Mate - 1000th day on the dole

nickobrien1985

A friend of mine - Kevin is celebrating his 1000th day on the dole today, he's been 2.5yrs+ out of work.
In that time he has lived at home, (he's 28), and has applied for in total about 10jobs.
He has even admitted that if the dole were lower he might actually work harder to find a job.
He was never bother to go into training either.

Do we have a massive problem with our social welfare system if this is the case?

How bout the govt. offer €500 to someone who finds a job after being on the dole for less than 6mths?

Does my mate have any hope in building a future career at all?

mikemac

This is the third place you started this thread

How many opinions are you looking for?

nickobrien1985

people keep on telling me to move the thread, so I did.

Iron Hide

10 jobs in 2 1/2 years is hardly notable OP, when i was out of work i had applied for 10 jobs in nearer enough 2 1/2 weeks!

tommyhaas

I believe the dole for the long term unemployed should be half of the take home pay for a worker on minimum wage

The way things are at present, there is very little point in working in a mundane job at minimum wage when you are only going to earn slightly more then what you would get on the dole

Nolanger

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

people keep on telling me to move the thread, so I did.

If you started this thread in After Hours I wouldn't have got banned for replying.

mikemac

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

people keep on telling me to move the thread, so I did.

Fair enough, my post seems nasty, was just asking

Dudess

Iron Hide wrote: »

10 jobs in 2 1/2 years is hardly notable OP, when i was out of work i had applied for 10 jobs in nearer enough 2 1/2 weeks!

Think that's the point the OP is also making...
OP, is "Kevin" perhaps a fabrication used to hide behind in order to start a social welfare claimants-bashing thread? I'd be happy to assume that those who don't bother their arse working are in a very small minority, and the vast majority would rather work - going by what I've personally observed anyway. I also wouldn't be surprised if many of those who initially claim the dole because they couldn't be bothered getting a job eventually get sick of being bored and then start to look for work.
Dole is relatively high in this country, but then, so is the cost of living.

bonerm

Kevin should get a cake to celebrate.

nickobrien1985

no. Sadly me mate Kev actually exists. You can message me and I can give you his contact details to clarify. You can even check out his Facebook page.

We're having a celebration for him tonight.

One mate has designed a 'Diploma of Unemployability' for him. Really funny.
I'm giving a speech

mikemac

*bleeding heart post but don't dismiss me

Maybe the lad is depressed and since he lives at home is stuck in a rut.
I've spend time unemployed, puts your confidence through the floor.

And it takes confidence and a bit of initiative to start job hunting. Everyone who ever applied for a job gets multiple rejections, it's not easy

nickobrien1985

feelingstressed wrote: »

*bleeding heart post but don't dismiss me

Maybe the lad is depressed and since he lives at home is stuck in a rut.
I've spend time unemployed, puts your confidence through the floor.

And it takes confidence and a bit of initiative to start job hunting

He's genuinely not depressed.
He kind of waiting around for the 'right' job, he's not arsed doing menial work

tallaghtmick

sounds like my best mate hes the same has a easy life no debts or anything.

LighterGuy

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

How bout the govt. offer €500 to someone who finds a job after being on the dole for less than 6mths?

I like your thinking of incentives. But you know yourself that anyone such as your mate would be thinking "ah sure that 500 euro is only 2 and a half weeks dole money"

nickobrien1985

LighterGuy wrote: »

I like your thinking of incentives. But you know yourself that anyone such as your mate would be thinking "ah sure that 500 euro is only 2 and a half weeks dole money"

True.
€1000.

The Tories in the UK came up with a good new plan of giving £1,000 to those unemployed over 6months to start a new business. The scheme also provides a business mentor to provide advice.

Obviously plenty of checks and balances would need to be put in place

Iron Hide

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

no. Sadly me mate Kev actually exists. You can message me and I can give you his contact details to clarify. You can even check out his Facebook page.

We're having a celebration for him tonight.

One mate has designed a 'Diploma of Unemployability' for him. Really funny.
I'm giving a speech

Ok let me get this straight, your actually celebrating a friend of yours drawing the dole for 1000 days?
To quote your original post, " If the dole was lower he might work harder to find a job?"
Ever hear of a bit of honour in working?
He's living at home, probably no bills/rent/mortgage etc to pay. So essentially his dole money is all disposable income.

And you say he wasnt bothered to retrain? The man is 28, not 58. He could retrain and be employable by the time he's 30, 31.

He has no hope of building a future career because he can't be arsed trying.

stovelid

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

A friend of mine - Kevin is celebrating his 1000th day on the dole today, he's been 2.5yrs+ out of work.

