Long term unemployed

Oleander

What's the longest anyone on Boards has been unemployed? I feel like I'm on my own (4 years).

frag420

16 yrs.

I then got a job after my Jr cert but it was only part time:D

On a serious note only a few months as would prefer to be doing something than sitting on me hole.

Rossin

8 months so went back to college to get a degree, finished in a month :-)

Oleander

Well I did work for the month of December, before that I did some work from home (3 months), before that I did a course (6 months) which is proving to be useless because I have no experience of one thing. I have done plenty with my time but because I've been out of work for so long, it's proving very difficult to get back out there

Rossin

there was someone on here last week saying they got a job in lidl or aldi after being unemployed for 4 years so there's hope!

possibly ask them how they got it etc

Oleander

I know it's not just me, just feeling a bit blue today!

I know Aldi did advertise for staff recently - have you seen how fast the checkout guys are in Aldi, I just chuck everything in me trolley, no time to pack, funny. I am so slow when I'm doing it at Tesco, trying to find those barcodes!!

Rossin

any hope of an internship in what you trained for?

get some experience then hopefully an entry level job. a lot of these internships turn into jobs if you impress as well

Oleander

I did a Medical Secretary course and was told today by an agency that there is a huge clamp down on HSE hiring staff (via agencies). I knew that anyway that the HSE weren't hiring. I won't get a job in a hospital because I don't have experience of having done audio typing for a consultant. I've sent cvs out to private medical practices and gp's. I think doing any course isn't great as it's all about experience it seems.

The internships don't apply to me because I'm not claiming any benefits or that's what I was told by FAS. I think what I need to do is offer myself voluntarily but not for 9 months!

donkey balls

Technically I've been unemployed for three&half years it will be four in october after being made redundant I signed up with a number of agencies and have been doing temp work since the only reason I won't sign off the dole is that the work is not guaranteed and through out the last three years many a month I went without a days work.
Everything between the DSW&Revenue is all above board regarding tax/prsi/ usc etc, Since being let go I have spent in excess of 7k on up skiling including course&exam fees and have managed to get steady work last year this year has been different as i'm down to 2/3 days a week which is a pain in the arse.
But I consider myself lucky compared to others who have not worked since the downturn also imo the schemes like job bridge have done f**k all for people who are unemployed, There was also another scheme were you could go back to do a college course I applied for a place on a course relevent to my industry but it was over subscribed yet there was a sh*tload of courses for arts/history I mean wtf,The govt keep on mouthing off about the smart economy and how well the export sector is doing yet there is not many places providing courses to get people up skilled and hopefully back working.

Delancey

Oleander wrote: »

I did a Medical Secretary course and was told today by an agency that there is a huge clamp down on HSE hiring staff (via agencies). I knew that anyway that the HSE weren't hiring. I won't get a job in a hospital because I don't have experience of having done audio typing for a consultant. I've sent cvs out to private medical practices and gp's. I think doing any course isn't great as it's all about experience it seems.

The internships don't apply to me because I'm not claiming any benefits or that's what I was told by FAS. I think what I need to do is offer myself voluntarily but not for 9 months!

The outlook for medical-related jobs is very poor and likely to remain so.

Oleander

All these schemes are useless for people like me who are unemployed but not claiming - I am deemed to be 'independently wealthy', I can assure you I am not. Internships, work placements, community employment, springboard are for people claiming benefits of some kind! Very unfair and frustrating.

Yep the medical market is crap - I kinda knew that when I did the course but thought I would have something by now. If I upskill in anything else that is different , I still need the experience. It's like getting out of school and finding that first job! All about experience, though, I have nearly 20 years of clerical experience. I am limited to Cork City and don't have a car but do have public transport and I was living in the countryside two years ago so that wasn't ideal.

allibastor

just like good ole` ireland. making sure to help everyone except the people who really need it. if you are un-employed but not able to get welfare they should still have to help you find work, the gov`ment seem to think because you dont e get welfare that they should have nothing more to do with you.

