Minimum-wage jobs in Ireland

krtom

Hi! Initially I asked this in another thread ("How hard to find work in Dublin?") but now think it's better if I ask separately.

I'm a female from Southeast Europe (EU/EEA country) and am in my mid twenties. I have a master's degree in Economics but can't find work here. I don't have actual work experience, all that I've done is some volunteering on administrative / office tasks for a local non-profit organization.
Since this country is rapidly falling apart, I'm considering my emigration options. I'm thinking about coming to Ireland to work on any sort of job (as long as it's legal and within the scope of my physical capabilities).

How would one go about finding such work? Those are for sure minimum-wage jobs like cleaning, kitchen assistance and what not. Should I look at classifieds or should I approach restaurants, hotels and stores directly? Should I sign up with a recruitment agency or should I look alone? Are there some qualifications or certificates that I can get relatively easily and quickly to improve my chances?
I hope my degree wouldn't mean that I'm overqualified. Should I even be mentioning it? It's not like it's relevant for the positions I intend to apply for, but then I don't have a way to account for the past five years of my life.

Also, anything I can do to improve my chances of finding some sort of administrative work afterwards? Any advice?

I very much appreciate any helpful info.

Mrs OBumble

What languages do you speak? With some, you should at least be able to get customer support in multi national call centres, not great money but well more than minimum wage.

krtom

Unfortunately, other than my mother tongue (Croatian - which is also understood in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro), I only speak English.

highlandseoghan

Once you are willing to work for minimum wage and go out and look for a job you will get work. Shops, Cafes, Call centres, Take aways etc.... are all looking for staff all the time. Check out job sites online but your also best to go into places and ask to speak with the manager and leave your cv with him.

krtom

Btw, what is the minimum rate? Is it 6.92€ (no experience) or 7.75€ (1st year of employment)..? I've heard they're most often around 8€ despite the legally prescribed figures.

What should I put in my CV if I have no relevant experience or education pertaining to working in a shop, cafe or call center?

I'm probably asking questions about these details to no avail since I believe it is very unlikely that Irishmen (and women) on this board will have worked for minimum wage... But I still need all the information that I can get!

shruikan2553

Most minimum wage jobs would be the type to have a sign up in the shop. Majority of which would want you to have experience. Unless you are planning on working in an area related to your masters or had a lot of experience in something I wouldnt recommend Ireland.

krtom

Well then that truly sucks. I have no idea where to get the experience. I can't afford to work for free in the hope of getting a reference.

highlandseoghan

Mc Donalds, KFC, Centra, Spar, Tesco will hire people without experience. There is Irish men and women that work for minimum wage in Ireland I don't know why you think that no Irish man or woman would not work for minimum wage.

krtom

Nah, I just thought there wouldn't be many of them reading these boards... Too busy making a living and stuff. I don't know. Excuse me for saying it, it wasn't wise.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Streetwalker

krtom wrote: »

Btw, what is the minimum rate? Is it 6.92€ (no experience) or 7.75€ (1st year of employment)..? I've heard they're most often around 8€ despite the legally prescribed figures.

What should I put in my CV if I have no relevant experience or education pertaining to working in a shop, cafe or call center?

I'm probably asking questions about these details to no avail since I believe it is very unlikely that Irishmen (and women) on this board will have worked for minimum wage... But I still need all the information that I can get!

Plenty of people in our country work for minimum wage.

krtom

But are there many of those people on this board, willing to provide me with details?
That's what I meant.

highlandseoghan

I don't know how many are on boards. What questions do you need answered and I can try answer them for you if you want.

krtom

I have loads of questions and mainly need advice.
Here are some off the top of my head.

1. How long could it take me to get a job if I actively search every day?
2. Can I get a job if I haven't yet received my PPS number?
3. What's the average wage for the type of unskilled, general labour that I'm aiming at? I read that it's 6.95€ for adults without experience, but have heard that most employers pay around 8€.
4. Where else could I look, seeing I have no experience (in addition to McDonalds, KFC, Centra, Spar and Tesco)?
5. In Croatia, to work anywhere that has to do with food, one first needs to obtain a "sanitary/hygienic certificate" (not sure how to translate). Is such a thing needed in Ireland to work in cafes/restaurants, and if so, what is it called so I can google out how to get it?

