back to work, but i'm too broke to work!

riseagains

HEY ALL,
have a quick question!

I've been unemployed for a year or so, and now i've gotten a job, but i don't get paid for a month still...
I can't claim any social welfare payments cos i'm working full time, well least that's what i've been told.

i think it's a disgrace because i'm broke and can't afford to work cos i dont get paid for so long....

Is there any social welfare payments or is there any sort of fund that i can claim to keep me going until pay day??

Any help on this matter is apprecaited...
Warm Regards...

Sleepy

Talk to your bank? I'm sure they'd be happy to extend an overdraft facility.

drunkmonkey

Friends & Family?

TskTsk

Ask your new employer for a small advance to keep you ticking over

riseagains

THANK YOU ALL...
Honestly, thank you for your suggestions...

Oh i've been asking my friends and family for help... but i'm very embarresed about the whole thing, and i'm stressed out... i've tryed claiming tax credits, i haven't heard anything back from that yet.....

Does anyone know how long they take to put that into my account??

riseagains

yeah i did that also, they said it would be in my account last tuesday... :mad:

riseagains

NAH I can't remember..

But thanks anyways to all of you guys....

I really do appreciate it....

Have a nice weekend...

:D

sellerbarry

Go to your Community welfare officer. He will give you money until you get sorted. A small cheque each week which you pay back when working.;)

riseagains

oh that's awesome....

Thank you so much..

That is a huge help..

William Powell

If you really need that money from the social welfare officer then be prepared to work hard to get it. One way they control payments now is by controlling the number of people they see each week. So find out where the office is, when its open and be there at least an hour early to queue at the door and don't loose your place. What happens is say there is one social welfare officer he'll see say (and the numbers varies) 30 people while the office is open so now they let 30 in then lock the doors anyone else gets turned away so you can be 5minutes early but number 31 in the queue and your ****ed.

Scofflaw

Moved to Work & Jobs, where hopefully there will be further answers.

moderately,
Scofflaw

Mrs OBumble

TskTsk wrote: »

Ask your new employer for a small advance to keep you ticking over

This isn't actually an option I'd recommend: it starts you off on the wrong footing with the employer, and many companies have policies that say "no" automatically anyway.

woolymammoth

JustMary wrote: »

This isn't actually an option I'd recommend: it starts you off on the wrong footing with the employer, and many companies have policies that say "no" automatically anyway.

Bullsh*t.
I was in the exact same position back in May. I asked the new boss if he could help me out with a weekly / fortnightly paymentfor the first 4 weeks. He was only too happy to help me out. Now, bigger companies might have too much red tape to help you out in that way, but if you don't ask, you don't get. You'd have to be a real ball buster not to have any sympathy for someone just coming off the dole into a job that doesn't pay for a month!

Mrs OBumble

woolymammoth wrote: »

Bullsh*t.
I was in the exact same position back in May. I asked the new boss if he could help me out with a weekly / fortnightly paymentfor the first 4 weeks. He was only too happy to help me out. Now, bigger companies might have too much red tape to help you out in that way, but if you don't ask, you don't get. You'd have to be a real ball buster not to have any sympathy for someone just coming off the dole into a job that doesn't pay for a month!

I'm glad it worked out for you. I sincerely hope that it doesn't have any long-term repercussions on the level of trust that your boss has in you.

But IMHO any of the other options (at least three have been suggested) are better to start with.

woolymammoth

JustMary wrote: »

I'm glad it worked out for you. I sincerely hope that it doesn't have any long-term repercussions on the level of trust that your boss has in you.

Oh how very condescending of you, moderator Mary!

and why should it have any long-term repercussions? are you saying anyone who asks to get paid weekly or biweekly is not to be trusted? even if it's only for the first month? are you saying i can't be trusted just because I have the balls to ask for something half the country take for granted? Why should i have to beg and borrow off the bank and family just because an employer wants to pay me monthly? I would talk to the employer first, bank second, family last. all going bad, back to social welfare officer. I shouldn't have to rely upon or burden anyone else unnecessarily. Your comment is foolish, it promotes incapability, and a fear to ask, rightfully imho, for remuneration in a timely manner for work done. I agree than some places will say no, just because of "policy", but what gives you the right to belittle anybody for asking?

dudara

woolymammoth wrote: »

Oh how very condescending of you, moderator Mary!

If you have an issue with a post, please use the Report Post functionality.

dudara

kippy

It very much depends on the employer but I would be of the same general opinion as Mary on that particular issue.
You should approach the employer as a last resort however there are more feasible options to try first. Some employers will pay wages in advance (but usually for Christmas of if you are off on holiday for a couple of weeks,) however I find that is only the case when you are there after your probabtion - and to be fair it does take a few days to a few weeks to sort out.

