Life after Redundancy?

vedwards

After 14 years with the Company, I was made redundant suddenly last week - what a shock. My boast that I was never a day idle in my life has been shattered - as I am. I'm over 50 and having worked my way up was on a 50K+ pa salary - single income family. I keep hearing the words of Christy Moores 'Ordinary Man' reverberating round my mind and yesterday it was the 'hand shake and a cheque' stage (told no money in the Company so basic severance of statutory). Thanks to my wife's excellent talent for budgeting and controlling the finances we lived a frugal lifestyle, no foreign holidays with emphasis on the kids education and maintaining our home and cleared the mortgage.
What now? I feel numb and lost. My alarm still goes off at 6.30am. I don't sleep well and fear what the future holds in store.
There must be many on boards.ie who have been and are in the same situation. Do I start looking for employment immediately? Should I wait and go back to be re-educated? Any advise would be much appreciated.

Mr. Presentable

Start a small business from home.

_Kaiser_

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

Start a small business from home.

Doing what though? Easy to say but not everyone is a Dragon's Den contender. Plus this country actively seems to discourage new/small business.

OP: I feel your pain. I was laid off in 2009 after 14 years of working (albeit for 3 different companies) in IT.
I was working in the public sector at the time and I guess I was out the day the "gold-plated pensions", "jobs for life" and "inflated salary" was handed out, because I had to pay into my pension like I did in the private sector, was let go (despite appeal by my employer) from the supposedly secure education sector, and made no more than the average private sector worker did for the same job.

For me it was a case of several stages.. first I was able to keep busy doing things I'd never had a chance to get around to, catching up with friends, looking for/applying for jobs etc but it wasn't long before the boredom and frustration set in.

Like yourself I'd always been working and busy and it just isn't "in me" to sit around all day watching daytime TV so I found it very hard to adjust.. plus the money worries naturally, as - despite what some people on Boards would have you believe - your bills and debts don't just disappear with your income and job.

Getting constantly knocked back on job applications (or not even getting a reply at all) takes it toll too. Worse again are the recruitment agencies that are very quick to waste your time and bring you in for (completely unsuitable) "interviews" so they can fill their own books to pass on to clients, or who - if they don't place you on the first attempt - will never contact you again.

I was out of work for a year, by the end of which I was seriously starting to wonder if I'd ever find anything else (it really is an employer's market right now and what used to be 3 jobs (in IT) they now want 1 person to do, and have lots of qualifications and experience, and work for 10k less than the job paid 2/3 years ago). I also didn't sleep well and most nights I eventually fell asleep worrying how I'd get through the next week's lot of bills etc.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that if you're willing to send in the CVs, deal with the timewasters and be willing to lower your expectations, you will eventually (hopefully) find something else, but you'll also need to find a way to deal with the feelings of worthlessness and fear that will wash over you too from time to time, but you have to still try and keep positive that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel - in the end it's what kept me going.

Being younger than yourself and with debts to pay, I was maybe under more pressure to find something else immediately than you are and I eventually did (albeit only on a contract basis, a step back career wise, less money and a 200km per day commute) but I NEED to work for my own sanity I guess!

Just as a thought.. with living sensibly and the kids education paid for, mortgage cleared etc, would early retirement be an option for you? Or you could then find something else but without the same pressure to provide as I felt - just throwing it out there.. obviously I don't know your circumstances

Whatever happens, I hope things work out for you OP and don't let this beat you.. it WILL get better in the end

kennyb3

What's your area of expertise? That might help us.

How educated are you? No harm in applying for jobs and see how you get on. Take some time out and think about what you d like to do.

I ve recently done this and although im working away as an accountant plan on re-training shortly as i dont want to do it forever.

In the meantime maybe spend the extra time with your family and doing all the things you didnt have the time to do.

Its not the end, its a new beginning.

Have you a hobby/past time you could get further into in the mean time also?

Denerick

Are you practical/good with your hands? It mightn't be the same line of work but handymen do good, honest work, helps keep you fit, leaves you interacting with other people, and gets you to do something with your day. Money obviously won't be anything like it was but it'll keep your spirits up. If you place an add in your local supermarket you'd be surprised that people would ring. Best of luck anyway.

Mrs OBumble

vedwards wrote: »

After 14 years with the Company, I was made redundant suddenly last week - what a shock. My boast that I was never a day idle in my life has been shattered - as I am. .... and yesterday it was the 'hand shake and a cheque' stage .... There must be many on boards.ie who have been and are in the same situation. Do I start looking for employment immediately? Should I wait and go back to be re-educated? Any advise would be much appreciated.

