Losing Hope

LegacyUser

I thought about posting here for a while and decided to do it as I don’t know where else to turn, I apologize in advance for the length…
I moved to Dublin in September and thought I had lucked out. I had been looking for a job for 4 months back at home without getting even a single interview. This was despite the fact I used a lot of services both in college and outside to help with my CV, interview skills etc… Then as soon as I started applying for Dublin suddenly a permanent position falls on my lap and for the first time in a while I thought things would go well for me. Until I moved...
Despite being here for only 4 months I have already had to move twice, each time I have to settle for licensee arrangements where I’m left with no rights. The main issue seems to be my age (22) because whenever I go to viewings and the now dreaded “How old are you” question comes up there’s suddenly some reason why they can’t give me the place even though things were going fine beforehand. Some of the reasons I have been given include: The fact I work 9-5, I’m not in the same line of employment as the other tenants, Not vegan etc…
Living as a licensee leaves me in a state of constant anxiety, my first landlord basically kicked me out so her boyfriend could move in and even kept my deposit so now I have to go through a court process to (try) to get my money back which has basically left me in a state of severe depression. In the new place I’m living in I am paying 50% of my salary on rent alone and must abide by a long list of rules including only eating specific foods which obviously doesn’t help.

I thought I could deal with this just so I can keep my job but to be honest I’m not sure if it’s worth it anymore….
I wake up multiple times at night in a state of panic then go to work so tired it’s hard to focus, I constantly feel like I’m about to start crying because I feel like I have made a huge mistake. I thought working would provide me with a better life but its done the complete opposite. I thought of moving back home and trying to get a job there cause at least I can live with my parents, of course I’d still have to contribute to the house (and would happily do so) but its nowhere near 50% of my income and even if it was at least I wouldn’t be in the position I am in here. But the only certainty I have is that if I do this I will be losing out on a permanent role. My manager also came to speak with me today and said the company couldn’t be happier with me and that I have exceeded all their expectations so I feel I have a good chance of being promoted in the future as well.

But at the end of the day I just can’t help it I feel absolutely miserable and like I am just working to live. Its really starting to eat at me and to be honest I don’t see any point in existing like this. What can I do?

Xterminator

Hi Op

Re your renting situation: would you consider moving further out and commuting to work, via bus or train. if you can move to an area where the demand is less savage, you should be able to land a more formal arrangement. Depending on where you work, look at the transport links, but look outward if you know what i mean.

However once you have a year + experience in your chosen job, perhaps you can consider applying for jobs outside of dublin? would you consider the UK ?

the job market seem buoyant, and with a years or more experience and a good reference, you would be in a far better place than when you just left college.

Being a licensee works both ways and your not tied to a fixed term contract , and you can move fairly handily, so that means you can move where you can find work.

PS it was only a few years ago, flats were lying idle due to oversupply. these things are cyclical, and given the push for new builds, the rental market will not remain this way forever.

Tenigate

I agree about the licensee thing generally being favourable.
if you're a tenant, you'll likely be in a sharing environment anyway but with the added hassle of no flexibility & God help you if your co-tenants decided he can't afford to pay his share, or moves his girlfriend in.
You have a roof over your head and a job, so the pressure is off. Don't concentrate on the negatives. Play by the silly list of rules while you find a nicer apartment.
Also, rather than viewing it as 50% of your salary, consider how much you're left with after you pay your rent. Is it a decent amount to live on?

LegacyUser

Hi thank you both for your replies,

The problem is that licensee agreements are not set in stone so the landlords can impose whatever rules they wish and then if things go bad my only recourse is court. I'm already taking my previous landlord to court and its an extremely stressful situation.

Actually on the day I moved into the new apartment I was given an "agreement" that stated that I must stay a certain length of time and if I leave before I won't get my deposit back, they also stated that they can increase the rent before giving notice. Of course there are downsides to tenancies too, but I would rather the landlord didn't have this much freedom to be honest...

In regards to commuting I am actually commuting already by train AND by bus both ways, which is already a cost in itself not to mention takes up a lot of time which I really need at the moment. The reason being that I am not doing the job I was hired to do.

