Drawing the Dole... am I dreaming or is life too perfect

L31mr0d

Ok so i'm not a bum. I just finished college a few weeks ago (ok 2 months) and the first thing my mother does is tell me to go down to the Dole office to sign on while i'm looking for a job. At first I felt like telling her that my pride forbid me but I gave in as I assumed I would get a job before I even got my first payout.

Now i've never drawn the dole before as I assumed this was the last resort for people one step away from the pavement, travelers, and foreigners trying to get their footing. But I was surprised when I checked my bank account after the first payment and there was €400 for doing nothing, and i'm now on a steady €200 a week... in fact as I post this, the government is paying me? The mind boggles, its like some weird pyramid scheme I keep expecting one day to get a call telling me that now I need to start paying someone else... (it IS a pyramid scheme, i.e. taxes). I'm shocked that it is so easy to do as well. I just go in and write down the places i've applied to online and that suffices?

Quick everybody quit your jobs, get four people together, rent an apartment and sign on... theres lifes to be led that a 9-5 just can't fulfill. I now understand why all the people coming out of the Dole office have that mischievious smile on their faces... they know the true source of happiness in life, they know about "Signing On"

Sangre

Keep reaching for those stars.

Terry

i'll give you two more weeks before you die of boredom.

i've done the dole thing and it is far from fulfilling.

ThrownAway

Can you really live comfortably on 200 though... I'm shocked they're giving you that much while you're living at home.

Imagine if you were renting somewhere and only recieving 200 a week :eek:

Collie D

Ignore the guilt, I have had the misfortune to be on it in the past and why not? I've paid income tax for ten years now and felt entitiled to get something back. Although it's not exactly easy money. This is going back nearly three years but when I was on it I was offered a job but there was a six week unpaid training period which I didn't mind as long as I could still claim dole. Checked this out with local dole office and they said as I was no longer looking for employment I wasn't getting anything from them, thought this was a bit unfair and that I was being punished for taking a job and told him so. Anyway, decided I would knock job offer on the head, continue claiming dole and look for another job. The bastards cancelled it so was left jobless and without dole money for three weeks.

InFront

How do you live (happily) on 200 euro per week? How do you pay rent and bills? And does it not get boring? I dont think it can be as good as it sounds here.

EDIT: 200 per week while living at home is bloody great, if thats what you mean

cornbb

julep wrote:

i'll give you two more weeks before you die of boredom.

i've done the dole thing and it is far from fulfilling.

Yeah, 2 weeks to a month sounds right

Did the same thing the first time I finished college, got sick of it in one month and found a crappy job. Now I'm BACK in college and might do the same thing again when I finish in a couple of months. Its handy to keep you going til you get a job, and there's no shame in it. You'll be paying taxes for the rest of your life so might as well take the helping hand while its there.

Terry

absolutely no shame in it whatsoever.

i'm waiting for the moral high ground tax payers to see this thread.
they'll have a field day.
just ignore them and tell them to get back to work.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yeah, why'd you go to college at all?
You don't need a degree to claim welfare... 4 years of your life wasted as a poor student... God what a sucker... could have been on the dole all this time... smoking dope at the beach every day, drinking cans and shouting at passers by.

btw. how in the fúck are you getting 200 a week, fresh out of college and living at home? o_O

Terry

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Yeah, why'd you go to college at all?
You don't need a degree to claim welfare... 4 years of your life wasted as a poor student... God what a sucker... could have been on the dole all this time... smoking dope at the beach every day, drinking cans and shouting at passers by.

btw. how in the fúck are you getting 200 a week, fresh out of college and living at home? o_O

told you it would happen.

