Should I work or not work???? Need advice

yours

I have been out of full time work since feb since last year and was getting JB, I then went onto JA in march after 12 months.

I had some work in march/april this year where the job soon went to 2-3 days a week, (15 per hour) I got 32 for the days i wasnt working, so it really helped, but I didnt get a lot towards rent allowance, but I was doing ok.

After thous of applications and a few interviews I eventually got a job offer last week, can you imagine my excitement last week, it is in what I am qualified in I was absolutely thrilled to get a break especially before xmas, even though this job is for no more than 3 days per week.

I have been currently getting 196 per week on JB and 276 per month for rent allowance.

I rang the citizens information last night just to make sure, I explained that I would be earning €15 per hour over 3 days at 7.5 hours a day.
She told me the JB was means tested and that I would loose €166 off my JB every week, so I would get €30 a week on JB, and I would not get anything towards my rent. My rent payable a month is €380.

It was like my world come crashing down around me when I worked this out. It works out that I would be doing better off €82 a week, €27 per day.

To be honest, and I know some people here would say I am lucky to get the job offer etc, and I hate having to claim off the state, I wish I didnt have to go near them at all, but like thous of other people we all need the help.

I have been struggling really hard especially still paying the credit union over 25k for college fees, and I am very near heading up the to courts with them, I thought this would be my get out of jail card and maybe I could have some sort of xmas .

Reality, with that €27 per day extra that I will get, I have to take out diesel costs and work lunch costs so it wont leave very much.

Please dont go mad at me, I know yous will say, I am not getting that a day, but when I budget and plan to make bills in reality I will have a extra €82 a week here.

Should I be greatful? I cant help but not be though, this job is very tough and very responsible. Should I look at this as experience? Would people here even work for that?

Is the girl in citizens Information wrong? I have tried to look at this on welfare.ie but I cant understand it.

I honestly feel now, if this is true, it gives people no incentive to go back to work at all, and here was me once saying "some people would rather just sign on than work", I honestly never thought I would be sitting looking at budget last nite with tears in my eyes saying it

tenchi-fan

Welcome to the welfare trap.

The answer is, of course you should work. €82 a week is worth over €4000 a year and you're not even working a full week.

There's a budget coming up. Benefits will be slashed. Dole by possibly 10% or more. Rent allowance by god knows how much. Yes, tax will increase too making work seem even less attractive, but I'd say the biggest cuts in the budget will be welfare. Hopefully the people hit hardest will be those who can work but figure they're "better off on the dole"

You should also consider it from a career progression point of view. It's fine graduates saying "there are no jobs" but you have a much better chance of getting a job if you are working rather than claiming benefits for years. Your 3 day week could become a 5 day week, you could be given a promotion, and you could be offered a new job on the strength of your experience in your old job.

€25k is a crazy amount in college debt. I'm not going to ask how you managed to accumulate such a large debt. But you need to realise social welfare does not exist to help people pay off loans. You will need to get a job eventually so take any chance you have to get on a career ladder. I assumed you finished your course, if so you are in a much better position than someone who didn't go to college.

Balagan

I haven't checked calculation you were given of how much JA you would still receive, but you should talk to the Community Welfare Officer with regards to your Rent Supplement as there seems a chance you could retain some of that payment.

Employment and Rent Supplement

You will not qualify for Rent Supplement if you are in full-time employment. That is, employment for 30 hours per week or more. (In the case of couples, if one of a couple is in full time employment both are excluded from claiming Rent Supplement).

Since June 2007, if you are accepted as being in need of accommodation under the Rental Accommodation Scheme by your local housing authority and you have been unemployed or not in full-time employment for at least 12 months before you start work you may be entitled to retain Rent Supplement. You may also be entitled to retain Rent Supplement if you have been participating in a Community Employment Scheme, Area Allowance Enterprise Scheme, or getting Back to Work Allowance immediately before you start work.

However, you will be reassessed for Rent Supplement and some of your additional income including some of your income from employment will be taken into account. As a result of the reassessment you may or may not continue to qualify for Rent Supplement. If you do qualify for Rent Supplement you may get a different rate of supplement.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/supplementary-welfare-schemes/rent_supplement

mullingar

Before I read your post, I was saying to myself here is another fecker claiming all benefits and not bothering to work. But you are clearly trying to get out of that situation .