Oleander

Exactly. There are courses with FAS I could do (was told 'if you're not claiming you won't get paid for it', I know that, why can't I find someone who is helpful and says 'well, we'll see what we can do for you'). I'd have to go into FAS and have a chat with someone but no point unless I know what course I'd like to do. There are long queues of people waiting to do all sorts of courses and I suppose they'll give first preference to someone who is claiming, I don't know!

allibastor

if most of the people who worked in FAS were helpful they would not be in the situation they are in. they spend most of their time trying to train people who have no intention of getting work, or by offering pointless courses to people. just ask to speak with the office manager and explain your case to them, they should have something to do there even if you dont get paid. if not go to the social welfare office and tell them you will be forced to move to a flat on your own and claim welfare if they cant offer you something to do.

Oleander

I'll give you a laugh or shock you, whatever! When I moved back home from the UK a few years ago, I was in Dublin for a bit and went into my local FAS office, met with one of the managers there and looked at different jobs (one was in Kilkenny - hello???), he just wasn't concentrating, it was like he was in a hurry or something. He also implied that I should go home and start a family (if it was something I wanted to do) - like you can just pop them out .
I was in there for ages and the only thing I got was a cert to say I'm registered with FAS, whether that's useful or not!

allibastor

well at least if you are registered it is something. just pester them for courses. yeah it was the same here. when i graduated with an MA a few years back i could not find FAS. went it and met manager, who just looked at my CV and said he could not help as no course he could offer would top a masters. just had no interest. got a job soon after.

they are just useless in there to be fair, they offer rubbish courses to keep people on the books as doing something but are really only for show as it has very little in the way of helping those who want to do something.

Mrs OBumble

Oleander wrote: »

All these schemes are useless for people like me who are unemployed but not claiming - I am deemed to be 'independently wealthy', I can assure you I am not.

Yeah - I had the same problem. Owning a very house back home makes me very "rich" - it's worth about 4x the amount of rental income I actually get from it, according to their forumula. And that's before tax.

BUT you should be signing for "stamps" (PRSI credits), as this can make a difference to the amount of pension you will get when you're old. You only have to go to Welfare once a year for this - or whenever you start/stop temporary work. (No dockets for stamp-signers!)

And you are perfectly enttiled to register with FAS. And signing for stamps makes you eligible for Job Brigdge.

And you can offer yourself for any volunteer work, with none of the restrictions that Jobbridge has. check out the volunteer centre to see if there's something that might get you a foot in the door somewhere.

Also, you need to find out which one agency in town IS getting the HSE temping work, and find a way to get into the mind of an agent there. There will be one, it just wasn't the recruiter you were talking to.

Oleander

I'll have a look at the FAS courses again.

I've just sent an email to the HSE so see if they reply, I'd be passed from pillar to post if I phoned and I only have a mobile so ain't wasting my credit! The agency said they have no staff in hospitals at the moment though I did see a job advertised on one of the job websites for a Med Sec via this same agency so can't be believing what they say. How am I going to know whether they have staff employed in hospitals, I'm not! I hate grovelling to the agencies, they're not coming up with anything anyway. Thanks to all for the advice anyway, will look into some things.

allibastor

Oleander wrote: »

I'll have a look at the FAS courses again.

I've just sent an email to the HSE so see if they reply, I'd be passed from pillar to post if I phoned and I only have a mobile so ain't wasting my credit! The agency said they have no staff in hospitals at the moment though I did see a job advertised on one of the job websites for a Med Sec via this same agency so can't be believing what they say. How am I going to know whether they have staff employed in hospitals, I'm not! I hate grovelling to the agencies, they're not coming up with anything anyway. Thanks to all for the advice anyway, will look into some things.

