Nothing to do all day

LegacyUser

ive no job and I live in the middle of the country in a very rural aera, also no car, so im just on the internet all day everyday and im starting to get a bit fed up, this is no life for any1 my age im 27. im looking for work but no joy cant do a course because I have no transport to town, if I get a job il have to move out of home and into a city or town, but anyway im stuck in such a bad rut any small bit of advice would help

PucaMama

ineed25 wrote: »

ive no job and I live in the middle of the country in a very rural aera, also no car, so im just on the internet all day everyday and im starting to get a bit fed up, this is no life for any1 my age im 27. im looking for work but no joy cant do a course because I have no transport to town, if I get a job il have to move out of home and into a city or town, but anyway im stuck in such a bad rut any small bit of advice would help

would you do a distance learning course?

ls91

ineed25 wrote: »

ive no job and I live in the middle of the country in a very rural aera, also no car, so im just on the internet all day everyday and im starting to get a bit fed up, this is no life for any1 my age im 27. im looking for work but no joy cant do a course because I have no transport to town, if I get a job il have to move out of home and into a city or town, but anyway im stuck in such a bad rut any small bit of advice would help

Consider an online course? Or a night course for a month if you could arrange a bus/lift with someone at least it would only be once or twice a week.

nowimtalking

I was In the same situation as you 12 months ago and it eventually made me determined to get out of the rut. Try to use your boredom as a fuel to get out of there. Start trying to get your licence, it is worth the money you put into it when you have the freedom. I did a Springboard programme and an internship to get my career kickstarted again, I struggled with money and had to get late night buses home after college and even cycle from town to my house etc all year but it's helped me get Into an amazing job now.

I'd fallen into a rut of doing nothing with my time and I was feeling very helpless 12 months ago, the only way to change your situation is to throw yourself in challenging situations and not to make excuses.

I hope my advice isn't too crass but I wish someone had given me the same advice earlier.

If you put your mind to it, your life can be completely different In 12 months.

MissFlitworth

Do you have a bike? You'd be really surprised what sort of distances are doable on one that impossibly, boringly long to do regularly on foot (as in, I'm deeply unfit & cycle 7.5km to and from work every day taking half an hour each way. It's not always fun when it's windy or wet but it just keeps getting easier). Might help get you into your nearest town or to some public transport more easily

LegacyUser

Cant get my licence, as I cant afford it im scrapeing by as it is , I honestly have no lifts for night or evening courses as my parents are away in the evenings and ive no t friends That live anywere near me, my nearest friends live over an hour and a half away in a different county... really bad rut to be stuck in and its like there is no way out of it

Big Bag of Chips

Can you cycle to a bus stop? I know living rural can be difficult - but there are usually buses that pass not too far away. You may need to cycle to the stop, but at least you'd be getting out.

Also how far away is your nearest town? Could you arrange for a local who works in town to give you a lift?

Both your posts so far have been very dejected and there's-nothing-I-can-do. It is difficult when you get stuck in a rut, but if you are determined to get out of it, there are always options.

PucaMama

ineed25 wrote: »

Cant get my licence, as I cant afford it im scrapeing by as it is , I honestly have no lifts for night or evening courses as my parents are away in the evenings and ive no t friends That live anywere near me, my nearest friends live over an hour and a half away in a different county... really bad rut to be stuck in and its like there is no way out of it

have you considered the online courses? might lead to something good for you

LegacyUser

Not looked into online courses but id prefer be out of the house as being in the house on the internet is making feel so depressed, the nearest big town is very far and would not imagine how long it would take to cycle but there is little or no jobs there, so im looking for work in The Dublin area so I could move there,

LegacyUser

went to apply for an online course there and its nearly 600 euro, I have 50 euro to my name and still need to buy my food for the week so there isn't a chance I can afford to pay out that type of money, is there any free online courses?