Ouch, it's hard when it's unexpected.

OP, where are you based? If it's anywhere in the west of Ireland, I'd recommend you get in touch with West of Ireland Networking - you will find helpful people and resources there. In Dublin, I've heard that something called Dublin Jobs Club is similar - don't know though, if it has the same focus on professionals / experienced-unemployed.

What I would suggest is that you grant yourself a weeks "annual leave" - take a break, don't push too hard, let yourself sleep in etc. You've had a shock and need some time to re-adjust.

BUT after that, the following week make sure you're up at 8 / 7 / whatever am every day. This is a WORK day - it's just not paid work right now. Have a plan for each day: allocate so many hours to job hunting, so many to exercise, so many to hobbies (great time to learn a new skill, if there's something you always wanted to try), etc. Set some goals for the week and make 100% sure you achieve them. You're going to suffer some knock-backs job-hunting, so make sure you experience some successes too.

It won't hurt to apply for jobs immediately.

But you may find it's a good time to take stock and decide what you really want to do for the rest of your career. It's not certain, but 3-5 years after redundancy, some people say that it was the best thing that ever happened to them, because of the new opportunities that it opened.

Good luck.


Oh ... and one thought for you: you say you boasted that you never had a day idle. I bet your wife never had a day idle either, she just didn't get paid for all the work she did. Measure your successes by results. not by your earnings.

vedwards

Thanks fellow boards members,

lots of good, positive and encouraging advice in those posts. I'm not posting for a job..albeit if anyone's offering someone who has worked from the neck up in Electronics for over 30 years bring it on.
I was raised in a family/era where you only stopped work to eat and sleep, there were no holidays and idleness was a sin for confession. If at times I was slothful (probably though exhaustion) I made up for lost time by being doubly industrious the next day.
Kaiser2000; there's so much good stuff in that to digest. I put it out in the open yesterday and my circumstances will soon be widely known. Your point "For me it was a case of several stages.. first I was able to keep busy doing things I'd never had a chance to get around to, catching up with friends, looking for/applying for jobs etc but it wasn't long before the boredom and frustration set in." scares me a little. I have many talents and hope to remain positive...but as you also said the bills don't stop. As I wrote, the song 'Ordinary Man' played like a mantra over & over in my mind last weekend and like some prophetic quatrain from Nostradamus I should have seen it coming.
Really what I'm hoping to get from this thread is that others have found positive fulfilling lives when their world was shattered by redundancy. Maybe this is a awake-up call to re-assess my profession and career direction and life. Work is for me has been both a crutch and panacea during times of deep turmoil in my life and I have found respite in the daily routine and challenge of work.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I was jobless for a year and a half between 2008 and 2009, but all I can advise you to do is to keep trying, trying and trying each day to apply for jobs.

As heartbreaking as it will get at times, just persevere. I would strongly advise you to tailor each application specifically to the job you're applying for - I was stupid enough to use a generic CV for a long time and it wasn't good enough.

For a short-term solution, you could try call centre work, as it's what got me back into the work force.
Funnily, before the recession I always looked down my nose on those types of jobs, and those without jobs. It's amazing what hard times and need will do to a person. And once you're in a job (and bills are easier paid and you feel less useless), it's easier to get into a new, better job.

Best of luck OP.

_Kaiser_

vedwards wrote: »

Thanks fellow boards members,

lots of good, positive and encouraging advice in those posts. I'm not posting for a job..albeit if anyone's offering someone who has worked from the neck up in Electronics for over 30 years bring it on.
I was raised in a family/era where you only stopped work to eat and sleep, there were no holidays and idleness was a sin for confession. If at times I was slothful (probably though exhaustion) I made up for lost time by being doubly industrious the next day.
Kaiser2000; there's so much good stuff in that to digest. I put it out in the open yesterday and my circumstances will soon be widely known. Your point "For me it was a case of several stages.. first I was able to keep busy doing things I'd never had a chance to get around to, catching up with friends, looking for/applying for jobs etc but it wasn't long before the boredom and frustration set in." scares me a little. I have many talents and hope to remain positive...but as you also said the bills don't stop. As I wrote, the song 'Ordinary Man' played like a mantra over & over in my mind last weekend and like some prophetic quatrain from Nostradamus I should have seen it coming.
Really what I'm hoping to get from this thread is that others have found positive fulfilling lives when their world was shattered by redundancy. Maybe this is a awake-up call to re-assess my profession and career direction and life. Work is for me has been both a crutch and panacea during times of deep turmoil in my life and I have found respite in the daily routine and challenge of work.