All employers, whether they admit to it or not, are always iffy about employing somebody who was on medium to long term unemployment when they seem to be able to work.

What scores MAJOR points during an interview is that if you explain that you worked even though it was not worth your while in wage terms, this tells the potential employer that you really do pull your weight and are very employable - actions will always speak louder than words.

Take the job and gain more experience even if it is for a few extra quid, in the long term it will pay off.

padma

3 days working and getting 27 euro extra a day is well worth it. I know there is the cost of going to work, lunch etc. Yet there is a cost of staying at home too during winter, electricity, gas bills etc. Make your own lunch and drive handy. You still have 4 days a week at home to look for more jobs. Either way you are working and gaining some self respect, rather than sitting at home all day, doing the same things. Who knows, as one poster said you may get a promotion and/or an increase in hours. 15 euro an hour is worth it in your case.

I say go for it, cos if you don't you will be sitting at home for the next few months waiting for that magical full-time job to appear.

AnnyHallsal

I'm in a similar situation. I earn about 2,000 - 4,000 a year part-time but that's deducted from my rent allowance and benefits so I'm not much better off. I'd take the job, OP. Benefits will be slashed in the budget. Also, it's much preferable than having a bigger hole in your CV. By the by, I think the situation is fair - why should we not pay out way as much as possible?

yours

25K was while I was working in the same professional nature, so I graduated and gained experience., so I had to pay full fees, I also did numerous courses to better myself, my god for someone of my age, the amount of courses I have a lot of experience in the area, approx 6 years. I know the dole isnt there to pay loans, (wish the credit union manager would realise that!!), I paid for these courses thinking I would never have to sign on in my life!!!
How wrong was I?? I am very lucky to have my degree and courses that all wont even fit on my cv, but by god I do regret doing them with the suffering I am trying to pay for them now . Not trying to frighten anyone off trying to better themselves, guess I didnt do well at secondary school and tried drastic measures making up for it.

The only bit of consilation here is what Mullingar said about it should look well for employers, I can see that alright. And it def isnt the case where I want to claim of social welfare, I would absolutely love a full time job esp in what I do, god the thoughts of that, my heart near skips a beat with excitement, I think I would die of heart attack if were told I had a full time permanent job!!!

I know if I had of read this post, I would def have said, yes absolutely work rather than sit on a lazy ass, but when you put everything into reality, it IS a lot different.

Guess I am just thinking, you would think people that accept a part time job would be helped out a bit more by the government rather than for them to be thinking like this and not to take the job, all of my friends are saying absolutely no way they would do it!! They think I would be stupid doing it. It is a very hard job, no day will be easy at all.

Here is a thought, maybe I am wrong, If I build up stamps again on a 3 day week would I be able to claim for JB then? Or would it always be like that?

I feel bad for complaining here I really do, I am sure a lot of people like me, I know how hard it is to get work out there , guess I dunno where my mind is at with all this.

Its hard out there on everyone, hard for people to live, I know everyone is bad, god only know how bad this next budget is going to affect everyone

AnnyHallsal

Hey, another thing .. how much exactly would you be earning per week? I read on another thread, and have since confirmed, that the first 75 euros per week of your earnings are not means tested for rent allowance - so you would probably keep most, if not all, of that. I think you said your rent was about 350? Everyone has to pay 24 euro per week but after that you're probably covered. Would that make a difference?

As I said, I'm in the same boat, so I do understand. I have a PhD, a first-class degree, worked ten hour days in college, and never thought I'd be on the dole. I see the part-time work as an asset, even if I'm not really financially better off.

yours

sorry my rent is 380 per month, god anything would make a difference.

i know its v tough, years of learning and exams, killing yourself while working and studying at the same time, feels like it is all for nothing, wonder will the day ever come that i will get a good job, not asking for anything amazing or out of this world, or huge money, just a life

tenchi-fan

yours wrote: »

sorry my rent is 380 per month, god anything would make a difference.

i know its v tough, years of learning and exams, killing yourself while working and studying at the same time, feels like it is all for nothing, wonder will the day ever come that i will get a good job, not asking for anything amazing or out of this world, or huge money, just a life

You can't wallow in self pity too much. You're getting paid for 3 days work what a minimum wage worker will earn in 5. You're still free to hunt for another part-time job for the remaining 2-4 days of the week. or even just use that time to find a job which offers more hours.. I realise jobs are scarce at the moment but you should consider revamping your cv to get more interviews.