DoozerT6

OP, could you approach your parents for some financial help in either getting driving lessons/buying a very cheap little car, or maybe giving you the deposit for a room in a shared house in the nearest big town, or in Dublin? Surely they must realise that it's no life for a 27 year old to be completely isolated in the countryside away from any opportunities for working, socialising etc. when you have no means of travel? How on earth are you meant to improve your life if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere with no means to get to or from a job, or even to meet a friend for a coffee or night out? Once you (hopefully) get a job of some sort, you could arrange to repay them what you borrowed. I know my parents would be very worried and upset for me if I was your age and literally stuck in the family home all day with no job and no social outlet. Maybe approach it like that...

LegacyUser

My parents are both retired and don't have a lot of money so i wouldn't really like to ask, as there is no point in moveing to Dublin etc when i have no job and the rent in Dublin is so high, i do try to socialise the odd weekend as if didn't i would go stir crazy, but im close to breaking point at the moment

PucaMama

ineed25 wrote: »

went to apply for an online course there and its nearly 600 euro, I have 50 euro to my name and still need to buy my food for the week so there isn't a chance I can afford to pay out that type of money, is there any free online courses?

i think there is! by any chance can you get to a community welfare officer, explain your situation transport wise you might get some help

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

LegacyUser

I have experience in retail, worked in a small shop for over 4 years, but there is no jobs in the town now, so Dublin is really my only hope and every job I apply for I never get an answer back I cant even do a fas course as its so far to travel I just need 1 little bit of hope to get me out of the house, at the moment I cant think of anything

DoozerT6

Sorry to be blunt here, but if your parents are retired, what are they doing all day that they don't seem to realise that you are sitting at home withering away? Are they out of the house from morning til night? If not, could you borrow their car every couple of days to go somewhere, get your licence, or do a part-time course or something? If they are out all day long, could you occasionally go with them, even just to get out of the house for a while? Unless they're 'retired-but-working', surely they have time to help you out on a practical level. I find it hard to believe that a retired couple would be happy to just leave the house every day doing their own thing, knowing you are sitting literally stuck at home.

LegacyUser

no there in the house one of them is unwell, and not fit to do much, anyways its not about my parents its about me im 27 and I don't really expect lifts or money from them if you get me, they know im stuck at home and keep telling me to find work and that's all I do all day is stay on the internet looking for work

knotknowbody

www.alison.com and www.coursera.org offer free online courses, most are basic enough but sometimes it's not about doing the best course with the most content. It's about showing potential employeers that you are the kind of person who is a worker, who has inititive and will find something productive to do on a quiet day. By doing any course you are showing that you have a bit of drive and ambition in you, which is what employers want.

I would try to get the driver's licence too if I was you, perhaps get the learner permit, (you'll have to do the theory test first but its not too expensive) then ask one of your parents to insure you on their car, you could then drive them places to get practice in and get yourself out of the house, you could go and help whoever does the weekly shop for example, or drive them to events in town and park up and go do your own thing while they do theirs. The drivers licence is almost a requirement for any job outside of the major urban centres in this country so by getting it you will increase you options and employability enormously. I would make it a top priority really.

Is there any voluntary groups in your area, you could potentially get involved in these, I know of a person in my locality which is also rural, who doesn't drive, but works with a local charitable organisation and gets picked up and dropped home by other members, most and very good like that so that's potentially a way to get out and meet people, it will also look good on the C.V and who knows you may even find out about job opportunities from other volunteers.

Faith

ineed25 wrote: »

no there in the house one of them is unwell, and not fit to do much, anyways its not about my parents its about me im 27 and I don't really expect lifts or money from them if you get me, they know im stuck at home and keep telling me to find work and that's all I do all day is stay on the internet looking for work

What do you actually want from this thread? You've shot down every suggestion made. You won't ask your parents for even the smallest bit of help, you won't learn to drive or do an online course, you won't think outside the box, you won't travel 'too far'. Sorry to be blunt, but what are your options?

Why don't you tell us what you'd like to do and what your resources are, and we'll try to advise based on that. Otherwise, everyone on this thread is wasting their time making great suggestions when you've no interest in hearing them.

