Minimum Wage; Are you better off on the dole?

IvaBigWun

What u reckon folks? For a single person on Minumum wage? With the rising costs of fuel, food etc, is it better to be on the dole receiving benefits?

Im not on or anywhere near minimum wage thank fcuk but you have to wonder why some people bother when they can just get freebies from the State.

Where is the incentive for them?

Quazzie

yes

Berty

If you are on the dole you can claim that your living is lower than par and be entitled to a medical card and free bus and train travel.

Terry

Not really. You'll just end up bored to tears.

havana

No. Financially maybe there is some arguement you could be and maybe some people are.

But in every other way - emotionally, career wise, socially and for your own sense of self worth- i don't believe you are.

dr.bollocko

Minimum wage jobs never increased my self worth.
But then that entire summer I spent drunk on the dole didnt increase my self worth either.
But the summer was a lot more fun than the minimum wage job.
I guess it all depends on how much you like drinking and how much you hate work.

Peared

Berty wrote: »

If you are on the dole you can claim that your living is lower than par and be entitled to a medical card and free bus and train travel.

Medical card is means tested so minimum wage can mean you may still get it.

Also I have never heard of people on the dole getting free travel? Is it not only the elderly?

The difference between the minumum wage and dole in a lot of cases is dignity imo.

I would love getting money for nothing, but I need a job to keep myself occupied and sane. It's the reason I never take holidays. Holidays drive me crazy.

dr.bollocko

Peared wrote: »

The difference between the minumum wage and dole in a lot of cases is dignity imo.

But at the same time I know a rake of people too proud to sign on.

I have paid absolute fortunes in taxes of one sort or the other. So when I was unemployed for 3 months I went on the dole. I didnt see the problem. How do I get the money I need to live while I am looking for another job / drinking / watching countdown?:pac:

Run_to_da_hills

<3BeingIN6th wrote: »

Not really. You'll just end up bored to tears.

You'll just end up on boreds.

Peared

dr.bollocko wrote: »

But at the same time I know a rake of people too proud to sign on.

I have paid absolute fortunes in taxes of one sort or the other. So when I was unemployed for 3 months I went on the dole. I didnt see the problem. How do I get the money I need to live while I am looking for another job / drinking / watching countdown?:pac:

No, no, am not saying people who sign on have no dignity. It's there for a reason and have no problem with people using it if needs be.

It's mostly people with a bit of pride in themselves who will choose to work minimum wage and try to get ahead rather than languish on the dole for as long as they can get away with it cos they are lazy and don't give a sh1t.

Berty

Peared wrote: »

Medical card is means tested so minimum wage can mean you may still get it.

Also I have never heard of people on the dole getting free travel? Is it not only the elderly?

The difference between the minumum wage and dole in a lot of cases is dignity imo.

You have to be on both instead of just one to get free travel. My OH's lazy family all have this benefit and their kids get it as well as soon as they reach 12 years of age.

thelordofcheese

<3BeingIN6th wrote: »

Not really. You'll just end up bored to tears.

This, a thousand times this.

cooperguy

No. Dole for a single person = €207. Minimum wage for full week = €337.

But by all means if somebody is too lazy to work a job, quit. There is plenty of people unemployed at the moment who would appreciate a job.

brianthebard

I was on the dole for almost a year before september. It was ghey. However if you live in a decent sized town I don't know why you couldn't make the most of it, time for library, gym, walks, join a club/society....
Really though it doesn't have to be terrible, but I imagine it is more often than not.

The Saint

Well its easier to get a job if you already have a job. Also if you want to get on the employment ladder you're not going to start at 50 grand. You work, gain experience, get paid more and round it goes. I've never been on the dole but after 10 years working I've gone back to college for a year. I'm still on Christmas holidays and will be until the end of the month. I'm bored to tears. I can't wait to get back to college. I can't imagine what it would be like on the dole for months on end. I'd have to get some sort of job just for the sake of my sanity.

Mr Benevolent

Whether you pay income tax or not is irrelevant - you can't dodge VAT, and VAT is what keeps the government machine trundling along.

mickdw

cooperguy wrote: »

No. Dole for a single person = €207. Minimum wage for full week = €337.

But by all means if somebody is too lazy to work a job, quit. There is plenty of people unemployed at the moment who would appreciate a job.

Yes minimum wage might be higher than the dole rate but when you add in all the freebies when on the dole, you would be better off on the dole. Medical card, accomodation paid, bonus at christmas, Fuel allowance.
Then there are extra hardship funds where heating oil will be paid for and god knows what else.

This is in relation to a single person, Unmarried mothers are coining it and would be fools to bother working. Free house, everything needed for the child and lots of them have their partner living with them. F*cking joke. I never got a penny from the state. No student grant, nothing, while college mates who got the grant ha cars in college.

The Saint

brianthebard wrote: »

However if you live in a decent sized town I don't know why you couldn't make the most of it, time for library, gym, walks, join a club/society....

