Job Bridge

Boofle

I know the whole Job Bridge thing has been done to death on here but I am currently looking for an administratrive/secretarial role and there seems to plenty of them in my area but 95% of them are Job Bridge! I have lots of experience and education etc but due to going crazy from being unemployed I have done two Job Bridge "internships" - one where I was taken on to cover a maternity leave for a legal secretary and I needed no "training" - I just went straight to work. It wasn't an internship where I gained new skills etc etc - It was basically a maternity cover job but the employer was too tight to hire someone for it So, therefore I have no desire to do a third one! I thought when this whole "internship" scheme was introduced a couple of years ago that it would have a shelf life - I can remember reading somewhere that it was only going to be available until 2013?

However, now it seems that a lot of companies who require a receptionist or administrator will go the Job Bridge route and are therefore getting very experienced people to fulfill the roles and 9 months later they say "Bye Bye" and get on the phone to the Job Bridge people to advertise for their next "intern".

Looks like its the boat to England for me eh

cloudatlas

They shouldn't be allowed fill a maternity cover with a job bridge intern! Surely the intention is to get people back to work therefore there should theoretically be an 'open' position for the intern. Not filling in for someone who is going to return :mad:

Boofle

cloudatlas wrote: »

They shouldn't be allowed fill a maternity cover with a job bridge intern! Surely the intention is to get people back to work therefore there should theoretically be an 'open' position for the intern. Not filling in for someone who is going to return :mad:

Absolutely, they are definitely not supposed to fill a maternity cover with a job bridge intern. . . . . It only became apparent the morning I started work (obviously the employer didn't say it at the interview) when the pregnant lady started my one weeks training - but I carried on with the 'internship' as it was a good company to have on my CV. . . . In effect a lot of the internships are not internships at all - they are real jobs being dressed up as an opportunity to gain experience and training as an 'intern'- but a lot of companies are only hiring very experienced people and they're getting wonderful work out of them and paying nothing in return (neither skills nor money). I had a three person, two stage interview for the maternity internship - one of the hardest I have ever done; and all for €50 extra a week

A quick search for a job of the FAS jobs website brings up mostly 'internships' in my area. It's a real shame, as there are some lovely roles which would be actual advertised jobs, not an internship, if the scheme had never been introduced.

I can appreciate that Job Bridge has it advantages when it comes to very highly skilled jobs or industries which are difficult to get into; but for receptionist and administrators and other less skilled work it is mostly a sham I think.

SCOOP 64

It seems to have got worst on the fas site in the last couple of months, scroll down page one after another ,CE scheme or job bridge, one or two paid jobs,
these schemes are putting people out of work.

runawaybishop

Boofle wrote: »

Absolutely, they are definitely not supposed to fill a maternity cover with a job bridge intern. . . . . It only became apparent the morning I started work

You should have reported it - if companies keep getting away with ****e like this then it makes it harder to find legitimate internships.

Boofle

runawaybishop wrote: »

You should have reported it - if companies keep getting away with ****e like this then it makes it harder to find legitimate internships.

I did report it to the guy over Job Bridge when I had finished up - he was shocked and he was going to go and speak to the employer etc. But I told him I'd rather he didn't as I was afraid that I wouldn't get a good reference from him in the future.

ShaShaBear

It's an awful shame the way it works. I'm just finishing up my final year in Applied Biosciences and I can imagine it might be hard to walk into a job in a lab environment with no experience except for the practical work done during the semester (granted I have done quite a bit and my labs are very hands-on, but I dont think this will count for much). I've seen one or two JB crop up for a lab assistant and thought to myself that I might consider doing it for 9 months just to get a company name and reference on my CV.

But all the horror stories you hear about people essentially being made do everyone else's (dirty) work is really off-putting. I suppose, though, in my case it might be different since I would have no issue with receiving no work from it once I actually did get experience and a good reference.

ciaramc

You only can do 2 Jobbridge Internships altogether. 9 months in total between the two internships, so if you do 4 months in one internship, you only can do 5 months in the other. I read that too somewhere that they were stopping Jobbridge in July 2013 but they must of extended it. 90% of jobs advertised in the North West are Job Bridge Jobs.

Boofle

ciaramc wrote: »

You only can do 2 Jobbridge Internships altogether. 9 months in total between the two internships, so if you do 4 months in one internship, you only can do 5 months in the other. I read that too somewhere that they were stopping Jobbridge in July 2013 but they must of extended it. 95/5 bridge jobs so it is quiet hard to find work if you hav
e done you 9 months of Jobbridge

I actually did one internship and the precursor to it - the Work Placement Programme - kind of the same thing but without the €50 extra. Both were fairly awful but I stuck with them as I felt it may enhance my CV somewhat and I hate being unemployed so it was lovely heading off to "work" in the morning :rolleyes:

Nate--IRL--

I've done an internship, but I wouldn't have done it if I didn't feel I'd get something out of it with the company I'd be working for. Remember in the first instance you are interviewing them and much as they are interviewing you. How can they benefit you?

If you feel they may be taking the piss, walk away. You are there to learn, not be a dogsbody.

Nate

Hennesm

I've just started an internship, only to be told its for maternity cover. I also thought the employer was supposed to inform the DSP but they haven't mentioned it yet..not sure what to do? Like the previous poster I think most of the roles in the internship are things I previously covered but also I appear to be generally doing everything other that what was advertised...

Boofle

Hennesm wrote: »

I've just started an internship, only to be told its for maternity cover. I also thought the employer was supposed to inform the DSP but they haven't mentioned it yet..not sure what to do? Like the previous poster I think most of the roles in the internship are things I previously covered but also I appear to be generally doing everything other that what was advertised...

I would tell the Job Bridge people that you have been taken on to cover a maternity leave. They are not allowed to do that. And I am sorry I didn't report it straight away. I was hoping that my case was a one off but sadly it probably isn't. It's shocking that employers are contacting Job Bridge to find a free worker to cover a maternity leave in their company. Disgraceful. It really would make your blood boil - can nothing be done about this?!!

Hennesm

I will do. Also they haven't mentioned anything about the extra €50 , I thought they had to update a system somewhere? Think I will pop up to Job Bridge people in my lunch hour tomorrow. It's very disheartening .

Boofle

Hennesm wrote: »

I will do. Also they haven't mentioned anything about the extra €50 , I thought they had to update a system somewhere? Think I will pop up to Job Bridge people in my lunch hour tomorrow. It's very disheartening .

Yes it is most definitely disheartening. At this stage it really is hard to decipher who is worse; our wonderful government who created this scheme or the employers who are abusing it left, right and centre in order to get a steady stream of free labour.

The sad thing is is that there ARE jobs out there but they are being dressed up as 'internships'. The internship you are in currently should have been advertised as a proper paid maternity cover position (as should mine have been also). What an absolute disgrace. The brass neck on these employers who are looking for a hotel porter 'intern' - I mean how does it even get past the application stage with the JobsBridge people?!

Hennesm

I saw an internship for a car valet....that one shocked me. It's so unfair and will never help the economy recover . What happened to employing people on 3 months trial ? Nevermind this internship nonsense.