What are you doing to get retail jobs? Are you just sending off generic CVs? Are you phoning to speak to the manager? Are you at least finding out the manager's name? Are you going to the shops to follow up and meet the staff in person? Shops get dozens of CVs every week, and I can tell you from experience that most of them go straight in the bin. I got all my retail jobs by going on and speaking to the manager directly. Finding a job these days is incredibly difficult, and involves a huge amount of effort and time. Also, Dublin probably isn't your best option if it's just retail work you're looking for. Dublin is saturated, and I imagine it would be very difficult to support yourself in Dublin on minimum wage, especially if you're not getting full time hours.

Do some of the free online courses on www.coursera.org and gain some other skills that will make you stand out, and allow you to apply for jobs in other areas. How are you supporting yourself now? Social welfare? Look for jobbridge schemes that might be suitable.

You simply have to be proactive to get anywhere these days.

nowimtalking

As Faith said, stop making excuses, you have to be proactive.

I've been told since I was only a wee one, that there are two types of people in the world;
Those who DO and those who DON'T.

Plus, in almost any job, you're going to have to overcome obstacles with minimal resources- that's business.

LegacyUser

AS I said my parents don't have the money they cant help me out they can just about pay the bills themselves, as for driving a theory test is 40 euro driving lessons are 35 euro a pop, so that is not possible me for me when I don't have the money, im after booking an online course it doesent start until November , so hopefully I will have found work by then, I go into the shopping centres and hand my Cvs in every few weeks most places wont even take them these days tho

MissFlitworth

ineed25 wrote: »

I go into the shopping centres and hand my Cvs in every few weeks most places wont even take them these days tho

A lot of chain shops do online applications these days, could be worthwhile checking out the Irish websites of some of them. You say there's no work in the biggest town near you but if you could somehow combine cycling & public transport you might be able to do a Fas course or a Jobbridge there. You should check out the distance on Google maps to see if it's doable, if nothing else exercise is good to stop you feeling like hell.


I'm not sure what you are interested in course wise but a nice skill to have, which is free to learn, is to understand how google [website] analytics works,

http://www.google.ie/analytics/iq.html

ls91

Look at these too:

http://www.refseek.com/directory/educational_videos.html

kpinky89

Hi op,

I would suggest looking for some odd jobs that you could do locally to raise a bit of cash for the driving lessons. One night babysitting at the weekends would pay for a driving lesson and I'm sure there's plenty of other revenue streams that you could consider. How about looking into some catalogue selling from home, there are plenty of beauty etc. catalogues that are out there who are always looking for distributors. Perhaps with a little better money management you could find a way if you really want to. Also, why not go with your parents when they leave the house to go shopping etc. you could use the opportunity to get talking to people and perhaps find yourself a job in a local supermarket or cleaning homes/offices.

ls91

Also I disagree with the above poster that Dublin is drained of jobs- not true. I have two years of experience in retail and same as you I applied on jobs.ie every day for a few months and eventually did get a job interview, didn't take it in the end as I'd found work at home. But I'm of the impression that if you look hard enough you WILL find a job even if it is not the dream job. Its always been the case for me. And it can actually be a bonus not being qualified as business' love fresh meat that won't challenge them or try to work their way up the ladder too much. You sound like you want to move up to Dublin as that's where your hope is and I don't think you should lose that momentum.

Est28

ineed25 wrote: »

ive no job and I live in the middle of the country in a very rural aera, also no car, so im just on the internet all day everyday and im starting to get a bit fed up, this is no life for any1 my age im 27. im looking for work but no joy cant do a course because I have no transport to town, if I get a job il have to move out of home and into a city or town, but anyway im stuck in such a bad rut any small bit of advice would help

It's tough of course.
But if you don't change something nothing will get better. Is there anyway to start saving a little money each week. Make a plan, move to the city, heck, move to Australia. In the mean time, do odd jobs, do an online course, get fit.

I know the response to that will be "I can't, there's nothing to do, I can't save, etc, etc, etc...." but you're not the only one to have ever been in that situation. Nobody will make you start living your life but you.

