Job - Get paid by cheque & Bank Account question

lgranata

Hi,

I am new to the country and starting a new job tomorrow, I just got the PPSN today (they gave it to me from the system as I applied on Monday, I have the number, not the letter).
As you can imagine I still don't have a bank account, I am living in a hostel until I get paid a couple of weeks and I can move out to a permanent address.

The company said that until I get my bank account sorted they can give me a cheque to cash it on their banks branch. That sounds good, any reason why I should be cautious of anything with that? Is that really possible? They said they asked the bank and there should be no problem, anything I should request on the cheque so I can cash it out?

Sorry for the questions.

Another story is the bank account itself, in the Welfare office they have accepted my Hostels address to send the letter to, but of course the Bank wont.

Is really no other option than living in a permanent address and having a bill at my name as a proof of address?

It's kind of crazy the idea of waiting so much for the account, I need money to move, then I need to move and a bill needs to arrive, I mean, I need a bank account very quickly.

Any ideas? I have even thought on offering money to someone willing to "borrow" their home address for that. (I know there is an option of using a bill that is not at my name but along with a letter from the payer confirming I live in the address, etc..

Thanks to all of you!, Dublin is great so far
Kind regards

looksee

I am sorry, I can't help you, this is becoming a serious problem. My daughter moved back to Ireland (where she was born, and lived till about 4 years ago) and had the same problems. In the end she had to come back to her home town, revive a dormant credit union account - which involved parents' utility bills and a letter signed by her parents - and get a statement sent to her 'home' address, then open a bank account in her home town, and get it transferred to her new home. Of course all this was only possible because she has family in the country, and it was helpful that she was known in the town where she used to live.

Even then, finding utility bills was difficult as most of them are now on-line, and of course if you live in a shared apartment you may not have a utility bill in your own name. Letters from landlords are not accepted. It is fast approaching a time when a much more reliable and accessible way of establishing identity/residency needs to be found.

The same applies if a new account is needed, to accommodate a saving scheme for example. We have been with the same bank for 45 years, and with the same branch of that bank for 25 years. Still, in order to open a new account both husband and wife had to produce utility bills addressed individually - fortunately, by chance, we have some accounts in one name and some in the other.

lgranata

Thanks for your reply, I think that a letter from a government organization (tax office or similar) addressed to your home would suffice for what I was reading.
If people sharing flats/houses could not get a solution for that I am wondering how thousands of people living on shared accommodation have done to have their bank account.

I can't get why they are so cautious when in the UK for example you only need the Passport, and it's all under the same European regulations.

Well, will see what I can do.

Thanks a lot.

looksee

Yes a letter from a government institution like a tax office will suffice, any government institution, which is a great theory but it can take a couple of weeks to organise. My daughter was waiting for her house deposit to be returned, and it had to be paid into a bank account.