JobBridge

pamweld

Hi am looking at some internships to do since there is so little actual paid work available and wondering what the story is with it.
Is there any way to claim for child care while you do this internship?
Also if you were to do it does it count towards the 19 hours a week required for FIS?

wmpdd3

Not sure about childcare, but you would not be elidgable for fis.

pamweld

its crazy no incentive at all to do these! I have level 8 qualification but did level 5 course 2 years ago just for something to be doing, while doing this I got €30 bonus a week, childcare covered and mileage even though I was overqualified for the course. To actually go out and do something I'm qualified in and work 39 hours a week for a private company I get €50 in total!! That wouldn't cover half a week in childcare! Really would like to do it but barely making ends meet at present so can't afford to pay extra petrol costs, childcare and work clothes to do one of these. So frustrating!

christmas2012

no theres no childcare its 50 on top of your dole and you still get paid by SW but you still have to sign back on when youre finished up on your free labour scheme..

nix1

Hi Pamweld,

you sound like my twin as i was in the exact same position!!

unfortunately jobBridge does not accommodate parents (particularly single parents)

I have contacted jobBridge, fás, social welfare, citizens info, one family, the community welfare officer, a local td and even sent an angry letter to the social protection department to no avail!

Those claiming OPF are not eligible for jobBridge, and even if you are not claiming that and are eligible, there are no childcare supports in place anyway.

I even asked fás why they cant just allow one of the free childcare places offered for there course participants to be transferred over to a work placement/internship, and they told me to ring the childcare provider directly myself to ask!? which was just ridiculous since the creche cannot just mind children for free, fás have to sign off on it so they can be subsidized.

on a positive note, i did find the springboard(no thanks to fás) scheme and I am now participating in a course which offers a pseudo internship in the form of a collaborative project with an industry partner - the idea is course participants from different backgrounds/streams form a team and work on a project for a participating company. This at least gives your cv a boost in the form of industry experience and the (small) possibility of paid work with said company following the collaboration.

I think all the springboard courses are on a part time basis, and mostly evening lectures so it might be easier for you to manage childcare with family/friends who would be available in the evenings? you don't receive anything above your SW payment but I found this to be the most viable option for me so just throwing it out there as a possible avenue for you.

Maybe I sound naively and deliriously positive about this scheme, but hey, its better than sittin on your bum while your cv gathers dust?!
Its a tricky time with high work experience requirements for anything paid, and what were previously entry level paid positions now unpaid internships, so guess we just have to knuckle down and get on the best we can!
best of luck

Eod100

Sorry to be dragging up an old thread but from the end of May onwards, those claiming the One Parent Family allowance are eligible for JobBridge..

workerlass

is there any incentives available for doing jobbridge scheme .......... other than the 50 euro weekly payment

pamweld

If you're talking financially workerlass not really, only incentive is gaining of experience, intern ship is better than WPP as WPP doesn't give any bonus at all!

confuseddotcom

workerlass wrote: »

is there any incentives available for doing jobbridge scheme .......... other than the 50 euro weekly payment

Is that not incentive enough for you?!? JobBridge may not be ideal or mightn't suit all situations. But to be honest I'm very appreciative that there's an opportunity to get an extra €50 each week, it mightn't suit all and it might be a crappy-enough set-up, but I think it's a fantastic idea that it can be availed of considering the mess the Country is in. So I certainly wouldn't be giving out about extra money lol.

And sure isn't being able to put any form of additional employment on to your CV not an incentive?

And anyways there's a chance that it'll either be with-drawn or vastly-reduced soon enough anyway, I can't see it lasting for much longer, probably lucky enough to have had it around for these few years in the first place.
/speculation

sligoface

OP, I would think long and hard about doing this scheme as you already stated you don't think the 50 euro is incentive enough and will not cover your costs, so do you really think the opportunity to enhance a CV that already has qualifications on it be enough to motivate you to work full time for a tenner a day? And it can cost you a lot more as it can affect your entitlements and depending on travel/work clothes costs. I have been on jobbridge for the past three months and it resulted in me being denied fuel allowance because they take you off the live register. Also, I am not learning much, just doing crap work that others can't be bothered with. And they just hired another person to do the same thing I'm doing on a CE scheme so I know they have no intention of making this a paid position they only want free employees. I regret doing it and I realize now that I was naive because it is not going to get me a job, and I really don't even want to put on my CV that I worked full time for free, why would anyone ever pay you a decent wage after that?

Imo, it is a fair cry from being a brilliant idea that we are lucky to have to help with the unemployment crisis, as confuseddotcom suggested. In reality it is simply an effort by the government to get people off the live register and make numbers look better, and it has the absolute opposite effect it is intended to have because it increases unemployment by taking jobs out of the market. Unemployment would be lower without this scheme because many of the internships advertised would be paid jobs that could be taken by someone on the dole, but the companies take advantage of the scheme to get someone for free. There is absolutely no obligation to the host organization to pay you or train you properly, the scheme is not monitored at all.