I'm on it as well - I couldnt find a job either and at this point noone's going to hire me just for the summer. But I have to use most of it for home, bills and stuff so it's not all peachy

Collie D

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Yeah, why'd you go to college at all?
You don't need a degree to claim welfare... 4 years of your life wasted as a poor student... God what a sucker... could have been on the dole all this time... smoking dope at the beach every day, drinking cans and shouting at passers by.

btw. how in the fúck are you getting 200 a week, fresh out of college and living at home? o_O

Could say the same about students being a drain on the taxpayer but I won't

punky

I'm a bit confused. You're saying that you live at home and you're getting 200 a week?
It hasn't gone up that much has it? You obviously aren't entitled to rent allowance. Shouldn't you be getting around 160? I was getting about 140 about two years ago and I heard it went up by about 15. So do tell. How are you getting 200? That's actually not too bad. I could live on that. But I'd die of boredom after about 3 or 4 weeks.

ThrownAway

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Yeah, why'd you go to college at all?
You don't need a degree to claim welfare... 4 years of your life wasted as a poor student... God what a sucker... could have been on the dole all this time... smoking dope at the beach every day, drinking cans and shouting at passers by.

btw. how in the fúck are you getting 200 a week, fresh out of college and living at home? o_O

Yeah I want to know how too

I don't see any shame in it. Just because you're on the dole doesn't make you a waster. How many people out there needed to go on it in between jobs

Ruu_Old

Never drawn the dole and probably wouldn't but theres certainly no shame in it but I'd get too bored like the others have mentioned.

Sangre

Collie D wrote:

Could say the same about students being a drain on the taxpayer but I won't

You could but you'd be wrong.

Chinafoot

uhmm isn't it €165 a week?

L31mr0d wrote:

I'm shocked that it is so easy to do as well. I just go in and write down the places i've applied to online and that suffices?

My aunt works in the social welfare department and according to her it's far from that simple. You need to provide your passport, birth cert, utility bill, if you're living at home you need a letter from one of your parent's stating as much, you need proof of attempts to gain employment, you need a letter from FÁS proving that you have registered with them and if you are just out of college you need a letter from them stating the date you finished your studies.

Collie D

Sangre wrote:

You could but you'd be wrong.

Why you think that? Walk into UCD or Trinity any day of the week and the vast majority of the popkle you meet will have families who can well afford to send them to college

InFront

Collie D wrote:

Could say the same about students being a drain on the taxpayer but I won't

Yes but graduates tend to be the highest earners and will therefore pay more tax, so it balances out.

I think the dole is a good thing though. As long as its used properly.

Mossy Monk

€200 OP? how is it that much when you are living at home

InFront

Collie D wrote:

Why you think that? Walk into UCD or Trinity any day of the week and the vast majority of the popkle you meet will have families who can well afford to send them to college

Thats rubbish. Have you done this? Do you know how expensive it is to attend college, especially in Dublin?

Collie D

InFront wrote:

Thats rubbish. Have you done this? Do you know how expensive it is to attend college, especially in Dublin?

Yes, I went to UCD, horrible place to study if you're not one of the so-called "better areas" of Dublin

TerrorFirmer

How are you getting 200? its 165.80 a week and even less so for someone living at home...

DonkeyStyle \o/

julep wrote:

told you it would happen.

Nope, I'm not a moral high ground tax payer, I couldn't give a shít tbh... everyone's entitled to support from the government, I'm just surprised that he wasn't means-assessed up the ass for living at home... and just as surprised they gave it to him so soon after finishing college (afaik you have to be out of formal/state education for a fair bit longer than 2 months)
I'm guessing the OP is over 25 and is above means assessments.

I tried the dole once, but God it was the most depressing shít ever... if you ever want to feel like a complete loser, go sign on for a few months... it'll beat you down IMO.

Collie D

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

I tried the dole once, but God it was the most depressing shít ever... if you ever want to feel like a complete loser, go sign on for a few months... it'll beat you down IMO.

Agreed, the people who work there make you feel like a complete waster for being out of work for a month or two.

Chinafoot

HavoK wrote:

How are you getting 200? its 165.80 a week and even less so for someone living at home...

