Group Engagement session

vimvim66

Got a letter from Social Welfare saying to attend this next week and maybe an interview after . Been out of work for a year now and been trying everywhere for work to no avail.

Has anyone been ? What do you need with you when you go. Any info would be great. Thanks. Heard stories that they will force you to go on a course even if it's not a course your interested in.

Chattastrophe!

But if nothing else is working for you, are you not better to do a course that doesn't interest you, than to continue to do nothing? My understanding is that they pay you to do these courses, so any additional expenses incurred such as travel costs etc should be covered by this.

mp22

vimvim66 wrote: »

Got a letter from Social Welfare saying to attend this next week and maybe an interview after . Been out of work for a year now and been trying everywhere for work to no avail.

Has anyone been ? What do you need with you when you go. Any info would be great. Thanks. Heard stories that they will force you to go on a course even if it's not a course your interested in.

There has been several threads about this ,the dept will not force anyone into a course.

http://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?subforums=1&forum=861&query=group+engagment

vimvim66

Tlachtga wrote: »

But if nothing else is working for you, are you not better to do a course that doesn't interest you, than to continue to do nothing? My understanding is that they pay you to do these courses, so any additional expenses incurred such as travel costs etc should be covered by this.

Of course i will. Have done an evening course myself already. Just heard nightmare stories that you don't get a choice of courses and have to do what your given. Thanks.

vimvim66

mp22 wrote: »

There has been several threads about this ,the dept will not force anyone into a course.

http://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?subforums=1&forum=861&query=group+engagment

Thanks. Did not see these.

Hakuna matata

vimvim66 wrote: »

Got a letter from Social Welfare saying to attend this next week and maybe an interview after . Been out of work for a year now and been trying everywhere for work to no avail.

Has anyone been ? What do you need with you when you go. Any info would be great. Thanks. Heard stories that they will force you to go on a course even if it's not a course your interested in.

Hi I was called for one of these group sessions a few months back. I have been unemployed for 6 months or so. The group meeting you will be shown slide show on different options available (grants for self employment etc). You will not have to bring anything to this. It will last for almost an hour. After the meeting they will probably call you up individually and give you a date and time for your one on one meeting..mine was a few days later. For this bring with any information you have (emails showing you have been applying for work, letters you got back..anything to prove you are looking for work). I am currently and was at the time doing a correspondence course which I paid for myself and is not a fas course. However the lady I met with was adamant that I was doing a certain course when I explained it was nothing that I had interest in she told me that if I don't "co operate" with them then dole will be cut or stopped and I will be referred to someone in social welfare office! So I just shut up and took it to be honest!course is due to start in a couple of weeks! It is on the opposite scale of what I want to do! Seemed to me that she was in a mission to sign x amount of people up for this particular course and it doesn't matter what background is or where you want to go with career!

All the best to you anyway, hope it works out the way you want