Confused Intern

norris81

Hi guys, looking for a bit of help

I finish my internship next week. I have been offered full time employment by the company but its not until the end of June. I am being expected to stay on working for them until then. I would be on my jobseekers wage until then (the same amount I would receive for not working) effectively earning less than I have during my internship since I was getting the extra €50 a week for doing the internship.

So the main questions I have are

Has this happened to anyone before?. Should I stay on (I really don't want to) and if I tell my company thanks but no thanks, will I be still able to get jobseekers allowance?

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

cee_jay

If you stay on, technically you wouldn't be entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance anymore. If you were to stay on, and didn't inform Social Welfare, and they discovered this, you would be expected to pay back everything you were paid.

A_Sober_Paddy

Is it one of those job bridge internships(slave labour) things?

norris81

yes its from jobbridge but my company were very good to me in comparison to some of the horror stories I have heard about. It was my first job since I left college. I'm not sure if any of you guys have been interns but there is times where its so hard to be motivated at work when working for so little and for the next month and a half I would be expected to work for even less. I am 99% certain I am not going to take my boss up on the offer. Just drives me mad when some of my friends I have spoke to tell me that I shouldn't leave which is why I thought I'd try get some independent views.

So if I don't take him up on the offer am I entitled to going back to my original jobseekers benefit prior to my internship?

carbsy

norris81 wrote: »

. I am 99% certain I am not going to take my boss up on the offer. Just drives me mad when some of my friends I have spoke to tell me that I shouldn't leave which is why I thought I'd try get some independent views.

So if I don't take him up on the offer am I entitled to going back to my original jobseekers benefit prior to my internship?

You've been offered a job but you are going to refuse it to go on the dole? hmmm This is what's wrong with this country of ours!

cee_jay

Yes. Asking you to work free of charge for over a month isn't a job offer. If they are really impressed with your skills, and there really is a job offer coming up end of June, they can offer it to you then. In the meantime, you should not work for them for free.

cee_jay

carbsy wrote: »

You've been offered a job but you are going to refuse it to go on the dole? hmmm This is what's wrong with this country of ours!

I don't think its a job offer - the company are asking him to work for free, and commit social welfare fraud.

norris81

carbsy wrote: »

You've been offered a job but you are going to refuse it to go on the dole? hmmm This is what's wrong with this country of ours!

I'm not saying that I am going to reject this 'offer' and sit on the dole for the rest of the year. I have seriously thought about taking this offer all week.Only today have I decided that I am not willing to work for even less than I earned as an intern. I think I have done my time as an underpaid intern. I just came on here to get feedback because I am driving my friends mad asking their views. No need for the negativity

norris81

cee_jay wrote: »

Yes. Asking you to work free of charge for over a month isn't a job offer. If they are really impressed with your skills, and there really is a job offer coming up end of June, they can offer it to you then. In the meantime, you should not work for them for free.

Thank you for the advice

the_syco

norris81 wrote: »

have been offered full time employment by the company but its not until the end of June.

Get a contact signed saying you'll start then, and then talk to the person who got organised the jobsbridge, show them the contract, and see can you get some leeway. The contract will hopefully also stop them from turning around in one month and saying "sorry, jobs gone to a new intern, goodbye".

christmas2012

being honest if it was me, and if it pays less i would say to them ''goodbye'',its a free labour scam,after the jobridge term has been up youre going to get even less from welfare on it..

HavingCrack

I'd be a bit cautious of this. Surely if the job isn't coming up until the end of June why do they need you to work for free for them until then? If you decline to work for free surely the job will still be there regardless if you understand me?

norris81

HavingCrack wrote: »

I'd be a bit cautious of this. Surely if the job isn't coming up until the end of June why do they need you to work for free for them until then? If you decline to work for free surely the job will still be there regardless if you understand me?

It is a very small company where we all get on very well , I think the main reason behind it all is lack of money rather than trying to exploit me but who knows.

Thanks for all the feedback guys

Dr Turk Turkelton

It looks like they might have a new intern lined up for the start of July after you do your "free weeks" for them.

Jim2007

norris81 wrote: »

It is a very small company where we all get on very well , I think the main reason behind it all is lack of money rather than trying to exploit me but who knows.

Thanks for all the feedback guys

Are they aware that you would be working for free, as you would not be able to unemployment status, since you'd actually not be available for work? Or they going on the assumption that you'd be getting some kind of welfare payments...

sligoface

when i started to read your post i was thinking 'wow, that's great, someone actually got a full time job offer from a job bridge internship'. to then keep reading and find out that they expect you to work for free between now and then end of june is depressing. that's another abuse of the system. they already got free labor for the whole term of your internship! that's not fair and it is actually illegal, as like other posters have pointed out, you are meant to be available for full time work when in receipt of the dole. however, i am pretty sure volunteer work is allowed, which is basically what you are doing.

i would contact job bridge and see what they say. ask them if it is normal for companies to do that (the answer hopefully is no and that it is a breach of the rules). job bridge may be able to extend the internship to the end of june. if they cannot, tell the company that and tell them you cannot work while on the dole as it is illegal so they can either start you now or you can take yourself a well deserved break (while job seeking of course;))until you start.

i can't believe this is what we've come to now in this country. used to be when you were in a job for a year and did well, you would get a raise. now it's 'work nine months for free and maybe then we will pay you. but since you were willing to do nine months for free, how about another two before we give you any money.'

Toasterspark

Well you can't claim the dole if you're in a full time position (outside of the Jobbridge role), so you will have to sit down with your employer and explain this to them clearly.

Tell them that you will be unable to claim benefits and that if you work between the end of your Jobbridge and the start of your full-time role that you will be earning zero money and will not be able to survive without said money. You then have a few options - either they begin your contract immediately after the end of the Jobbridge scheme (an extra month or so to pay you? How is that not feasible if they want you long term?) or they arrange a contract for whatever their original 'start' date is, and that you will not return to work with them until the contract begins (i.e: you will not be in their employment in the in-between time).

You have a valid, money-based reason for needing clarification on this. It's not a case of "START MY CONTRACT NOW". You are a living, breathing person that needs money to pay the bills. That's a perfectly acceptable reason for needing clarification on this.

As someone said, sit down and arrange the contract - get it in writing. If they have issues with signing a contract, then ask them why. Don't be a doormat with them. They've gotten free labour for 9 months.

Good luck, I hope they turn out to be a good company and actually do hire you.

norris81

Thanks for the replies its great to know there are sane people who agree with me rather than those telling me that job is better than no job.

So today I said I'm not accepting that offer. I was told that any money I will miss out on for the next month and a half will be given to me in instalments over the July-October period. Seems a bit risky though. To be honest now I think I am just going to reject that as well and walk away. Friday week cannot come sooner.

What makes my week even funnier is that Fas rang me saying "Since I had been in with them not so long ago they wanted to check if I had found any work" I was in with them last September.

Toasterspark

Even with your idea though, they would still be stringing you along a little. If they can afford to pay you full-time, they should start paying you at the end of your Jobbridge contract. Did they actually create a contract of employment for you? Or is it just "We'll keep you on and start paying you in June?" Have they mentioned what they'll pay you, or anything concrete?

I understand it's frustrating but there is a chance they're being incredibly naive, and that they legitimately want to keep you on, so make sure you're making the right decidion and think it through clearly.

Might be no harm to keep on eye on Jobbridge to see if your current position is being advertised though.