Many thanks to all who reply!

highlandseoghan

If you look for work you should have a job within 4 weeks. I have helped 2 friends recently who were unemployed look for work and help them and both received offers within 4 weeks.

I wouldnt worry about being over qualified. Employers understand that there is a shortage of work and that people with degrees are still looking for minimum wage jobs.

You can be offered a job without a pps once your legally allowed to work within Ireland. Once you are living in Ireland and have been offered a job then you can apply for a pps number.

Legally an 18 year old with no experience can be paid around €6.50 for a period of time but in general most employeers will pay you €8.65 per hour.

If you speak other language you can try call centres. If your comfortable talking to people and feel you would be good selling there are alwas sales jobs looking for people. Then most fast food and retail outlets you would have a chance of getting work. There is also pubs looking for waiters. Cleaners

In Ireland we have HACCP employers can get you trained.

If you show that you are dedicated and wanting to work an employer will see this and you will get work. You will need to check the jobs online and apply online but you will also must be willing to get up everyday and go around businesses handing in cv and talking with managers.

krtom

Thanks a lot, highlandseoghan!

Yes, we have HACCP here too. So there are no exams regarding sanitation/hygiene prior to getting work in foodservice industry?

Armistice

You Are an EU citizen you don't need a job offer to apply for PPS. You can get it straight away. You have a masters degree, I think you should aim higher. Start in a min wage job if needed but keep an eye out for jobs in your profession. It will be difficult to rent a place on min wage, you will be looking at a cheap box room in a house share.

It took me 6 months of applying everyday to find a job after I finished college. Now I am an IT engineer on a decent wage. Just don't get stuck in a min wage job, believe in yourself and keep aiming higher.

cloudatlas

Oh. Are there plenty of minimum wage jobs available all of a sudden I thought people were handing C.V.'s into Dunnes etc. with no success and queuing outside of Centra, Spar for a handful of jobs.

I wouldn't encourage the O.P. to move to Ireland unless they had family, friends here to fall back on if things don't go well.

Mrs OBumble

OP, just keep an open mind. I'm not Irish - even though I have an Irish passport I've worked minimum wage jobs (at the height of the recession, when there was nothing else going).

Because you're from a non-native English background, some employers will expect you to work under the table for less than minimum wage. Don't do it: if all workers refused to take these jobs. they would not be offered.

krtom

Thank you all three for replies.

I do aim higher, but will be needing any job right away to pay the bills. I couldn't afford to go below 7-8 €/h because that's the rate at which I can still expect some 400-300€ savings a month, for when I try to get a better job. If I can't save anything, then of course it's better for me to stay in Croatia and not make any money, but also not work a menial job. No point in working my ass off for food and roof over my head if I've already got those at home.

So, cloudatlas, it's a dire situation? That's pretty discouraging. And confusing. Some posters say I'd get a job no problem, others like you and shruikan2553 say there's no work (though he referred mainly to people with no experience). Now I don't know what to think. Nope, I don't have anyone in Ireland.

Saipanne

krtom wrote: »

Thank you all three for replies.

I do aim higher, but will be needing any job right away to pay the bills. I couldn't afford to go below 7-8 €/h because that's the rate at which I can still expect some 400-300€ savings a month, for when I try to get a better job. If I can't save anything, then of course it's better for me to stay in Croatia and not make any money, but also not work a menial job. No point in working my ass off for food and roof over my head if I've already got those at home.

So, cloudatlas, it's a dire situation? That's pretty discouraging. And confusing. Some posters say I'd get a job no problem, others like you and shruikan2553 say there's no work (though he referred mainly to people with no experience). Now I don't know what to think. Nope, I don't have anyone in Ireland.

There is work in Dublin. There is not so much work outside of Dublin. People seem to think because there is not much work outside of Dublin, there must be no work anywhere. This is false.

This is a good site.

http://www.irishjobs.ie

krtom

Then that's good. There's probably a lot of circulation of workers in Dublin, as they probably come and go from all around the EU (at least the eastern parts and PIGS countries).

Saipanne

krtom wrote: »

Then that's good. There's probably a lot of circulation of workers in Dublin, as they probably come and go from all around the EU (at least the eastern parts).

In Ireland, the economy is very much centralised around Dublin. For better or worse!

cloudatlas

krtom wrote: »

Thank you all three for replies.