Where you live and what you do day to day is not working for you now so you've got to figure out where you want to be and put the wheels in place to make it happen, it won't happen tomorow but it can eventually if you start now.

Nobody else will do it for you.

LegacyUser

if I could move to Australia I would be gone in the morning, i cant save a penny on the social welfare either, im usually left with not a penny after I buy food help pay bills at home etc, at the moment I cant figure out anyway to get out of this rut, the onilne course is something to look forward to and hopefully something will come up before I go stir crazy sitting in the house all day

Big Bag of Chips

OP, all of your posts are full of "I can't".

You haven't said how far away your nearest town is. You have ignored advice about cycling to a main road or bus stop. You have not commented about neighbours who might be working in town who can give you a lift.

You obviously have yourself stuck in a rut. But your biggest obstacle isn't transport or being isolated, it is your own mindset.

Stop thinking "I can't....." And start thinking "I can cycle to a bus, I can arrange a lift with a neighbour, I can pay my parents petrol money for bringing me to town/bus"

There are ALWAYS options. You just have to stop telling yourself there's not.

DoozerT6

Could you renegotiate the amount you are giving to your parents for rent/food/bills etc? Level with them. Tell them you are left with nothing at the end of the week and you cannot get out of this rut without some sort of savings. I'm not saying don't give them ANY money, certainly you should be paying your way at this stage of your life, but perhaps you could reduce the overall amount by maybe €20/30 pw? I get the impression you are buying all your own food - could you share this expense with your parents? If you are splitting all bills equally, perhaps they would pay three-quarters and you pay the final quarter? I understand they are stretched financially too, but you are trapped there until you can get out, both in a financial and practical sense. They are not.

If there is any chance of you begging, borrowing, or stealing a few grand from somewhere, you could go to Australia on the Working Holiday visa? A long shot, I know...would you be eligible for any sort of loan or grant, from banks or Social Welfare?

As previously mentioned, you seem very defeatist about this - none of us here (no more than yourself!) wants to see a young adult in the prime of their life trapped at home, isolated, unemployed with no chance of changing their situation....so you have GOT to find some way to make a change, for your own sake. You have been given some really good tips and advice here.

LegacyUser

my nearset big town is 8 euro one way on the bus so around 16 euro return, no jobs in it what so ever a lot of the young people have gone to Australia and Canada to get out of the place due to unemployment, its just the way things are if your lucky enough to get out that's great but if your stuck here there seems like no way out

marizpan

I live very rural and I don't understand your replys. But maybe I am missing something?

How many miles is your nearest town? Not big town. How far away is your local village?
I am 2 miles away from my village and 8 miles away from town.
While I have a car, I have often walked/cycled to the village and cycled to the town. Heck, one time I was stuck I rode a horse to the town. It only took me 40mins.
People are amazing in rural communities for giving lifts and hitch hiking is very popular for people without transport. A neighbour will spot them and give them a lift within minutes.
You are your own worst enemy
Usually all recruitment in rural communities is done through word of mouth.

Yellow121

Right ineed25. I've got the perfect solution for you. First of all decide what you like to do or are intereted in. Is it sport? Music? That's the first step and don't say you have no interests.
Once you have that decided you go onto this page: http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=66

On that page you type in the area you want in the top search bar. On the course type you choose PLC post leaving cert and then press search. A number of courses will come up, you look through them and decide which one's you like and interest you. None of the colleges will be outside your front door so the location doesn't matter. Choose a couple of different colleges with courses you like.

Once you've decided the course(s) you want to do then you apply for that course(those courses). You'd want to apply straight away. Then a letter will be sent to you with details of your intervew time and date. Prepare for that interview and arrive there on time and dressed smartly.

They will let you know within a few days whether you have been successful or not. If successful go to the social welfare office and apply for back to education allowance, they will give you the form and tell you what to bring back. It's 188, same as the dole. Also you can apply for Susi I think but I'm not sure.