Its not less if you live at home. I think means testing depends on if you are getting Unemployment Benefit or Unemployment Assistance. I think it's whatever one claims off your PRSI credits isn't means tested regarldess of age and where you live. Could be wrong though but my cousin is on it and he's under 25 and living at home and getting the €165

ozt9vdujny3srf

Collie D wrote:

Why you think that? Walk into UCD or Trinity any day of the week and the vast majority of the popkle you meet will have families who can well afford to send them to college

Graduates of the college system pay back the cost to the state of putting them through college several times over.

Collie D

Harleigh Victorious Vigilance wrote:

Graduates of the college system pay back the cost to the state of putting them through college several times over.

Yes but what I was getting as if people think that social welfare should be means tested, why shouldn't college fees?

J.R.HARTLEY

L31mr0d wrote:

Quick everybody quit your jobs, get four people together, rent an apartment and sign on... theres lifes to be led that a 9-5 just can't fulfill. I now understand why all the people coming out of the Dole office have that mischievious smile on their faces... they know the true source of happiness in life, they know about "Signing On"

as good a plan as it sounds, if we all quit our jobs where'll the money for the dole come from?

Ruu_Old

Answer up OP, how are you getting the €200 a week?

Collie D

J.R.HARTLEY wrote:

as good a plan as it sounds, if we all quit our jobs where'll the money for the dole come from?

We could rent out the port tunnel to white water rafters

gary the great

I broke my leg a few weeks before college finished, a bad break and im still on crutches so im getting the disability allowence which is 129.90 a week. The boredom is unreal, like nothing ive ever felt before.

But on the good side when I went to get certs they were backdated to the day of my accident so I got paid even though I was in college

But 130euro a week is a joke, most people in my class have jobs sorted and are raking in the cash.

dr.bollocko

"Moan moan moan. Studenty blah blah blah, they get this, they get that, so over privileged those students, moan moan moan."

U remind me of a load of taxi goddamn drivers. Jeez no matter where anybody posts anything at all about welfare some fart always comes on and starts student bashing. They get this, they get that, they are so over privileged, blah blah drink too much, moan moan cannabis.

I mean for **** sake. Is it bred from some lack of self-worth, or do you actually legitimately think that education is a waste of tax payer money? How stupid can you actually get? Just do us a favour and shut the fstarstarstar up with your nonsense.
Its fstarstarstaring bull. Do u actually think there is an evil Machiavellian plot by students to defraud us decent taxpayers of their taxes for their own evil drug use? Has anyone here ever tried to live on a grant. I for damn sure know that I couldnt. Moan moan moan, blah, blah, blah. Lads theres enough hot air round these last few days without releasing anymore.

Dave!

Collie D wrote:

We could rent out the port tunnel to white water rafters

rofl, good man

Hobbes

L31mr0d wrote:

they know the true source of happiness in life, they know about "Signing On"

You live at home with your parents. Have you even lived outside of your parents house?

200 a week is crap. Its great though if your not paying any bills, and get your food for free.

Aard

dr.bollocko wrote:

"Moan moan moan. Studenty blah blah blah, they get this, they get that, so over privileged those students, moan moan moan."

U remind me of a load of taxi goddamn drivers. Jeez no matter where anybody posts anything at all about welfare some fart always comes on and starts student bashing. They get this, they get that, they are so over privileged, blah blah drink too much, moan moan cannabis.

I mean for **** sake. Is it bred from some lack of self-worth, or do you actually legitimately think that education is a waste of tax payer money? How stupid can you actually get? Just do us a favour and shut the fstarstarstar up with your nonsense.
Its fstarstarstaring bull. Do u actually think there is an evil Machiavellian plot by students to defraud us decent taxpayers of their taxes for their own evil drug use? Has anyone here ever tried to live on a grant. I for damn sure know that I couldnt. Moan moan moan, blah, blah, blah. Lads theres enough hot air round these last few days without releasing anymore.

Mmm, ironing.