I do aim higher, but will be needing any job right away to pay the bills. I couldn't afford to go below 7-8 €/h because that's the rate at which I can still expect some 400-300€ savings a month, for when I try to get a better job. If I can't save anything, then of course it's better for me to stay in Croatia and not make any money, but also not work a menial job. No point in working my ass off for food and roof over my head if I've already got those at home.

So, cloudatlas, it's a dire situation? That's pretty discouraging. And confusing. Some posters say I'd get a job no problem, others like you and shruikan2553 say there's no work (though he referred mainly to people with no experience). Now I don't know what to think. Nope, I don't have anyone in Ireland.

The unemployment rate is currently 11% so it's not as bad as I thought. The best thing to do is go on jobs.ie and indeed.com and do a search and see what is available and how many jobs with your specific skill set are actually available. Why have you ruled out the U.K.?

krtom

Saipanne wrote: »

In Ireland, the economy is very much centralised around Dublin. For better or worse!

It's a shame because I'd love to be able to get work in a small Irish town relatively undisturbed by tourists. I wish I could be closer to the countryside.

cloudatlas wrote: »

The unemployment rate is currently 11% so it's not as bad as I thought. The best thing to do is go on jobs.ie and indeed.com and do a search and see what is available and how many jobs with your specific skill set are actually available. Why have you ruled out the U.K.?

For some reason I'm much more attracted to Ireland.
Why do you ask? Is it wiser to try the U.K.? I do see that they have a much lower unemployment rate of 6%, but... I don't know!

GarIT

Every financial company is taking on interns right now. With a masters in economics you should have no trouble getting an internship and if you work hard you can convert that into a highly paid job fairly quickly.

Go here:
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/ireland-reviews-SRCH_IL.0,7_IN70_SDOR.htm

Make sure you sort by Overall Rating and email everyone starting from the top saying you have a Masters in economics and are looking for an internship. Most internships will pay around minimum wage (minimum wage for training/internships is €6.49 see here http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/pay_and_employment/pay_inc_min_wage.html) and after your first year you could be earning €12 to €15 per hour depending on how well you do.

GarIT

krtom wrote: »

It's a shame because I'd love to be able to get work in a small Irish town relatively undisturbed by tourists. I wish I could be closer to the countryside.

In Ireland you can live in the countryside and travel to the middle of Dublin city very quickly by train. There are towns in Ireland with a population of less than 5,000 that are only 45 minutes by train to the centre of Dublin's financial district (The IFSC), you can get smaller if you go further out.

krtom wrote: »

For some reason I'm much more attracted to Ireland.
Why do you ask? Is it wiser to try the U.K.? I do see that they have a much lower unemployment rate of 6%, but... I don't know!

In Ireland we have a severe shortage of jobs for people with no qualifications but also a shortage of qualified people for our skilled jobs. You have a Masters so there will be plenty of jobs available to you.

Saipanne

Unemployment rate in Dublin is 10.2%.

http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=QNQ22&PLanguage=0

krtom

@GarIT:
:O Are you kidding me? Oh god! I'd KILL for an internship in my field of study, you have no idea! The situation in Croatia is that you can only get an "internship" that pays 250€ a month (seriously, no digits missing), and it's paid for by EU funds, not by the employers themselves, as a form of "policy" to counteract the rising unemployment rate... Also it only lasts a year, after which you're unemployed again because the employer takes on another sucker like you to do the same thing all over again. Why do I talk about Croatia so much?

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I'll surely try it, I have nothing to lose. If that backfires, I'm back to plan B which is my original plan A.

GarIT

krtom wrote: »

@GarIT:
:O Are you kidding me? Oh god! I'd KILL for an internship in my field of study, you have no idea! The situation in Croatia is that you can only get an "internship" that pays 250€ a month (seriously, no digits missing), and it's paid for by EU funds, not by the employers themselves, as a form of "policy" to counteract the rising unemployment rate... Also it only lasts a year, after which you're unemployed again because the employer takes on another sucker like you to do the same thing all over again. Why do I talk about Croatia so much?

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I'll surely try it, I have nothing to lose. If that backfires, I'm back to plan B which is my original plan A.

Our financial companies are crying out for interns. What are your grades like? If your average is less than 50% you will struggle to get a job related to your degree anywhere, if your average is over 70% you can expect up to €2,000 per month if you are working full time.

krtom

GarIT wrote: »

Our financial companies are crying out for interns. What are your grades like? If your average is less than 50% you will struggle to get a job anywhere, if your average is over 70% you can expect up to €2,000 per month if you are working full time.