Basically I was hired as a junior developer (I.T.) but when I moved and started my induction my position was suddenly in Administration. Basically what I do all day is reply to e-mails and data entry. I haven't complained about this because I don't want to lose my job and seem ungrateful. I was also told that eventually I will be trained in development they just didn't say when. So I have to spend even more of my free time trying not to lose my programming skills...

This is another worry for me, staying for (at least) a year with this company is a good idea as it will give me a years experience. But what if I do nothing but administration in that time? I want to work in IT not this .

I honestly don't believe the market can hold like this for long and I hope it is true this is essentially the only thing I am holding onto right now. But who knows? Could go on for another few years so I feel I need a backup plan.

In regards to the amount I have left after paying 50% of rent well I still have other things to pay for like bills and transport mainly. In order to save up a little bit in case of emergencies I have to live extremely frugally, that means not going out with my friends, spending about 20 on food per week etc... I don't even go to the gym anymore which I really enjoyed and felt helped my mental wellbeing a bit..

Samuel T. Cogley

Okay I know some people who do rent a room and completely bonkers, especially the vegans, but specific foods? Really? Where are you working (general area) sounds like you're in extremely unsuitable accommodation for a start. I rent a room and an apartment myself and would never treat people the way you hear of on boards and I'm in the majority - as I say some people are just crazy.

Funny Feeling

Don't give up hope! Most people renting in Dublin are paying out over 50% of there salary on rent. Renting is just hard even if you know the people issues can arise. Try and look for another place but take your time, get talking to people in work around your age that seem sound, post your own adds looking for a place, get in contact with your old college year. It doesn't need to be miserable but it is hard finding the right people to share with.

I would talk to your manager and ask about your career development plan, ask about your goals and what extra steps you can take to achive them this shows that you have drive and a focused on your career its a positive that you are not just sitting back coasting. With some companies if you don't show that you want to move up they are happy to let you be simply because in this case they may really need a good administrator.

Your young with lot's of time ahead of you best of luck it will work out it's just a bad patch ðŸ˜

LegacyUser

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Okay I know some people who do rent a room and completely bonkers, especially the vegans, but specific foods? Really? Where are you working (general area) sounds like you're in extremely unsuitable accommodation for a start. I rent a room and an apartment myself and would never treat people the way you hear of on boards and I'm in the majority - as I say some people are just crazy.

Honestly I think its just greed and I guess the housing crisis just bought out the worst in some people. I understand mortgages are expensive nowadays, but my current landlords are both surgeons and their parents are also doctors, they also bought a few years ago so I'm assuming they don't need so much of my salary to pay their mortgage really...

I work in Dublin 8 but don't live nearby as when I was looking most places were over 800 just for a room

Funny Feeling wrote: »

Don't give up hope! Most people renting in Dublin are paying out over 50% of there salary on rent. Renting is just hard even if you know the people issues can arise. Try and look for another place but take your time, get talking to people in work around your age that seem sound, post your own adds looking for a place, get in contact with your old college year. It doesn't need to be miserable but it is hard finding the right people to share with.

I would talk to your manager and ask about your career development plan, ask about your goals and what extra steps you can take to achive them this shows that you have drive and a focused on your career its a positive that you are not just sitting back coasting. With some companies if you don't show that you want to move up they are happy to let you be simply because in this case they may really need a good administrator.

Your young with lot's of time ahead of you best of luck it will work out it's just a bad patch ðŸ˜

Unfortunately everyone I work with it much older than me and live with their SOs, there are two people that I know of in my age but they live with their parents and don't have any spare rooms. Usually when I look for a place I look on daft, facebook groups etc... a friend of mine recommended that I try agencies as well. Would this be a good idea?

I always volunteer to help out with development projects whenever the opportunity arises as I thought it would be better than telling my manager "Look I'm not happy I'm doing x instead of Y", this eventually led to me being the main person the team reaches to when they need something small fix (despite the fact I'm not the only newbie). So today my manager came to talk to me about working in a big development project the company is doing, I will only be doing some minor coding but will be heavily involved in guiding the team.. Unfortunately no salary increase but I'm hoping this opportunity will lead to that either within the company or the experience will be valuable in getting a better position in the future.