Now it's time to look for accomadation. Wherever the college is search on daft for appatments in that area for under the limit for rent allowance, you will qualify for rent allowance so it wont be that expensive. Then go talk to landlords and decide on the place that suits you best.

So you have your house now, course about to begin, the fun starts there. You learn about an area you enjoy for the year or two and you're not sitting at home doing nothing. After you omplete the year with good marks because you worked hard you then have the option of going onto 3rd level or trying to get a job in the course area.

After you have all that done come back to me and I will sort out your marriage, your mortgage, decide how many kids you'll have and so forth.
Bye for now.

LegacyUser

yellow 121: rent allowance and all that takes months to sort out with landlords most of these courses start in September also 188 euro a week and paying for bills food buses to and from college, and buses home at the weekends, internet bills really possible no I don't think so!!

LegacyUser

I live in the heart of the country, my smallest nearest town has no courses etc its just a tiny town with a supermarket a few pubs and that's it, the big town does offer fas courses but its 16 euro on the bus every day so wouldn't be worth my while, i have walked to the small town a few times took over 2 hours each way but as I said they don't have courses or jobs, it may sound like im making excuses but if you don't live in the middle of nowhere you really don't understand how hard it is to get around or find work

DoozerT6

INeeD25 wrote: »

it may sound like im making excuses but if you don't live in the middle of nowhere you really don't understand how hard it is to get around or find work

Right so, we've been advising you what to do and you've shot down every suggestion: You live in the area, you know the ins and outs of it, so YOU tell US what you would advise someone in your situation to do. And then do that.

Meauldsegosha

What advice you are looking for here, OP. You have been given loads if advice and suggestions here but dismiss every one of them.

This will sound harsh but it seems to me that you are procrastinating and happy to wallow in your own misery. Do you want people just to offer you sympathy?

Plenty of people survive on €188 a week.
No one is magically offer you a job or a place to live or a give you a big wad of cash. If you can't afford to move to Dublin, move the nearest big town, house share, whatever it takes. If you were really serious about doing something with your life you would find a way of doing it.

Wanderer2010

Wow, OP, you are really putting all the obstacles in front of you now. You have been given some great advice here not to mention tonnes of options (college, courses, going to town to personally apply for jobs, springboard courses etc) but you keep on stubbornly refusing to even consider it. I suspect you want an easy answer to your problem and when you dont see one you create an exaggerated problem in order to get out of trying it. There are no easy answers and life isnt easy, OP, but if you actually get out there and try to make some small changes, you can gain some self-respect by seeing yourself do something instead of just giving up.

You are not unique, other people have been in this situation and made changes it just requires some motivation and knowing your choices. If they can do it so can you. There is of course always the option of living in your room forever.

DoozerT6

Just to add: it seems like lack of transport is the first major stumbling block to anything for you. Use this as an excuse to get really fit. As others have pointed out before, get a bicycle, (if you don't have one, don't bleat on about how you can't afford one. Go onto donedeal or adverts.ie and buy one for a tenner.) Learn how to maintain it properly, build up your tolerance for distance, and before you know it that two hour walk into town becomes a 20/30 minute cycle. If you are really that desperate to be independent, you'll do it.

kpinky89

Any consideration given to my suggestion of babysitting for neighbours or becoming a catologue distributor of sorts? Even a few hours on a Saturday night babysitting would contribute significantly to your budget and give you a start. Travelling with your parents when they go to the big town would also open up opportunities to get talking to people and greatly increase your chance of finding employment.

LegacyUser

what I would tell some one else to do is find work in Dublin and that's what im trying to do day in day out, I don't even mind if I have to commute everyday, small towns just don't have jobs for people anymore, the courses are ok but ive already done 3 in the past 3 years, kinda want to settle in to the working world now, Im not looking for sympathy here but its a terrible life and I wouldnt wish it on anyone

LegacyUser

I do babysit for family memebers but free of charge, also I do get out of the house maybe once or twice a week and go to town, and go to cinema and stuff the odd weekend with friends just to keep in contact with the outside world its not like I never leave the house

knipex

No offence meant but your 27 years old !!! Why are you living at home ??