PI over there =========>

cooperguy

Most people dont qualify for alot of that and as for the bonus at christmas thats only a double week and alot of companies pay a bonus too.

galwayrush

Being self employed and finding it tough to collect money, there are many weeks when i would have really appreciated the minimum wage in my pocket on a friday.:(

banshee_bones

cooperguy wrote: »

Most people dont qualify for alot of that and as for the bonus at christmas thats only a double week and alot of companies pay a bonus too.

exactly. rent allowance is subject to alot of criteria. people will get what they are entitled to and theres no bonus your just paid for the week in advance because the post office isnt open.

the_syco

The dole is good for one thing only: it allows you to go on a FAS course, and get paid for it! :cool:

cooperguy wrote: »

alot of companies pay a bonus too.

In your dreams. Any company that I ever worked in never gave bonuses.

thesimpsonsfan

Of course you are MUCH better off on the dole than working these days altogether because

A. The wage is CRAP (only if its under €200 a week with taxes to pay)

B. The boss HATES you and is ungreatful which puts you down a lot

C. All of your friends on the dole will start laughing at you for working PERIOD
like a stupid mug that ends up with NOTHING compared to the lads that get it all for
FREE :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

dollybird09

As a student, I think it sucks that so many people who aren't entitled to state benefits receive them. Students are actually ridiculously under-supported by the state and we are realistically the future of the econony (at lease its screwed already so my generation of graduates cant be blamed)!!

Before people jump on me and say people on the dole actually want to work, yes I appreciate that - but there are people wrongly claiming benefits.

Minimum wage jobs suck - where's the incentive to work really hard and earn very llittle... why not go on dole like those lazy folk who claim all sorts and work on the side?!

zilog_jones

I've been on the dole since September (Jobseeker's Benefit, not Allowance, because I worked up until then) and I'm getting more on it than my last job because it was only 25 hours a week. However I'd much rather be doing the former job and getting less money because I was getting relevant experience (IT support), not sitting on my arse all day posting on message boards.

I'm not getting a crappy minimum wage job while I'm still entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit - it would just make it more difficult for me to find a proper job and it will be of no benefit to me career-wise. I'm sure they won't be easy to get around here anyway with Dell closing down...

MizzLolly

dollybird09 wrote: »

Students are actually ridiculously under-supported by the state

I agree. The ''support'' they do offer does not realistically keep your head above water.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

mickdw wrote: »

Yes minimum wage might be higher than the dole rate but when you add in all the freebies when on the dole, you would be better off on the dole. Medical card, accomodation paid, bonus at christmas, Fuel allowance.
Then there are extra hardship funds where heating oil will be paid for and god knows what else.

This is in relation to a single person, Unmarried mothers are coining it and would be fools to bother working. Free house, everything needed for the child and lots of them have their partner living with them. F*cking joke. I never got a penny from the state. No student grant, nothing, while college mates who got the grant ha cars in college.

Well, fuel allowance is very low, accomodation is based on what you are paying, bonus christmas is nice, but I think the biggest benifit apart from the 200 quid a week is the medical card. IF you are on social welfare you are automatically eligable for it. Well you were 6 months ago.

I got a grant in my final year of college, I also had a car and rented a 4 bedroom house for 60 quid a week What does it matter if I have a car or not, if I am entitled to it should I not claim for it?]


Oh by the way, there is no such thing as a freebee, somebody pays for it along the lines. It's paid for by the taxpayer. Now I paid taxes for about 10 years before claiming the dole. Mind you I was looking for a job long before I claimed. I didn't feel the need to claim rent allowance and fuel allowance, I didn't need it. I did opt for the medical card as my medical expenses are pretty high every month.

Is it better being on the dole? NO, it is better getting less money working part time in a minimum wage job than being on the dole. Why? Well for one, you have a job, you pay taxes and it makes it easier to find another job. I would like to make 300+ euro a week working a part-time job. Would be nice.

*EDIT*

Oh, yea the full grant for college students is only 90 euro a week, can anyone here honestly live on 90 quid a week? I am sure some would, if you had to live under a tree and have very little expenses. It's pathetic, especially when the cost of college is rising every single year. Free education my arse.

Some people see it as being black and white, well it's far from that. OMG 200 euro a week for doing nothing, great. It's great if you don't really want to go anywhere in life. It's great if you have no ambitions. It's nice to get money for nothing, right? Well it makes getting a job a hell of a lot more difficult. The social welfare is mainly (in my case) for bills, rent and food, leaving me with absolutely nothing left, if I want a night out I gotta save for it and spend less on food that week etc etc. I rather be working.

dreamers75

Minimum wage is 7.79ph 311pw , dole is 150 a week in most cases.

dr.bollocko

dreamers75 wrote: »

Minimum wage is 7.79ph 311pw , dole is 150 a week in most cases.

Dole is up at over 200 these days AFAIK.

MizzLolly

dreamers75 wrote: »

Minimum wage is 7.79ph 311pw , dole is 150 a week in most cases.

I thought minimum wage was €8.65 ph