Completely Lost- what's my first step?

cantdecide

I don't even know if this is the right place- mods please move if appropriate.

I decided to leave Ireland in Autumn 2011 to seek adventure having mostly worked in the ailing construction sector. Unfortunately I had an accident abroad which lead to a serious shoulder injury. I nearly lost my arm which brought me home and I will be recovering from in some fashion for some time to come. Currently I'm on illness benefit but obviously this is temporary by nature. I was told I would have a 6-12 month recover and it's been six months.

Firstly, I'm gratefully back home and my recovery is going well, all things considered but at the same time, I'm going stir crazy. I'm not well enough for physical work and won't be for some time to come. I feel like non-physical jobs are not out there for someone in my position at the moment. I'm 31 and I'm single and I have no savings left after my travels.

At my age, I really can't see how I could go back to full time education with all of the financial stress that it would mean and I would be close to 32 in the Autumn. I've always felt that earning some kind of qualification has been something that I've wanted to do and I'd always planned that it would part time. I really feel like whatever I do with my short to medium term future really must stick and I have to make some really careful moves.

People have been telling me about Springboard courses, which I think I'm not eligible for. People are telling me to go on a full time FAS course for the next six months but AFAIK, I'm not eligible for these either because of the benefit I'm on currently.

I had been working as a purchaser in the family business for the few years prior and had worked in stores/ warehousing in some form or fashion since the LC. I never made it to third level education. I always thought I might do a part time degree in something related to the family business but unfortunately the business finally succumbed last August so I don't have this to fall back on.

TLDR: In a nutshell, what useful thing can I do for the next six months+ that would help me in the long term which doesn't involve physical labour that I can do on illness benefit? I would consider anything that I can put to good use to get my life here back on track...

paperclip2

Basic computer courses might be a good place to start if you dont have these already. You will probably need some IT skills if you decide to progress into other courses. You local VEC or FAS office should be able to tell you whats available in your area in the next few months.

Part-time courses through the VEC BTEI programmes are usually free to people on a social welfare payment and don't affect your allowance but you would need to ok your course with the DSP.

If you have been out of formal education for a good while and if you don't have a leaving cert or higher qualification it might be useful to look at doing some FETAC modules to get back into the swing of learning. Again your local VEC or AEGI service should be able to give you this info.

Many of the Institutes of Technology also have part-time third level courses. Most start in September although some have an intake in Jan/Feb. You can get details of these on the various college websites or through the national courses database http://www.qualifax.ie
However you would have to pay fees for these and they can be quite expensive.
Springboard is the exception to this but you would need to be on a different DSP payment to avail of these courses. Momentum skills is another training programme provided by the govt but you do need 12 months unemployment before being eligible. More details here: http://www.momentumskills.ie/how.aspx

Hope this helps

cantdecide

Thanks for the above.

One specific question I'd ask is if it's relevant that I haven't worked in Ireland since Sep 2011 or does it automatically mean I'm going to be excluded for a majority of these schemes? In other words, is this the first thing I need to confirm and is there any anecdotal evidence that these rules have any more favourable interpretations? ie stating that I have had to be "on the live register for 12 months or more", in the case of FAS.

paperclip2

The information on Momentum Skills re eligibility is:

Note: The information below is a guide only. You must contact your local Employment Services office to check and confirm your eligibility to apply for a MOMENTUM project.
To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:
1. Be unemployed for 12 months or longer and
2. Be in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit or on the Live Register for 12 months or longer (signing on for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for 12 months or longer) and
3. Be actively seeking work.

Springboard eligibility criteria here. http://www.springboardcourses.ie/Help/SpringboardEligibility.aspx

They have taken away the time criteria on Springboard but you do need to be getting one of these payments before being eligible for these courses:

Be in receipt of one of the following payments from the Department of Social Protection :

• Jobseekers Benefit
• Jobseekers Allowance
• One Parent Family Payment
• Disability Allowance
• Qualified Adults of Working Age
• Carers Allowance
• Farm Assist/Fish Assist
• Widow(er)s Contributory or Non-contributory Pension
• Blind Pension
• Deserted Wives Allowance

You could check with the DSP regarding what schemes you are eligible for. Your local office should be able to tell you.