Best thing to do it ring the Hospital or doctor themselves. i know it may be a pain but they may be able to help you. most agencies are know for Fishing for cv for jobs, so just dont take it that they have an actual job going.

thanks,

Oleander

You'll instantly think I'm being negative, but I can't see a hospital telling me what agency they use, they'll think I'm from an agency scouting for information and I don't want to give them that impression, and I can't imagine it's that easy getting hold of doctors. Thanks for the advice anyway, I do appreciate any tips.

allibastor

Oleander wrote: »

You'll instantly think I'm being negative, but I can't see a hospital telling me what agency they use, they'll think I'm from an agency scouting for information and I don't want to give them that impression, and I can't imagine it's that easy getting hold of doctors. Thanks for the advice anyway, I do appreciate any tips.

if you ask to speak to the head admin person and tell them you are looking for work in that field and that any help they may be able to give would be great. they may be able to point you in the direct of who they get supplied from. it would be worth a shot is all, most people will try and help you if you are honest about wanting to work. unless they are a dick or just want to be a pain in the ass. all you are looking for is a bit of help to secure a job, and some people like to help those who show initiative

boobar

Oleander wrote: »

What's the longest anyone on Boards has been unemployed? I feel like I'm on my own (4 years).

Sorry to hear this Oleander, I was unemployed for 3 weeks and I found it to be unbearable. Thankfully I've been in fulltime employment of some form or another for the last 19 years.

boobar

Oleander wrote: »

You'll instantly think I'm being negative, but I can't see a hospital telling me what agency they use, they'll think I'm from an agency scouting for information and I don't want to give them that impression, and I can't imagine it's that easy getting hold of doctors. Thanks for the advice anyway, I do appreciate any tips.

If you're getting the run around, I would suggest finding the email address of someone reasonably senior in the area, explain your situation that you're looking for work and would like the contact details of someone in the agency that could assist you with your request.

Mrs OBumble

You should never assume that agencies will tell you the truth, especially if it's not in their favour.

Asking someone more senior will just get you the party line again.

You need to network: find someone you know who works in the hospital. Someone who you know well enough that they will tell you rhe real story, not just the party line. Ask them about temporary admin staff and where they come from. Ask them how you could get work there. Etc.

And if the first person doesn't know, just keep going.

Oh, and forget email. It's good for sending CVs for advertised vacancies, and useless for building relationships and finding out the real story.

boobar

Oleander wrote: »

All these schemes are useless for people like me who are unemployed but not claiming - I am deemed to be 'independently wealthy', I can assure you I am not. Internships, work placements, community employment, springboard are for people claiming benefits of some kind! Very unfair and frustrating.

Yep the medical market is crap - I kinda knew that when I did the course but thought I would have something by now. If I upskill in anything else that is different , I still need the experience. It's like getting out of school and finding that first job! All about experience, though, I have nearly 20 years of clerical experience. I am limited to Cork City and don't have a car but do have public transport and I was living in the countryside two years ago so that wasn't ideal.

With 20 years of clerical experience Oleander, maybe there's something here that might suit:

http://www.irishjobs.ie/Jobs/Cork/Secretarial-Admin/

boobar

JustMary wrote: »

You should never assume that agencies will tell you the truth, especially if it's not in their favour.

Asking someone more senior will just get you the party line again.

You need to network: find someone you know who works in the hospital. Someone who you know well enough that they will tell you rhe real story, not just the party line. Ask them about temporary admin staff and where they come from. Ask them how you could get work there. Etc.

And if the first person doesn't know, just keep going.

Oh, and forget email. It's good for sending CVs for advertised vacancies, and useless for building relationships and finding out the real story.

Completely agree with the networking suggestion,

Ask family, friends, friends of friends, colleagues, neighbours. Look up old contacts. I found one of the best jobs in my career some years ago after looking up an old friend and asking him did he know of any vacancies. He thought that I would have no interest in the job, but it was the actual job that I had been pursuing for many years with no luck. He handed my CV to the Personnel Manager, vouched for me and I got an interview and got the job, and had 5 very fulfilling years there.

And the important thing with networking, pay it back, help others if you can at all.

Oleander

allibastor wrote: »

if you ask to speak to the head admin person and tell them you are looking for work in that field and that any help they may be able to give would be great. they may be able to point you in the direct of who they get supplied from. it would be worth a shot is all, most people will try and help you if you are honest about wanting to work. unless they are a dick or just want to be a pain in the ass. all you are looking for is a bit of help to secure a job, and some people like to help those who show initiative

Thanks for the tip.