Well myself I'm actually considering a move as well - not out of IT entirely (as firstly it's all I know, and it's also hobby as well as a career) but moving more into the "back office" roles rather than front-line Sys Admin etc.
I did that kind of work in my last role and found it very fulfilling building something from the ground up to where it was held as a model for other organisations in the same sector to emulate.

Much like you though I really rely on work to keep me going (not just for the obvious financial reasons, but for my own well-being as well) and most of the time (again in my last role) I'd get home at 5pm and do another few hours on the laptop - there was even a point many years ago when my then manager practically ordered me out of the building for 2weeks to use up some of the 500 hours of vacation I'd been storing

Anyway these days I think I have the balance a bit better as, while I always had a pretty good social life, it mostly revolved around work (shift work will do that though). While my current role isn't really what I want to be doing, it's keeping me busy and I've made some good friends too. Plus it's payign the bills (more or less) which is important of course.

Speaking of bills, don't be afraid/too proud to talk to the various banks/utility companies etc if things get tough. It's not much fun I know but in my experience they are/have to be willing to work with you to rearrange payments and so on. Don't waste all your savings paying off ESB bills basically is my point.

Also, get familiar with the Social Welfare system. I know, I know.. you probably don't want to go near them (and be prepared for an attitude from some of the staff that'll make you feel like an "inconvenience" to their day or treating you like some junkie scumbag), but you've worked hard for all those years and paid your share and you're entitled (a lot more than those who just don't WANT to work) to help now. Don't leave it either.. get the forms rolling this week - it'll probably take a while to process anyway.
Similarly get your tax back and so on - you probably know most of this but it was all new to me as I'd never had to go near them before.

Anyway, with those practicalities sorted you can then focus a bit more on you and what you want to do next. Don't be afraid to talk to friends/former colleagues/business contacts for leads - as with everything else in this country, it's all about who ya know (something I strongly disagree with personally, but if it helps in this instance..)

If you have some cash reserves (another reason not to blow it all on just paying the bills), look into doing a course - either to bring yourself up-to-date, or maybe something related/entirely different. It'll keep you busy and it'll give you a new challenge As others have said, hobbies aren't a bad thing either.. maybe take up golf or something - I would have, but I don't think my shoulder/back would survive the course It's a good way to network as well.

Finally I guess, don't be afraid to let the family know if you're struggling and bear in mind that they'll be going through it with you as well. No man is an island as they say.

I've no doubt you'll find another job (or a new career) with your work ethic and drive, but as you said, look as it as an opportunity to round out the rest of your life as well and - as I said before - when the "bad days" come (and they will unforunately) just remember that it WILL get better in the end

(I'll shut up now before someone tells me to take it to PI )

RedXIV

Dunno if you're near here or not but this popped up today if you're interested?

Server admin wanted in Sandyford

chinwag

Yes, go down to your local SW office ASAP to "sign-on" and keep yourself in the system, thus retaining your continuity in the system and also to be eligible for entitlements. Kaiser is right about these matters.
Best of luck to you.

omen80

If I were you OP I would do a part-time course in an area you're interested in. Not only will you have a qualification in something, it looks well on the CV that you haven't been sitting around watching TV all day if you get an interview down the road.
Don't forget to smell the roses though.

vedwards

Thanks folks,

just got my P45 in the post. Will head down in the morning to sign-on. Any negative implications for signing on? Never signed on before so not sure what the implications are.

chinwag

Have a feeling you bring in few IDs to SW.
Bring a utility bill with your name + driving licence or passport to be safe. And you have your P45 with PPS No, bring that. Think they will need a recent P60 at some stage.
No harm to check with SW (by phone or online) but get into them without delay.
Try not to let the negative aspect bother you, they're not all bad in SW but current procedures do need to be more user friendly. Keep the chin up!

eastbono

The following is a link to jobseekers benefit. Download the application form and have it completed before you go in as it will speed things along. Bring your P45, proof of address e.g. recent bank statement or utility bill, driving licence and passport. Also ask them to backdate your claim to the date you finished work. I dont know if you got a redundancy package or not but check out on the link the disqualification periods in relation to redundancy if you are <55 years of age. If a disqualification period applies to you then do not make you claim until after that length of time.

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/JobseekerSupports/JobseekersBenefit/Pages/jb.aspx

tenchi-fan

Get a reference from your employer and start looking for employment immediately.