My average is 4.28 out of 5 (85% - I expect that's how you get your percentages?) in bachelor's programme and 4.5/5 in master's.

But I don't know how Irish employers look at Croatian degrees. I mean, our programme is formally in compliance with the Bologna Process, but there's a lot to wish for and I don't know about the employers' subjective feel of our degree's value. I have passed a L1 CFA exam (if that means anything to you as I don't know your background; if it's IT, ignore it ) and will register for L2 soon, so at least that might give me some edge.

I wouldn't care at all about the money if I could get a chance to work in finance! (Strange sentence, I realize.)

Again, thank you so much! You've given me hope. :'D

Saipanne

Here are some financial institutions based in Ireland.

http://jobs.aib.ie

http://www.bankofireland.com/about-bank-of-ireland/careers/

https://www.permanenttsb.ie/about-us/careers/

http://jobs.ulsterbank.com

http://www.kbc.ie/careers

There are also other banks that have more limited operations here. See:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banks_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland


Also, some searches show some jobs:

http://www.irishjobs.ie/ShowResults.aspx?Keywords=graduate&Location=102&Category=20&Recruiter=Company&Recruiter=Agency



Why not apply to as many as you can? You never know! Good luck!

GarIT

krtom wrote: »

My average is 4.28 out of 5 (85% - I expect that's how you get your percentages?) in bachelor's programme and 4.5/5 in master's.

I think that could be GPA. In Ireland we only care about the test scores. i.e the percentage of correct answers you got in your final exam. I don't know how employers will see your degree here. Universities are ranked much higher than colleges though.

I just had a look at some of the companies hiring right now such as Accenture, Deolite and KPMG. They are looking for a 4.0 at degree level as a minimum, your masters is obviously a bonus.

It will probably be easier for you to find a finance internship than minimum wage job.

krtom

You're so helpful, thank you! I never expected to get this kind of help on a board. I owe you all a pint.
Well, off I go to take care of my CV and check what's out there. I'll certainly inform you about my progress should there be any! :-D

TheBoss11

There's LOADS of jobs in Dublin. Once you look hard enough you'll have a job in 2 weeks. Try lidl and aldi they pay €11 an hour.

krtom

krtom wrote: »

You're so helpful, thank you! I never expected to get this kind of help on a board. I owe you all a pint.
Well, off I go to take care of my CV and check what's out there. I'll certainly inform you about my progress should there be any! :-D

If you want to be outside the cities would you try WWOOF for a while and see what you think of Ireland, I know its not paid but you get bed and board.

krtom

Thanks, TheBoss11, I will try everywhere. I'll make a list before I go and make a load of CV copies and then walk, walk, walk...
mariaalice, WWOOF-ing was part of my plan, I intend to go during spring and/or fall. Can't wait!

PutDownArtist

krtom wrote: »

But are there many of those people on this board, willing to provide me with details?
That's what I meant.

You must realise that Irish people are entitled to 188 eu per week as a 'Job Seeker'.

Many would argue that this acts as a disincentive to work 40 hrs per week on the minimum wage. And this doesn't even include other benefits such as rent allowance.

You can't really blame people for choosing these benefits over a life of misery in a low paid, ungratifying job.

krtom

PutDownArtist wrote: »

You must realise that Irish people are entitled to 188 eu per week as a 'Job Seeker'.

Many would argue that this acts as a disincentive to work 40 hrs per week on the minimum wage. And this doesn't even include other benefits such as rent allowance.

You can't really blame people for choosing these benefits over a life of misery in a low paid, ungratifying job.

Who am I to blame them? All people use whatever advantages they can.

PutDownArtist

krtom wrote: »

Who am I to blame them? All people use whatever advantages they can.

I think your chances of finding 'a' job are almost 100%, but have you researched rent and travel costs? Rents are soaring in Dublin at the moment and you could find yourself working flat out in a horrible, boring job for next to no reward.

Moreover, Dublin is a horrible, dirty, expensive city! I seriously recommend you try another city in Ireland.

GarIT

PutDownArtist wrote: »

I think your chances of finding 'a' job are almost 100%, but have you researched rent and travel costs? Rents are soaring in Dublin at the moment and you could find yourself working flat out in a horrible, boring job for next to no reward.