I've been there before (starting work with very little money and no getting paid for a long month, having already paid a big deposit and a months rent in advance on a flat) and generally I've gone to friends or family for a bit of assistance for the first month or so, then pay them back after.
You're friends and family would be more understanding than an employer, be able to provide the cash without the level of paperwork and faster and indeed you may be called on to repay the favour in future.

doolox

When I started work with a large multinational 15 years ago part of the induction package was a form one could fill out to claim an advance on wages ( we were paid fortnightly) and we were verbally offered the facility twice during the induction period.

When I started work a year ago for a 6 month temp contract the same offer was made at the start of the job in a small Irish company.

I'd say if it is approached in a forthright and upfront manner looking for an advance will not put a "black mark" on your work record.

Not being able to get to work on time or being effective regarding appearance, performance etc due to lack of money for fares, food and clean clothes could be a bigger risk........

Put it to the boss and see what he says. If he is rigidly class-bound enough to think people without money are somewhat inferior then you really need to question is he worth working for.

Mrs OBumble

woolymammoth wrote: »

Oh how very condescending of you, moderator Mary!

and why should it have any long-term repercussions? are you saying anyone who asks to get paid weekly or biweekly is not to be trusted? even if it's only for the first month? are you saying i can't be trusted just because I have the balls to ask for something half the country take for granted? Why should i have to beg and borrow off the bank and family just because an employer wants to pay me monthly? I would talk to the employer first, bank second, family last. all going bad, back to social welfare officer. I shouldn't have to rely upon or burden anyone else unnecessarily. Your comment is foolish, it promotes incapability, and a fear to ask, rightfully imho, for remuneration in a timely manner for work done. I agree than some places will say no, just because of "policy", but what gives you the right to belittle anybody for asking?

I've been a manager. I've had a staff member who mentioned that the power had been cut off at home because his wife had "got confused and paid the wrong bill first". Thankfully, he was smart enough not to ask me for a salary advance: if he had, I would have had to go to HR and ask them, and I knew that questions about the sensitive information he could access to would have come up. Essentially, he would have had his access (= ability to do the job) cut, because the company would have perceived that his precarious financial situation made him a likely target for people looking to offer bribes.

What I'm saying is that providing your manager with info about your personal financial status can have consequences. This may not be fair, right, or whatever. But it's real.

When I've accepted monthly paid jobs in Ireland, one through a large recruitment company, and one with a large UK-based department store (one very well paid, one not), I was most certainly not offered an advance as a routine part of starting work. In the latter, the person doing the induction didn't even know what the time lag for monthly payments was, because she herself was paid weekly.

When the OP accepted the job, s/he knew that the job was paid monthly. Monthly pay is quite normal in this country, and the welfare system has mechanisms to "tide people over". I happen to have an opinion that this would be the best place to start. You have the opposite opinion. The great thing about boards is that, provided we're both civil, we can express our opinions and the OP can choose which advice best suits his/her situation.

The fact that I've been asked to moderate (= delete messages by spammers and give warnings when people aren't civil) is irrelevant, IMHO. And as said elsewhere, if you want to complain about what I've said, use the Report Post button and one of the other mods will look at it.

woolymammoth

JustMary wrote: »

I've been a manager. I've had a staff member who mentioned that the power had been cut off at home because his wife had "got confused and paid the wrong bill first". Thankfully, he was smart enough not to ask me for a salary advance: if he had, I would have had to go to HR and ask them, and I knew that questions about the sensitive information he could access to would have come up. Essentially, he would have had his access (= ability to do the job) cut, because the company would have perceived that his precarious financial situation made him a likely target for people looking to offer bribes.

i have no idea what the hell that means, but it's obviously a peculiar, or just very particular situation! Obviously anyone in a position where bribes are a potential problem would need to tread carefully on anything they say or do. That's hardly relevant to the general population, and i think that may be blinding you somewhat.

JustMary wrote: »

What I'm saying is that providing your manager with info about your personal financial status can have consequences. This may not be fair, right, or whatever. But it's real.

Can have, in unusual situations! Nobody said you have to give them the nitty gritty details about unpaid bills. We're talking about coming off the dole here.

JustMary wrote: »

When I've accepted monthly paid jobs in Ireland, one through a large recruitment company, and one with a large UK-based department store (one very well paid, one not), I was most certainly not offered an advance as a routine part of starting work. In the latter, the person doing the induction didn't even know what the time lag for monthly payments was, because she herself was paid weekly.

people are rarely offered anything, you have to look out for yourself and ask.

