and was locked behind an electric fence. Because I'm under 25 I can't get insured for theft. You catch my drift.

phoenix2181

or you could drive around in a white van with a large rifle..............

segadreamcast

or you could drive around in a white van with a large rifle..............

Somebody is already doing that :rolleyes: at least think of something original like popping balloons at people from a pink van...

*Ahem* More seriously though, in my (humble) opinion - it is better to do a job, even if 'these crappy helpdesk jobs' are above you - they aren't horrible, and you're earning that wage.

When you slip into the dole - you may find yourself stuck there for a lot longer than you like.

pickarooney

Where live you're obliged to go on the dole the moment you lose your job. Which is fair enough, given that you've been contributing from your wages more than enough to cover you for the six months you're allowed. It's not as damn easy as you might like to believe to just go get a new job from one day to the next. Even the crappiest of jobs are hard to get interviews for, it's not because you're qualified to do a "highly skilled" IT job that you're automatically able to do any job that pays less. Employers will be loath to take on somebody who considers the work beneath them, and who will eave as soon as anything better comes along.

The important thing is to keep active, not lose hope, and realise that it will take time to get back in there, but you will get something sooner or later. It can take a while to get the dole, so sign on ASAP, and even if you have a job by the time it comes through, you'll have a few weeks of back payment to spend that you wouldn't otherwise have. Also, it's not a bad idea to take a week or two off to think about what you might want to do next, get a few things done that you never have time to do while working full-time, and then get back looking for a job when your morale has increased somewhat.