It might not be a surprise, but your new job will probably see a substantial paycut relative to your previous job.. but take anything, the longer you are out of the workforce the less likely you are to get back in.

vedwards

Thanks to all who gave me sound advise, encouragement and direction. Going into my 2nd week and my thoughts are favouring re-education...but in what? It's a bit like buying shares, as we (if) come out of this mire what are the qualifications that will be most needed by employers? Which horse do I back...what course should I look at? When I left school I was told that Electronics was the up & coming profession...In the '80s Electronic Companies pulled out and work was scarce. Now Companies like the one I worked for come up with an idea, contact a company in China and get the whole process done there..including the manufacturing side. If the Corporation Tax is hit then Companies like the one I worked for will flee...it's the only thing that keeping them here now.
P.S. Am I due tax back? Totally ignorant of such things.

kennyb3

vedwards wrote: »

P.S. Am I due tax back? Totally ignorant of such things.

Most likely - have a look at top slicing relief. If you are Dublin based and need an accountant im working in practice so feel free to PM me.

Flaccus

I went through what the OP is going through last May.

Re-education is a good idea if you can find something that you think will be in demand. It's really difficult to know what. Alot of people I knew went back to college long term, others did 1 post-grad courses, and some signed up for FAS community work schemes and internships. Too early to tell if anyone will get a long term job. There was a lot of advertising about getting retrained and back into the job market on the radio recently. Check this out :
http://www.bluebrick.ie/Springboard/

Regading claiming tax refunds : If unemployed 3 months after being made redundant you can apply to see if you overpaid on your income tax during the year you were made unemployed. And if you did overpay, you can receive a repayment every 8 weeks. e.g. I was made unemployed the end April last year so had paid tax for the first 4 months of the year based on allowances calculated over the full 12 months. So I overpaid in the 1st 4 months. There is a form you get in the tax office called 'Claiming Refund of Tax, when first made unemployed' or along those lines. You fill it out, include bank details, declare you are unemployed since whatever date etc.. A month later you get a letter advising you that you are to be paid X amount and that they will be paying into your bank account. It goes in fairly prompt. You get a 2nd letter advising if you are still unemployed in 8 weeks, then fill out form and drop into Tax office. And on and on it goes until you have had all your tax repaid. I received about 4k euro in overpayments last year.


The 2nd method for claiming tax back is top slicing relief. You can't claim it in the year you were made redundant, though some tax offices will take the form early I hear. But the tax office I dealt with insisted they only deal with it, in the following year as they need to take into account job seekers benefit which is a taxable source of income. So in my case, I was made redundant the end of last April, and went into the tax office in January. All you have to do is provide a cover letter saying you wish to claim top slicing relief. Simply put you are supposed to pay tax on the taxable portion of redundancy at the average rate of income tax you paid over the last 3 years. For a lot of people this is 35%. You may have in fact paid at 40%, so you get the difference back. It can take up to 2 months. And what they actually do is a balancing statement so they take into account any money you might owe them.

<EDIT>I see you mentioned you got statutory which isn't taxed so TSR may likely not apply in your case. Sorry. The Tax office can advise you anyway.


Regarding social welfare benefits : You may need to make an appointment at inquiries at your local SW office to get the ball rolling on getting approved for JSB. This is essentially PRSI contributions that are repaid to you, and assumes you are actively looking for work. When applying for JSB, do as others have said and bring your photo id, utility bill etc.. the redundancy form you received from your employer (RP50 I think), and a letter advising how much redundancy you received in total. They will need to know this as you may be temporarily disqualified from JSB benefit depending on how large your payment was.

<EDIT> As you got statutory you won't be disqualified for any period of time.

Pending approval (which shouldn't be a problem as you have been paying PRSI into the system for some time), you will be advised by post what date to come in to SW to do your initial sign on and what hatch to go to, and you will be issued with a temporary social services card (permanent one issued later). You will also be advised on the day you sign on (or it could be later by post) when your first JSB collection date is in the post office. For me it was every Wednesday I collected my JSB. And once a month you then need to go to SW and sign on and bring photo id (which they hardly ever ask for). The receipt you receive when you collect your JSB at the post office will advise when your next sign on date is, in the SW office. There is a possibility you will receive a letter after a month or two from SW asking you to sign on with FAS and they will make an appointment to talk to your local FAS officer to discuss jobs/training etc..