L31mr0d

eh... I don't actually know how i'm on this, and i'm not asking any questions. I don't understand why I got so much the first week either, is there some kind of back pay thingy? When I finished I got a letter from college saying when I graduated so my dole could be backdated. When they back date, do they slowly give you that money each week, or in one lump fee?

It was funny, when I was signing on, these 3 latvian guys came in, collecting their dole. You could clearly see that they had been working on a building site all day, one of the guys even had a hard hat under his arm. Nobody who worked there asked any questions, I couldn't believe it, they where clearly working.

BTW, i'm not living at home, and i'm not renting... BWAH... a wasp just came in the window and attacked me, I think i've broken my wireless mouse throwing it at it.. jeez

mike65

Its not like you can do this forever, they wil be interviewing you at some stage and asking what you're doing to find work.

Mike.

Terry

'I'm trying to get a job by using boards.ie. honestly.'


funnily enough, someone pm'd me about a job the other day.

DonkeyStyle \o/

L31mr0d wrote:

You could clearly see that they had been working on a building site all day, one of the guys even had a hard hat under his arm. Nobody who worked there asked any questions, I couldn't believe it, they where clearly working.

You can still claim some assistance if you're working less than <whatever number of> days out of the week afaik.
And there's some 'wet-pay' (or something) construction workers get if they can't work due to weather conditions.
The odds are that there's nothing fishy going on.

Terry

wet pay?
i've worked on sites on and off for 14 years and i've never heard of that.
i think someone has been keeping secrets from me.

Collie D

Yeah, that's a new one on me too, the auld social welfare aren't that generous/sympathetic, as I said earlier they wouldn't pay me to take up training for a job

dr.bollocko

I must say I like nothing more than to take a month off from whatever ****e job im doing to just draw the dole to get by. I have never had any trouble with the completely bewildering load of ****e that they require we give them. The great thing is it takes like 6 weeks to push it through, so the dole backpay is like government issue christmas.
Once the rent is paid, im happy to mooch around for a month. Of course after a month you get so bored you would happily shoot yourself / paint your balls dayglow neon and hang them out the window / build a big fortress of naturalism in the sitting room, but after all your crazy sitting room domination ideas have all failed, its back to work another crappy job for agesnagesnages until u finally get to quit again.
The dole is like my therapist.

Töpher

Only used the dole between jobs (all be it about 6 months). Eventually got fed up, was on €110 a week and when not working that money got spent in a flash. Thankfully employment found me, and I now get paid to read t'internet!

Collie D

dr.bollocko wrote:

I must say I like nothing more than to take a month off from whatever ****e job im doing to just draw the dole to get by. I have never had any trouble with the completely bewildering load of ****e that they require we give them. The great thing is it takes like 6 weeks to push it through, so the dole backpay is like government issue christmas.
Once the rent is paid, im happy to mooch around for a month. Of course after a month you get so bored you would happily shoot yourself / paint your balls dayglow neon and hang them out the window / build a big fortress of naturalism in the sitting room, but after all your crazy sitting room domination ideas have all failed, its back to work another crappy job for agesnagesnages until u finally get to quit again.
The dole is like my therapist.

Wonder if the Dept. of Scoial Welfare firewalls block this site?

DonkeyStyle \o/

julep wrote:

wet pay?
i've worked on sites on and off for 14 years and i've never heard of that.
i think someone has been keeping secrets from me.

Mmm yeah, it's just something I heard after wondering myself why construction-worker types were hanging around the dole office.
There's mention of it here actually http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0209/picket.html
Can't find anything else concrete (pardon the pun) about it though.

[edit] from further digging, its proper name is "wet time"... from what I can gather between reading this stuff and my recollection of the first time I was told about it - I think the employer goes halfers with the government... google "wet time" within Irish sites and you'll come across a lot of documents about it... methinks the unions have been busy since you last worked on a site

Tha Gopher

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

.. could have been on the dole all this time... smoking dope at the beach every day, drinking cans and shouting at passers by.