Only 38% of those who completed their internship had found employment at the end, that’s 797 people (Irish Times 10 May)
Only 40% of those found work with the company who they did their internship with, less than 400 people
The government has not released figures about what the drop-out rate from JobBridge schemes is, however, the Sunday Times (6 May) claimed 75% of interns drop out. (I just gave my week's notice as well, after 3.5 months I had enough)

I know that it is frustrating and depressing to be on the dole but do you think working full time for an extra ten euro per day will make you more content? And if you do a whole nine month internship but don't get a job out of it, how would you feel then? I know it sounds like I'm being negative but I think a lot of us who have qualifications and experience are so fed up with not being able to get work that we get down on ourselves and think we need to work for free to get a job, but there is very little evidence to suggest this is the case.

If you do take the internship I hope it works out better for you than mine did and you end up being on of the 38% who get a job.

StillWaters

sligoface wrote: »

Also, I am not learning much, just doing crap work that others can't be bothered with. And they just hired another person to do the same thing I'm doing on a CE scheme so I know they have no intention of making this a paid position they only want free employees. I regret doing it and I realize now that I was naive because it is not going to get me a job, and I really don't even want to put on my CV that I worked full time for free, why would anyone ever pay you a decent wage after that?

Only 38% of those who completed their internship had found employment at the end, that’s 797 people (Irish Times 10 May)

It's very important to choose your internship carefully. If you are looking for paid employment rather than experience on your CV, it's best to stay away from community and voluntary groups, as they simply do not have to funding to employ staff, as you found out. They can provide valuable work experience though.

Your second point, employers look very highly on people who have completed an internship, shows initiative and get up and go.

I don't think 38% is too bad an outcome, of course for comparison you would need to see the % of people who find employment without doing the internship who have the same level of skills, but I don't think it's a leap to surmise that the internship gives candidates an edge.

Lemming

StillWaters wrote: »

I don't think 38% is too bad an outcome,

That's not 38% of the total. That's 38% of those who completed an intern-ship. The figures (as cited by the Irish Times) are appalling when you actually sit down and analyse them.

Also, pamweld, I'd consider reporting the company for abusing the "program", if what you said about them hiring in someone else was correct.

wistful

I'd agree with Stillwaters. It's vital you choose your internship with caution, and also decide if this is the route for you.

If you're a newly qualified professional and finding it difficult getting that first job as you've no experience, then by all means use this scheme. I've just started on one and I've no regrets. Without this internship I was looking at emigrating to Canada/Australia in the hopes of getting work. I'm under no illusion that I'll be guaranteed a job there at the end of the contract, but I'll have a CV with 9months work experience to give me an edge applying for my next position against thousands of others with the same qualifications.

Of course there are the unscrupulous employers looking for unpaid skivies. This is the job of Jobbridge to weed out the genuine from the charlatans. If you feel they are just substituting a regular job with the internship, then report them. If you are unfortunate to be with a company that does not provide support or training, I'd try speaking with them firstly. No joy? then get on to your Jobbridge rep. It's in your contract that you receive training and have regular meetings with your mentor; it's give and take on both your part and the employer that makes the scheme work.

I can't say I like the idea that we should be considering whether it's worth our while to work for €50 a week. I honestly don't look at it that way. I know personally that I'd rather be working for the dole money I receive, and the extra money is only a bonus to pay for travel expenses etc.

Hopefully at the end of my contract I'll be that much more employable, have a reference under my belt and will finally start on a paid career.

wistful

I'd agree with Stillwaters. It's vital you choose your internship with caution, and also decide if this is the route for you.

If you're a newly qualified professional and finding it difficult getting that first job as you've no experience, then by all means use this scheme. I've just started on one and I've no regrets. Without this internship I was looking at emigrating to Canada/Australia in the hopes of getting work. I'm under no illusion that I'll be guaranteed a job there at the end of the contract, but I'll have a CV with 9months work experience to give me an edge applying for my next position against thousands of others with the same qualifications.

Of course there are the unscrupulous employers looking for unpaid skivies. This is the job of Jobbridge to weed out the genuine from the charlatans. If you feel they are just substituting a regular job with the internship, then report them. If you are unfortunate to be with a company that does not provide support or training, I'd try speaking with them firstly. No joy? then get on to your Jobbridge rep. It's in your contract that you receive training and have regular meetings with your mentor; it's give and take on both your part and the employer that makes the scheme work.

I can't say I like the idea that we should be considering whether it's worth our while to work for €50 a week. I honestly don't look at it that way. I know personally that I'd rather be working for the dole money I receive, and the extra money is only a bonus to pay for travel expenses etc.

Hopefully at the end of my contract I'll be that much more employable, have a reference under my belt and will finally start on a paid career.