Oleander

boobar wrote: »

If you're getting the run around, I would suggest finding the email address of someone reasonably senior in the area, explain your situation that you're looking for work and would like the contact details of someone in the agency that could assist you with your request.

I've posted cvs to hospitals in the city and I've had some replies, in the past I might get somewhere with talking to senior staff but I know that the healthcare sector is just not employing right now. The best thing to do is apply to local gp's I guess and private medical centres (some of which I have done already and not had replies but that's to be expected). I appreciate any advice though ta.

Oleander

boobar wrote: »

With 20 years of clerical experience Oleander, maybe there's something here that might suit:

http://www.irishjobs.ie/Jobs/Cork/Secretarial-Admin/

The agency said to me that there are only specific job requirements being advertised (well with them anyway) and I do see this myself on irishjobs; supply chain, purchasing, order management etc. I do find a lot of jobs on these websites ask for SAP, Oracle, lots of IT packages I don't have and not doing a course in, because it's the experience they want in it.

I have always kept myself busy whilst looking for work so it certainly hasn't been unbearable, and if I'm quite honest, I've spent the last four years wondering what I want to do other than office work (that is not to say I have not applied for any clerical work - of course I have). I'm also looking for work in the city, and find a lot of jobs requiring transport. For instance, there's a charity advertised today in the local paper for part-time fundraising staff (paid) but need a car - I'm not buying a car! But yeah, I do look at all the job websites. And I suppose people will tell me to go and do a course in one of these IT packages if it helps me find work quicker but it's not that simple and I don't want to do IT work.

Oleander

boobar wrote: »

Completely agree with the networking suggestion,

Ask family, friends, friends of friends, colleagues, neighbours. Look up old contacts. I found one of the best jobs in my career some years ago after looking up an old friend and asking him did he know of any vacancies. He thought that I would have no interest in the job, but it was the actual job that I had been pursuing for many years with no luck. He handed my CV to the Personnel Manager, vouched for me and I got an interview and got the job, and had 5 very fulfilling years there.

And the important thing with networking, pay it back, help others if you can at all.

My family and friends are in Dublin and in the uk. Any jobs I have had here were short-term, I only know a few people, not so much that I can network I don't think. It's hard, a job is the best place to meet people and network and the thing is I love people and I miss the whole camaraderie of work and really looking forward to getting back to (something). It's hard to get a hello out of most of my neighbours though I am always friendly. My partner said to me that I should try get a job working with people (instead of office bound) because 'I'm good with people' - his words, but I just don't know what I want to do (apart from Med Sec which is what I trained in recently), yeah, would love something other than an office job. I have got to get it together!!!

lmmoonbeam1976

Oleander wrote: »

The internships don't apply to me because I'm not claiming any benefits or that's what I was told by FAS. I think what I need to do is offer myself voluntarily but not for 9 months!

i was in the same boat as you -- ive gotten a job today after been out of work since last sept and previous to that it was 1.5yrs

Oleander

lmmoonbeam1976 wrote: »

i was in the same boat as you -- ive gotten a job today after been out of work since last sept and previous to that it was 1.5yrs

Congratulations on your job, it's always good to hear that people are getting jobs. Good luck in the job.

theresahaag

Oleander wrote: »

Exactly. There are courses with FAS I could do (was told 'if you're not claiming you won't get paid for it', I know that, why can't I find someone who is helpful and says 'well, we'll see what we can do for you'). I'd have to go into FAS and have a chat with someone but no point unless I know what course I'd like to do. There are long queues of people waiting to do all sorts of courses and I suppose they'll give first preference to someone who is claiming, I don't know!

even if you are not able to get a payment, you should be able to sign for credits towards your pension, you sign once a year and sign off when you gain employment. If you are signing for credits, you should be able to attend a FÁS course of your choice

lmmoonbeam1976

Oleander wrote: »

Congratulations on your job, it's always good to hear that people are getting jobs. Good luck in the job.

thanks the job is going great .. shift work but its enjoyable shifts lol :D:D