JustMary wrote: »

When the OP accepted the job, s/he knew that the job was paid monthly. Monthly pay is quite normal in this country, and the welfare system has mechanisms to "tide people over". I happen to have an opinion that this would be the best place to start. You have the opposite opinion. The great thing about boards is that, provided we're both civil, we can express our opinions and the OP can choose which advice best suits his/her situation.

When the employer offered the job, they knew that the OP was on the dole! It's not unreasonable to assume that someone on the dole would be short on cash. Weekly payment, biweekly payment, and monthly payments are all quite normal. The trick with monthly, when you have nothing to begin with, is getting into it. paying for food, transport, living arrangements, clean clothes. What if you're moving? need a new place to live, have to pay security deposits on a house, room, esb or gas? maybe all in a few days or weeks? Then have to wait 4+ weeks to get paid and pray it's not a month in arrears? It's easy for us to sit back in our jobs and say "oh when the OP took the job, they knew this & that..". What are they supposed to do? stay on the dole? Have you ever been on the dole Mary? Do you know what it's like to try to start a new job, in a city you've never lived in before, and have barely enough cash to sort just accomodation for a month? I do. Maybe you do too, but it certainly doesn't show.

JustMary wrote: »

The fact that I've been asked to moderate (= delete messages by spammers and give warnings when people aren't civil) is irrelevant, IMHO. And as said elsewhere, if you want to complain about what I've said, use the Report Post button and one of the other mods will look at it.

Fair enough, I have no idea what it is you signed up for. I assume that you were offered it because you spend enough time on, and possibly know some things about Work & Jobs.

bottom line, asking for a shorter payment timeframe for the first months of a job that pays monthly should not tarnish someones reputation, as you suggest. It's not just unfair, it's plain wrong, however real it may be.

I'm not sure why, twice now, i've been told how to complain. I have nothing to complain about. I've only attacked your comments, not you. If you think i've been uncivil to you, then i'm sorry to have offended you. It's the other great thing about Boards, lively discussion!

Moar!!! :pac:

Leadership

I would have to agree with Mary here unless you are in small business or starting a role on one of the first few steps of the employment ladder then asking the employer to change their T&C's for the first few weeks is an absolute no no.

eire2009

Just tell your boss you have to collect Benefit from the post office on Wednesday mornings unless he can provide similar assistance until you receive a paycheck or if you can collect it on Thursday night whats the problem..

Your not expected to sign off the dole unless you have started to receive an income yourself its common sense..

Issues with over payments can be dealt with easy ..

doolox

In my case there wasn't a request to change the Tand C's of the company.
My first encounter with cash advances was for jobs at entry level being taken up by people from the dole or college, back in 1995. There was a standard form included in the induction package to deal with this.

For a majority of people as outlined previously many extra expenses were incurred in taking up employment and the company did not want to lose people over inability to meet short-term expenses.

The second instance was, indeed, a very small outfit with 15 employees in Ireland and policy decisions were made by one man.

I'd say that at senior positions where a 5-10 yr career earning big money would give a person ample opportunity to have a contingency fund then the employers would have to wonder at a persons financial difficulty, especially if the job involved managing money and resources or high level decision making.

The trouble is that with this recession there will be many more people at increasingly senior levels taking up more junior roles here and abroad who will be incurring more expenses with little or no resources with which to meet them.

It is not their fault.

Mrs OBumble

eire2009 wrote: »

Your not expected to sign off the dole unless you have started to receive an income yourself its common sense..

Ahh, yes you are. Benefit entitlement stops the day you are no longer available for work, ie the day you start working. Welfare are very clear that they need to be told when this happens, not weeks later when you start getting paid.

Bandana boy

I would just put a request into work to get paid weekly for a fixed term say 8-12 weeks.
I have had two new starts ask for as much in the last 10 months and the company was willing to support the request without it going further than HR admin and payroll.
This is not and unusual request in the current climate.
That said I would look at what level you will be in the company -If a new manager asked for this I think it could color judgment from his boss and immediate peers.

maninasia

woolymammoth wrote: »

Bullsh*t.
I was in the exact same position back in May. I asked the new boss if he could help me out with a weekly / fortnightly paymentfor the first 4 weeks. He was only too happy to help me out. Now, bigger companies might have too much red tape to help you out in that way, but if you don't ask, you don't get. You'd have to be a real ball buster not to have any sympathy for someone just coming off the dole into a job that doesn't pay for a month!

Ask for an advance, loads of companies will help you out, it's not a big deal!

tenchi-fan

I personally wouldn't ask for an advance immediately.

Instead, if you're paid monthly ask for an advance at the end of the first week & only for the money you earned in the first week.