JSB usually lasts 12 months. If you get back to work before this runs out, you should be aware that job seekers benefit are in fact a taxable source of income. Essentially this means your tax credits will be reduced by the taxable amount you would have paid on this benefit if it was treated as income. I went back to work the beginning of May and my credits were reduced by around 3k euro or so.

About 3 months before JSB runs out (if you still are not working), you will receive a letter advising you of this, and a form which you can complete to apply for Job Seekers Allowance. Essentially the dole. This is not taxed but it's means tested and you may likely have to go before an inspector who will judge your means based on various criteria. If you pass the means test, it can take up to 3 months to receive a payment (how much you get will depend on your means) and if stuck for cash you can go to the Community Welfare Officer who can autorise an advance payment. Hopefully it won't come to that and you will find a job long before then.

Good luck with the job hunting. Luckily I found a job, a week before my JSB ran out!!

_Kaiser_

Flaccus wrote: »

I went through what the OP is going through last May......

Actually there's a few things in there I'm curious about myself if ya don't mind

I was made redundant in Nov 2009, received statutory redundancy and JSB for 11 months (as I was lucky enough to find something almost a year to the day).

I did claim tax back initially but if I read your post right, I might have been entitled to more? What's the situation with credits being reduced? Does that mean I've under/overpaid again now since November?

Sorry.. I know very little about the whole system to be honest (and I think they keep it that way deliberately) but any advice appreciated

omen80

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Actually there's a few things in there I'm curious about myself if ya don't mind

I was made redundant in Nov 2009, received statutory redundancy and JSB for 11 months (as I was lucky enough to find something almost a year to the day).

I did claim tax back initially but if I read your post right, I might have been entitled to more? What's the situation with credits being reduced? Does that mean I've under/overpaid again now since November?

Sorry.. I know very little about the whole system to be honest (and I think they keep it that way deliberately) but any advice appreciated

You should create an online account for "PAYE Anytime". It shows your previous 5 years of employment and tax paid. You can request a p21 for each year which will show how much tax-back you are entitled to. The money can then be paid directly into your bank account.
http://www.revenue.ie/en/online/paye-anytime.html

I set this up myself a couple of years ago. Didn't realise I was due back money each year of employment. Definitely worth setting up.

vedwards

Thanks Flaccus, very thorough and informative. I've just been to the Local Employment Services to register and get some more information. There are several good courses available but these pending numbers interested so I intend to mention the FAS (WAQ67) Supervisory Management FETAC L6 course starting in my area of North Wexford on 26th Sept. on the SE Region boards. I need 16 fellow participants to allow it to go ahead.
P.S> I've registered for PAYE anytime.

Wompa1

vedwards wrote: »

Thanks Flaccus, very thorough and informative. I've just been to the Local Employment Services to register and get some more information. There are several good courses available but these pending numbers interested so I intend to mention the FAS (WAQ67) Supervisory Management FETAC L6 course starting in my area of North Wexford on 26th Sept. on the SE Region boards. I need 16 fellow participants to allow it to go ahead.
P.S> I've registered for PAYE anytime.

How about getting some extra IT Qualification in the area of Virtualization? Cloud computing is about to explode and Application Virtualization may follow shortly after...

Developing for mobile devices such as Smartphones and tablets too is pretty good. You could do a course in UCD or one of those that covers some of that as a bridging type deal

vedwards

Wompa1 wrote: »

How about getting some extra IT Qualification in the area of Virtualization? Cloud computing is about to explode and Application Virtualization may follow shortly after...

Developing for mobile devices such as Smartphones and tablets too is pretty good. You could do a course in UCD or one of those that covers some of that as a bridging type deal

Thanks Wompa1 - IT is not MY area of expertise; my profession was diagnostics down to component level and debugging. I think these abilities are no longer required. I'm willing to learn new skills and your suggestions warrant further investigation. Much obliged.

Wompa1

vedwards wrote: »

Thanks Wompa1 - IT is not MY area of expertise; my profession was diagnostics down to component level and debugging. I think these abilities are no longer required. I'm willing to learn new skills and your suggestions warrant further investigation. Much obliged.

No problem. My friend was working as Engineer and got laid off. He's now doing a masters in UCD in a Computing course. He loves it. He's done Database Admin stuff, web development and has an option of developing for Android in a module. I'd love to be doing his course

Also IT certs I'd suggest that are worth a look if you fancy admin work would be some VMWARE and Citrix certs and maybe an MCSE. Best of luck. Keep your chin up.

vedwards

Wompa1 wrote: »

No problem. My friend was working as Engineer and got laid off. He's now doing a masters in UCD in a Computing course. He loves it. He's done Database Admin stuff, web development and has an option of developing for Android in a module. I'd love to be doing his course

Also IT certs I'd suggest that are worth a look if you fancy admin work would be some VMWARE and Citrix certs and maybe an MCSE. Best of luck. Keep your chin up.