Moreover, Dublin is a horrible, dirty, expensive city! I seriously recommend you try another city in Ireland.

Neither of the other 2 cities are much better. Neither have the same companies and employment opportunities either.

Josip83

krtom wrote: »

Who am I to blame them? All people use whatever advantages they can.

Odakle si KRTOM?

PutDownArtist

GarIT wrote: »

Neither of the other 2 cities are much better. Neither have the same companies and employment opportunities either.

'Employment opportunities' aren't much good when you're paying 800 eu for a studio apartment and getting harassed by junkies on a daily basis.

I would chose ANY other city in Ireland over Dublin.

Saipanne

PutDownArtist wrote: »

I think your chances of finding 'a' job are almost 100%, but have you researched rent and travel costs? Rents are soaring in Dublin at the moment and you could find yourself working flat out in a horrible, boring job for next to no reward.

Moreover, Dublin is a horrible, dirty, expensive city! I seriously recommend you try another city in Ireland.

Apt username.

Anyway, I've lived in Dublin for six years now. Love the place. Beautiful city. So much to do here. Rent aside, it's only expensive for people who don't know where to go. Most people visit Dublin, go to temple bar, pay 7 Euro for a pint in a tourist trap, and surmise that all of Dublin must be expensive. As the old saying goes, a fool and his money are soon parted.

GarIT

PutDownArtist wrote: »

'Employment opportunities' aren't much good when you're paying 800 eu for a studio apartment and getting harassed by junkies on a daily basis.

I would chose ANY other city in Ireland over Dublin.

I'm paying €200 for a room and am only an hours commute away. I could probably get a whole house for under €600. Accommodation prices in the city are very high as is the same in any other European capital city. I rather be working and paying high rent than paying lower rent an unemployed.

Saipanne

PutDownArtist wrote: »

'Employment opportunities' aren't much good when you're paying 800 eu for a studio apartment and getting harassed by junkies on a daily basis.

I would chose ANY other city in Ireland over Dublin.

Why live in a studio? I pay 500 for a gorgeous, modern apartment, in an affluent area of Dublin, sharing with two others.

It's almost as if you don't know what youre talking about!

Josip83

Sorry, but I have to ask... i work in furniture company so do you know some manufucturer where I can apply for a job? And other thing, my wife is master of food engeenering ( i hope that is english word for it) so she can work in any food,beer,whiskey factories. But she cant speak english yet.... What town do you think I should put on short list where one day we bouth can work

GarIT

Josip83 wrote: »

Sorry, but I have to ask... i work in furniture company so do you know some manufucturer where I can apply for a job? And other thing, my wife is master of food engeenering ( i hope that is english word for it) so she can work in any food,beer,whiskey factories. But she cant speak english yet.... What town do you think I should put on short list where one day we bouth can work

There is no manufacturing jobs in Ireland. We import nearly all of our furniture. Plenty of food places though. Just use glass door or do a search for "jobs Ireland"

Saipanne

Josip83 wrote: »

Sorry, but I have to ask... i work in furniture company so do you know some manufucturer where I can apply for a job? And other thing, my wife is master of food engeenering ( i hope that is english word for it) so she can work in any food,beer,whiskey factories. But she cant speak english yet.... What town do you think I should put on short list where one day we bouth can work

Cork/Kerry has a big food manufacturing industry. I believe there is work available in that industry too.

Try www.top1000.ie/industries/food-and-beverage

I don't know how much work there is, in your line of work though.

Josip83

So, we must start with any job till my wife start use english, and then she can get better job....lets say in beer industry, but I will stay in mcDonalds?

Saipanne

Josip83 wrote: »

So, we must start with any job till my wife start use english, and then she can get better job....lets say in beer industry, but I will stay in mcDonalds?

What is your native language? How is your English skill? Do you have any college qualifications?

GarIT

Josip83 wrote: »

So, we must start with any job till my wife start use english, and then she can get better job....lets say in beer industry, but I will stay in mcDonalds?

There is a shortage of minimum wage jobs here. That is starting to change but I'm unsure how you would get on in a job search.

I wouldn't consider coming over until you are both fluent in English. I would guess with your level of English you wouldn't get a job in McDonalds right now. In general there is a strong hatred towards people working in the public service industry with anything less than perfect English.