Don't you get a transport or accommodation allowance when you do a FAS course ?? Are you not entitled to a rent allowance ..

Dont tell me it cannot be done.. It can,, thousands of others do it..

Get off your ass, take some responsibility for your life and stop making excuses.

marizpan

I do understand. I do live in the heart of the country. 35miles to the nearest 'big town'.
And I would have no problem organising transport without a car and on a budget.

I think this is what you what to hear:
It's ok, stay at home forever as you really have tried everything. The situation is hopeless !

simply simple

lets think in different direction, suppose someone (fairies) are giving you 500 euros by magic tomorrow. what would you do then? do you have any plans once you get some money, what career would you like to choose? how much time would it take for you to execute according to your plans after having some money?
If you did not think about all this I think you never made any effort whatsoever to change your situation except applying online. people might be going to your nearest big town (whichever it is) at some point. get their help to reach there or cycle there, go to the library in that town, you might get some books for free on various topics. you have computer at home so try getting books on how to develop your own website or learn some basics of some computer languages

start your own blog.

try learning a new language online for free, google it.

Volunteering is another option. some of them also pay the travelling expenses.
there might be some other young ones in the same situation like you if the scenario is really bad as you seem to say, then get them all togather, make a group, go for mountain climbing or something.

at least try and do some gardening, grow your own vegetables- god, a lot to do.

nowimtalking

Not to sound like a fortune cookie or anything but watch this.

<Mod Snip - no videos>

You can do anything you want with your life and If not completely successful, you should die trying.

endacl

Just as a last well-intentioned attempt at a suggestion for you to shoot down, OP...

Do you have anybody living somewhere with more prospects, who might let you stay for a while until you establish yourself? Friends or relations at all? Your main gripe seems to be location? Change location.

Your not the only one in this situation. How have all your local peers moved on?

Boombastic

ineed25 wrote: »

my nearset big town is 8 euro one way on the bus so around 16 euro return, no jobs in it what so ever a lot of the young people have gone to Australia and Canada to get out of the place due to unemployment, its just the way things are if your lucky enough to get out that's great but if your stuck here there seems like no way out

You haven't checked this out because nowhere in the country is a return fare double that of a single, it's usually 2-3 euros more. It seems you are looking for barriers to use as an excuse.

LegacyUser

this is with a private bus company I get the bus once a week into town and its 16 euro return, im hardly making it up now

Taltos

nowimtalking - welcome to PI.
Can I ask you to please review our charter before you post again. PI/RI is strictly moderated and posting of videos is a bannable offense here.

Yellow121, fiestywonder, DoozerT6 - I have deleted some of your responses. Please do not post in this manner again - it can and will earn you a ban. Similarly if you have an issue with a post instead of making is personal please report it with your reasons for doing so.

Thanks
Taltos

vauraine

simply simple wrote: »

Volunteering is another option. some of them also pay the travelling expenses.
.

Look on www.volunteer.ie, there are a few virtual volunteering jobs you can do. While they may not physically get you out of the house, they will put you in a position where you feel you're contributing which will only boost how you feel.

I don't mean to state the obvious but get out of the house and go for a run? Get a few weights? It may not seem a big deal but you do come across as having a very negative attitude, and exercise can play a big part in changing peoples attitudes.

Also, I know things are tight but why not make a few simple changes and try save a tenner a week? Stick the money in the credit union and in a year you'll have €520. Won't fix it overnight but small steps and all.

endacl

ineed25 wrote: »

ive no job and I live in the middle of the country in a very rural aera, also no car, so im just on the internet all day everyday and im starting to get a bit fed up, this is no life for any1 my age im 27. im looking for work but no joy cant do a course because I have no transport to town, if I get a job il have to move out of home and into a city or town, but anyway im stuck in such a bad rut any small bit of advice would help

Just read your opening again. Is the bit in bold the real issue?