This would be more constructive than trying to find out how many stamps you need to claim for the 2 days you're not working. The government was giving you €13.5k in benefits in a year and all it did was got you further in debt.

Regarding the loss of rent allowance, try to find a cheaper place in shared accommodation. more people = lower bills. While 380 isnt exactly expensive there are a lot of cheaper places out there.

munstergirl

So did you take the job?

I think you should, it will do your self esteem wonders.

Also who knows it might lead to a full time job.

Bring your own lunch to work, same cost as eating at home.

doolox

If you love your work and have a good working relationship with your boss etc then go for it.
If, however, every minute of the workday is demanding, stressful and leaves you exhausted, avoid it like the plague.
I'd say there are very few jobs left that are not extremely onerous,difficult,and responsible as all the low-level jobs and back-room jobs have been leached out of the high-cost Irish economy in the last 10-20 years. Decreasing union influence means most bosses have it all their own way and you will be expected to put in a "full days work" regardless of your circumstances.

If it is possible for you to revert to your pre-job offer circumstances then you have nothing to lose by giving it few months try-out.

I hope you took it, it may well lead to full time or a better job. Packed lunch ftw :pac:

twowheelsonly

Take the job.

If you only end up a tenner better off nett for the week it's a tenner that you didn't have last week.
The main thing though is that you say it's in the field that you've trained for. Taking the job means that you're putting yourself back into the marketplace. How many people of influence in your field do you meet in your current situation compared to what you could potentially meet if you take the job.

No contest IMO.

yours

tenchi-fan wrote: »

I realise jobs are scarce at the moment but you should consider revamping your cv to get more interviews.

This would be more constructive than trying to find out how many stamps you need to claim for the 2 days you're not working.
Regarding the loss of rent allowance, try to find a cheaper place in shared accommodation. more people = lower bills. While 380 isnt exactly expensive there are a lot of cheaper places out there.

techi-fan, i really dont mean to sound sarcastic here but I have had over a year and a half revamping my cv thousands of different times for different types of job.
I come on here to ask for advice as it is the social thread!!
As for my rent, I have already moved in the last 6 months to somewhere cheaper and with other people, plus it did not matter when I was recieving rent allowance as I was still paying the same.

In response to doolox, I have heard these people are very hard to work for, really hard, in fact I was told by someone who used to work there that they know for a fact I would regret it in less than 2 months, a lot of back stabbing etc and that I would bringing the job home that way. And I would be doing two different types of jobs for the three days. I know myself the first day that any pressure/problems etc I would think I was better off at home.

To be honest, I still havnt give them their answer as they are away and wont be back until thursday.

Could someone please tell me how to quote on this thing? I have tried everything, esp different parts of others peoples?

Rob113

I understand what your going through. There a few of my friends in the same boat. Have been offered low pay jobs and didn't take them as they were getting as much on the scratched for absolutely no effort, shows how f#cked this place is really.

I'd take the job man, have some self respect and give yourself the chance to better yourself. It's much easier to sell yourself to another employer if your already in a job

munstergirl

Could someone please tell me how to quote on this thing? I have tried everything, esp different parts of others peoples?[/QUOTE]

Just click quote on the persons post you want to quote.

yours

Rob113 wrote: »

I'd take the job man, have some self respect and give yourself the chance to better yourself. It's much easier to sell yourself to another employer if your already in a job

if i did take it that would be the only reason, i hope future employers would look at it that way.

munstergirl wrote: »

Just click quote on the persons post you want to quote.

thanks munstergirl, hope i have done this right

zeds alive

Take the job , you will be slightly worse off , but sitting on the dole gets pretty soul destroying after a few months.

Maniacle

Did you take the job?

Gerry Asstrix

My advice would be not to take the job.

Reason being, you have a stable set up on social welfare, getting the full JSA and rent allowance which is keeping you afloat.

Fair enough if it was a full time job Id say go for it, but is some Mickey Mouse part time job really worth losing out on your JSA and rent allowance, lets not forget if this job doesnt work out you may be waiting again to have your claim reaccessed and that could take months, also the fact you wouldnt be getting rent allowance is a big hindrance in my view.

Although being on the dole and receiving hand outs is crap, its better then being in a job were things are just the same as being on the dole