Training contract expiry - redundancy?

radharc

I'm due to complete my ICAI training contract in mid April and was informed last month that my intake will not be kept on once their contracts expire. The firm has also declined to make any redundancy payments to us - does anyone know the legal position here? Are the firm required to pay redundancy or are they within their rights? I would be particularly interested to know if anyone knows of other people not being kept on at the end of their contracts and whether they are going to receive any payment from their employer, maybe I can shame my crowd into paying up!!

notlongleft

i can assure you they do not have to give you a penny. Your contract is a fixed term contract and they do not have to offer you employment when it is over. I think it is very funny that trainees are even expecting to be kept on up until a few years ago there was never a chance to stay on once your contract was over - do you think that they paid redunancy to everyone then??? why would someone take you on for 3.5 years if they had to pay you redunancy at the end of it?

radharc

Ok steady on pal, I was only asking a simple question!

By the way I don't think there's anything "Funny" about the current job market for newly qualifieds or the idea that they might be given a few quid to get them through a difficult few months after being released from contract.

notlongleft

sorry radharc - dont think the current job situation is funny at all but i honestly do think that it is 'funny' that people are expecting/hoping for redunacy out of it. You sign a contract for 3.5 years no employment is promised after that - i m sure not all of your intake are being let go the firms are keeping on the best workers who have put in the hard work over the last 3.5 years and didnt just decide they wanted to stay 6 months ago when jobs started to dry up - not a nice fact but very true i know managers in these places who have witnessed the worst workers over the last 3.5 years now staying late etc hoping to be kept on - the people who run these firms are smart enough to notice these things!!

There is going to be plenty of newly qualified accountants on the dole for a while but hopefully this will change in a few months or else everyone will be hoping on a plane out of the country!

Mr. Incognito

maybe I can shame my crowd into paying up!!

That made me laugh. Thanks.

Theboinkmaster

radharc wrote: »

Ok steady on pal, I was only asking a simple question!

By the way I don't think there's anything "Funny" about the current job market for newly qualifieds or the idea that they might be given a few quid to get them through a difficult few months after being released from contract.

It's your attitude that is the problem - expecting a hand out when you are owed absolutely nothing.

You signed a 3.5 year contract. Once it expires you're on your own. End of.

The phrase "celtic cub" springs to mind - expecting a few quid - you're joking right?

radharc

No not joking, my firm have made a huge amount of money off my back for the past few years, I billed €140k hours in my last year and was paid €42k so I don't think it's outrageous that I might expect say €5k upon the end of my contract.

I understand that's the way the training system works but it's one thing having your contract expired in an ordinary world, a very different story when there's little realistic hope of landing another job straight away. And the government would refund 60% of it anyway so to sum up, I dno't think €2k would be a completely unreasonable amount to expect a firm might give up at the end of three years hard work.

ps To Notlongleft I don't really care what you think but I can assure you my entire intake were not kept on after contract ended

spaceballs

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

You signed a 3.5 year contract. Once it expires you're on your own. End of.

I completely agree with this.

Where was the loyalty from the newly qualifieds during the good times when as soon as they qualified 90% of them would walk out on the firms they trained in during the busiest time of the year.

A training contract is a mutually beneficial agreement between the firm and the trainee, the firm gets a relatively cheap worker, and the trainee gets experience, loads of paid study leave and a qualification they will have for life, nobody owes anybody anything at the end of it.

I know there are tough times out there for everyone but it's going to take pain and hard work, not hand outs to get us through it.

Superdub2

Lads relax,

Original poster - not entitled to anything and while your wages are only x there are additional costs that come into play, so its not as simple as that,

Everybody else - Deloitte and KPMG are paying lump sums to the people they are not keeping after they are out of contract so its not unreasonable to hope for something, shouldnt expect but can hope

Secondly, you all sound like a bunch of audit managers. The relationship is a recipricol one. You get paid less than the going rate and work very hard. Not treated well at all in general so why should we want to stay on, we own our employers nothing as they get the most out of you on trainee wages.

We get our qualification, exam and study leave, and the reputation of the firm we qualified from to help get us a job, aswell as relative job security which is unheard of in the private sector at the moment for our 3.5 years, as long as we pass our exams.

So it works both ways!!