Having spent most of this year working 7 days a week at two jobs (finally quit the poor paying of the two about 2 months ago) and being currently stuck on the shift from hell (afternoon to late at night, its decent money but Ive no life during the week) I was about to chastise the OP for wasting my tax money. I actually turned into a workaholic back when I was in college. Thered be mornings I couldnt be arsed going in, and Id be sitting on my hole watching poxy daytime tv. Seeing all the unemployed scum on Trisha, and thinking of all the scum watching this sh1te at home, and thinking "I do not want to be you people".*

Then I realised Id probably be mentally happier spending 7 days a week out in Bray in the sun getting drunk, smoking and hurling sexually crude remarks at attractive members of the opposite sex as they walk by and getting paid for it. But id probably get fairly bored with unemployment when winter came.

So good man yourself. Me, Im earning good money, but suffer from severe work related depression because of my shift, not to mention a severe decline in fitness due to eating nothing but takeaways seeing as Im too tired to cook when I get home, so go you.


*: please note, Im not calling all the unemployed scum. Despite what the media may say getting a foothold on the employment front is a very difficult task. Last year it took me months to acquire menial work, and as for my good job it was sheer luck that got my foot in the door there.

Oh, and btw the OP insinuitated in his post that members of the Travelling community are more likely to be claiming benefit without good cause. Allow me to catch my breath from the shock that we are 3 pages in and nobody has yet demanded that the OP apologise for such a ludicrous groundless statement

Dave!

Tha Gopher wrote:

Having spent most of this year working 7 days a week at two jobs (finally quit the poor paying of the two about 2 months ago) and being currently stuck on the shift from hell (afternoon to late at night, its decent money but Ive no life during the week) I was about to chastise the OP for wasting my tax money. I actually turned into a workaholic back when I was in college. Thered be mornings I couldnt be arsed going in, and Id be sitting on my hole watching poxy daytime tv. Seeing all the unemployed scum on Trisha, and thinking of all the scum watching this sh1te at home, and thinking "I do not want to be you people".*

Then I realised Id probably be mentally happier spending 7 days a week out in Bray in the sun getting drunk, smoking and hurling sexually crude remarks at attractive members of the opposite sex as they walk by and getting paid for it. But id probably get fairly bored with unemployment when winter came.

So good man yourself. Me, Im earning good money, but suffer from severe work related depression because of my shift, not to mention a severe decline in fitness due to eating nothing but takeaways seeing as Im too tired to cook when I get home, so go you.


*: please note, Im not calling all the unemployed scum. Despite what the media may say getting a foothold on the employment front is a very difficult task. Last year it took me months to acquire menial work, and as for my good job it was sheer luck that got my foot in the door there.

Oh, and btw the OP insinuitated in his post that members of the Travelling community are more likely to be claiming benefit without good cause. Allow me to catch my breath from the shock that we are 3 pages in and nobody has yet demanded that the OP apologise for such a ludicrous groundless statement

Any chance of you quitting your job and getting another one?

DonkeyStyle \o/

Tha Gopher wrote:

So good man yourself.

lol, not sure if this was aimed at me, but just to clarify; I'm not a beach-dwelling doley, I was just being sarcastic.

GreenDoor

What does the dole come to a year, about 7,000e. Thats nothing. Politicans will give themselves bonuses that dwarfs that every month.

Don't feel guilty about getting the dole because if society wants people to live by certain rules it must give something back.

Tha Gopher

DaveMcG wrote:

Any chance of you quitting your job and getting another one?

Nah. 11 euro an hour is the best wage I know any 19 year old to be on. In fairness, its a grand wage to be on at 19, but I honestly dunno how some of my work colleagues who are in their late 20s/early 30s with kids and either a huge mortgage or mad rent survive. No offence to them, but if Im earning the 2012quivalent of 11 or 12 per hour in 10 years time id hang myself. It is simply not a wage that an adult can live off, particularly if yiv got a famly to look after.