Again thanks Wompa1, your friend has taken the path that I've been most keen on pursuing as I've knowledge of html/css and databases (MySQL and Access) and touched on VMWare when using linux live and I do fancy admin work as I get a buzz out of multitasking and organising (usually other peoples lives better than my own ).

boobar

Vedwards,

Sorry to hear about your redundancy. I admire your enthusiasm to get back to work as quickly as possible.

I'd suggest looking at www.linkedin.com and setting up your own profile and linking in with old colleagues, friends, customers. I know this has helped friends of mine in the past and it is a useful site for checking out new opportunities.

At 50, you're still young, and I see from an earlier thread that you mention that there may not be many positions in the job you used to do. That said you can still apply these skills to other jobs.

Certifications are useful also and you can get some certifications after a relatively short course.

Best of luck for the future.

Boobar

whitebutterfly

Hi

I was made redundant in March I am 44 female, in corporate sales all my life. So I hear where you are coming from.

I try to challenge the conceptions of redundancy as all negative. Time, less stress, more family time.

I started to do an MA in writing which was always a hobby of mine. I have lined up to teach a creative writing course in Dublin from sept-Dec. Its only 90 min per week, and its for a charity- but it is giving me experience and I am making €1000 for that. If i can do this again in Jan-March I can do 4 classes per week and make a salary.

Listen it has been painful for me, my husband had a heart attack in October - but through all this i have tried to stay positive - there are no other alternatives! I was sick listening to myself whinge.

So my advice is - get a routine - build on your hobbies or interests; do voluntary work where you can use your skills. Get out and about - DONT watch daytime TV. Think about doing some study p/t or online so it wont interfere with your job searching.

but hopefully, like me you will find something you enjoy, which gives you a decent salary.

Financial tip - cancel all Direct Debits and Standing orders. I get welfare weekly and pay off ESB etc weekly. I have got better TV/phone packages, have got out of my mobile contract so only €20 month now. Be ruthless with these - prune them back.

Take a shopping list when you go shopping and stick to it. Go to Aldi first and then Tesco.

Overall - look on it as a chance to change, to step off the treadmill and make different choices.

good Luck - have a look at my blog - part of my MA - where I try to be funny inspite of redundnacy!

blog snipped

vedwards

whitebutterfly wrote: »

Hi

I was made redundant in March I am 44 female, in corporate sales all my life. So I hear where you are coming from.

I try to challenge the conceptions of redundancy as all negative. Time, less stress, more family time.

I started to do an MA in writing which was always a hobby of mine. I have lined up to teach a creative writing course in Dublin from sept-Dec. Its only 90 min per week, and its for a charity- but it is giving me experience and I am making €1000 for that. If i can do this again in Jan-March I can do 4 classes per week and make a salary.

Listen it has been painful for me, my husband had a heart attack in October - but through all this i have tried to stay positive - there are no other alternatives! I was sick listening to myself whinge.

So my advice is - get a routine - build on your hobbies or interests; do voluntary work where you can use your skills. Get out and about - DONT watch daytime TV. Think about doing some study p/t or online so it wont interfere with your job searching.

but hopefully, like me you will find something you enjoy, which gives you a decent salary.

Financial tip - cancel all Direct Debits and Standing orders. I get welfare weekly and pay off ESB etc weekly. I have got better TV/phone packages, have got out of my mobile contract so only €20 month now. Be ruthless with these - prune them back.

Take a shopping list when you go shopping and stick to it. Go to Aldi first and then Tesco.

Overall - look on it as a chance to change, to step off the treadmill and make different choices.

good Luck - have a look at my blog - part of my MA - where I try to be funny in-spite of redundancy!

Thanks Whitebutterfly;
I have ticked off many of those boxes during the first two weeks of my unexpected redundancy...i.e. direct debts, SKY packages to min, Aldi & Lidl, unnecessary journeys etc. In the first couple of weeks I felt almost euphoric as if I was enjoying a short holiday, but I've notice a change in my behaviour and a more serious and immediate feeling of unease as the feelers I thought would return results have not been fruitful. I'm not despairing yet and will soon embark on a FETAC L5 course to focus on.

I now have the headache of what to do about the Company Retirement Scheme and the options!