It's a disgrace that my taxes are paying for his fur-lined sheepskin jacket. My ma said those things cost a fucking packet. :mad:

AckwelFoley

"Calling facekicker to reception, facekicker to reception please"

LighterGuy

Never knew they were doing that in the UK. Interesting ...

However you're right. Its all about checks and balances. But I think a true incentive scheme could never be created for such people who become accustomed to being on the dole. Such schemes would only be used by people who want to get off it.


Oh and for the record Im on the dole myself :P

KeithAFC

Why are you telling us about your 'mate' kevins personal life on here in regards to the dole? Who the fk cares?

goose2005

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

He's genuinely not depressed.
He kind of waiting around for the 'right' job, he's not arsed doing menial work

He wouldn't get it anyway. There are 400,000 people unemployed. Even if 95% of them wanted to drink cider and watch TV all day, there still wouldn't be enough work to employ the other 5%. So the whole debate is pointless.

bonerm

stovelid wrote: »

It's a disgrace that my taxes are paying for his fur-lined sheepskin jacket. My ma said those things cost a fucking packet. :mad:

Not to mention a fella with four degrees should be able to get a job somewhere! :mad:

Dudess

stovelid wrote: »

It's a disgrace that my taxes are paying for his fur-lined sheepskin jacket. My ma said those things cost a fucking packet. :mad:

bonerm wrote: »

Not to mention a fella with four degrees should be able to get a job somewhere! :mad:

Little waster - spending his days playing Subbuteo and arsing around on his synthesiser... :mad:

MrMatisse

Your names not perry is it?

Badgermonkey

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

no. Sadly me mate Kev actually exists. You can message me and I can give you his contact details to clarify.

Yes, no doubt Kev will appreciate that.

Cavehill Red

OP, clearly you resent Kevin receiving benefits. So why are you attending a party to celebrate it?
Does Kevin know about this party? Or his diplomas? Or is it intended as a surprise humiliation for him?
And one other thing? Why are you still online? Don't you have a party to attend? Or were you making that up, and 'Kevin' too?

Turtyturd

tallaghtmick wrote: »

sounds like my best mate hes the same has a easy life no debts or anything.

F*cking cheek of him not getting into debt.

How dare he.

Brenireland

haha good man Kevin,with FF probably going out of gov I reckon with the help of FG & Lab you'll be on it for another 1000 days.

Ammsy500

goose2005 wrote: »

He wouldn't get it anyway. There are 400,000 people unemployed. Even if 95% of them wanted to drink cider and watch TV all day, there still wouldn't be enough work to employ the other 5%. So the whole debate is pointless.

Exactly.

Yeah OP your friend sounds like an absolute waster and seems to be enjoy being on the dole and out out of work but seriously some of the people coming out with the whole "this is what im paying my taxes for bla bla" need to shut up. You do realise most of the people on the dole (like myself)at the moment do not want to be on it and most likely have never been on it before. We have a population of 4.5 million and 400,000 of those people are unemployed that is a problem of lack of jobs and not of laziness. I dont know how many jobs I have applied for that I am over qualified and more than capable to do but yet all I get is rejection. I am now furthering my education while still applying for jobs and for me this is the best way to wait out this recession hoping some day soon it will get better. So congrats to those who still have jobs but seriously dont put everyone who is unemployed in the same bracket.

Wompa1

I just got my first pay slip for the year due to being paid monthly...I could have wept!

USC.....so angry...

nickobrien1985

Cavehill Red wrote: »

OP, clearly you resent Kevin receiving benefits. So why are you attending a party to celebrate it?
Does Kevin know about this party? Or his diplomas? Or is it intended as a surprise humiliation for him?
And one other thing? Why are you still online? Don't you have a party to attend? Or were you making that up, and 'Kevin' too?

Kev is coming over to my gaff at 9:30pm

Cavehill Red

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

Kev is coming over to my gaff at 9:30pm

OP, clearly you resent Kevin receiving benefits. So why are you hosting a party to celebrate it?
Does Kevin know about this party? Or his diplomas? Or is it intended as a surprise humiliation for him?

Sofiztikated

Surely someone must know a Nick O'Brien that is 25, what with all the traffic AH gets.

If you do, call over, and give Kevin a kick up the arse.

A friend of mine is back on the dole. 9 times in 9 years the poor **** has been made redundant. Every time, he's only on it for a max of 3 months before he gets another job.

(I never want to get him a job here.)

JONJO THE MISER

tallaghtmick wrote: »

sounds like my best mate hes the same has a easy life no debts or anything.

Michael is that you? Never knew you came on here.

LighterGuy

tallaghtmick wrote: »

sounds like my best mate hes the same has a easy life no debts or anything.

Nothing good comes from begrudgery.

KevinTheKevMan

I can't believe this!...some ****ing mate you are!:mad:

LighterGuy

tommyhaas wrote: »

I believe the dole for the long term unemployed should be half of the take home pay for a worker on minimum wage

Well before recession they had a certain cut off point with the dole. Many a man was thrown off it. But of course that same rule cant fly when a large percentage of the country is currently unemployed.

tommyhaas wrote: »

The way things are at present, there is very little point in working in a mundane job at minimum wage when you are only going to earn slightly more then what you would get on the dole

Thats the stupid thing.
Alot of companies who are looking for staff will only give you a basic 12 hour contract. The retail sector especially. Why drop a 100 euro a week? Its not lazyness. Its whats smart and dumb.
However alot of people dont know you can still claim the dole (of sorts) if your current job gives you a small number of hours.

hellyeah

see imo here is the problem. with society today the problem is why i should work when i can get 200 euro a week social welfare.( this is not everybody) I done my living cert in 1994 and went straight into the workforce. I remember doing 30hrs in quinnsworth(tesco) for a take home pay of around 60punts. i then moved to a job in a hotel as a porter ie making beds , cleaning toilets, waiting tables for 80 punts a week. i then moved to a general ops position in a factory fot 120 punts per week. i could have got more on welfare.
my point is that the wages i was working for were all terrible. it was an employers market and i had no experience so they could pay peanuts.
but thats my point. i done it for the experience. the more i got with a traceable employment record, the easier i found it to get employment.
the op mate is living at home so imo money is not a major factor. i was living at home when i done all these ****ty jobs, but i have to say i do not regret doing any of them cause they taught me to move forward.
i would rather earn 250 euro a week stacking shelfs than sitting at home getting 200 euro on the scratch. when you are out there in the workforce you meet people and make contacts( i did ) and you open doors for new jobs etc( i did) plus you learn something every day. btw im only 34 and not some old fart who thinks he knows it all.

mickrock

Everyone always goes on about the right to work but what about the right to NOT work; that's more important.

Congratulations to Kev and here's hoping the next 1,000 days of idling will be most agreeable!

hellyeah

well if we all had that attitude there would be no social welfare.!!!!!!!!!

Yeah.. people like your "friend" should be put out fixing those potholes across the country.

highlydebased

So he's getting 365,000 a year from the dole? I don't believe that.

St._Andalou

How has this not been locked yet?

It's obviously staged, and a roundabout way to do some dole bashing.

Cavehill Red

How was Kevin's party, OP? Did he like being humiliated for not having a job?

RonMexico

Actually this is far from staged. My friend Andy is a good friend of Kevin and I have talked to him on a few occasions myself. The thing about the cake and certificate is all true.

Capt'n Midnight

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

True.
€1000.

The Tories in the UK came up with a good new plan of giving £1,000 to those unemployed over 6months to start a new business. The scheme also provides a business mentor to provide advice.

Obviously plenty of checks and balances would need to be put in place

we have similar here, you basically get a couple of months dole up front to start a new business


downside is that if the business doesn't work out then you've already had your dole or it's that you are now self-employed and entitled so half nothing

RonMexico

They need to change the rules regarding self-employed and social welfare. The current situation is a disgrace.

Capt'n Midnight

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah.. people like your "friend" should be put out fixing those potholes across the country.

you do know that pothole fixing is generally for the purpose of getting politicians re-elected

unless they have a steam roller the pothole won't stay fixed long and it's just a cynical waste of resources

Gaudizeit

RonMexico wrote: »

They need to change the rules regarding self-employed and social welfare. The current situation is a disgrace.

they do indeed. Is there a logic behind not receiving the dole if your own company goes tits up? You pay your taxes so it seems very unfair.

Mr Benevolent

I got a job last week after 18 months on the dole. Money's not bad either. There are definitely more jobs out there. Just happy to have a job now, looking forward to going back in tomorrow.

m@cc@

nickobrien1985 wrote: »

A friend of mine - Kevin is celebrating his 1000th day on the dole today, he's been 2.5yrs+ out of work.
In that time he has lived at home, (he's 28), and has applied for in total about 10jobs.
He has even admitted that if the dole were lower he might actually work harder to find a job.
He was never bother to go into training either.

Do we have a massive problem with our social welfare system if this is the case?

How bout the govt. offer €500 to someone who finds a job after being on the dole for less than 6mths?

Does my mate have any hope in building a future career at all?

Lives at home, never 'bothered to train'.

Is this in fact Kevin?

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/7/15/1279209852999/Harry-Enfield-as-Kevin-th-006.jpg