TUS Programme

Karen23 wrote: »

I finished my Tus placement this week but for the last two weeks since the budget changes came into effect I have been paying €15.70 PRSI from the €20 top up so I actually only came out with €4.30 extra after working 19.5 hours.

That doesn't sound right!!! When you are on Tús you are exempt from the Universal Social Charge so you should only be paying 4% PRSI - that works out at €8.32 out of the €20 payment.

Is this right - can someone confirm - or am I deluded???

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

What a ****ing joke of a scheme by the sounds of it.

I got a letter to attend one of these next week, what if u dont turn up to it.
I want to work but im not goin to be forced into some sh1tty job!

dubscribe wrote: »

My understanding is that if you don't show up for the interview session, the Dept of SP will be notified, you will then be deemed "unavailable" for work and your benefits will automatically be stopped.

Bottom line - you are screwed. I suppose if you notified them with an acceptable reason e.g. sick / hosp apt, they would simply defer you and place you on the list to be called for the next "gathering" of screwed unemployed people :mad:

Cheers for the reply Dubscribe.. What if i do show up and turn down all these sh1tty jobs there going 2 offer me..

dubscribe wrote: »

For a start, it may be months before you are offered a job, I gather it depends on where in the country you live and how many vacancies are in your area. My understanding is that you CANNOT refuse a job because then that verifies that you are not looking for work and your benefits will be cut.

I myself have posted asking what are "legitimate reasons" for refusing a position?

To my mind it is madness to be forced to accept a position that will reduce your living standards even further than being on the dole, as would be the case with me if I were forced to pay for travel (I live in a rural area) which I cannot afford with my current benefit.

I gather Tus do try to match your skills with current vacancies. From what I've read on the boards, there have been some very positive outcomes - truth is, there is very little posted about actual experiences from people who have worked on a Tus scheme - but there have also been negative comments too.

Check it out for yourself.

My heart goes out to u its tough enough as things are. When have u to meet them then? Also when u say they will cut you're benefits will be cut, do u mean a percentage taking off or will u be completely cut off....

dubscribe wrote: »

I got the letter asking me if I wanted to sign up for the Tus scheme, I filled in the form, including an A4 letter explaining WHY, in my personal situation it was not appropriate ie
a) I live in a tiny seaside village, rely on public transport and if I were placed in the nearest town I could be 36-55 euro a week worse off due to travel costs.
b) I did a 9-month Jobbridge Internship last year in my village and would not go back there again due my bad experience (the only local community option I'm aware of)
c) I'm hoping to relocate later this year to an area where I might have a better chance of getting a real, decent paying job.

I did say, if they were not happy with my explanations and I was in danger of having my benefits cut to let me know immediately.
They got the letter yesterday, I got a phone call this morning.
Basically if I do not agree to sign up for the scheme, my benefits will be cut.

So there you have it - forced labour.
After my experience with JobBridge last year I am very against this kind of cheap/free labour.

After my conversation this morning with Tus, I am furious and specifically came online to find out about other peoples experiences.

I truly sympathise. I am very definitely inclined to think that once you are in the "system", like I did JobBridge last year - you get caught up in it. Having given 9 months of my life and experience to "working for the dole" last year - isn't it someone else's turn to endure the indignity that you are forced to work for next to nothing, or in my case, for 1.28 euro an hour on top of my social welfare.

That takes the piss man, have to decided what to do?

My brother in law started Tus a month before me , he finished before Christmas and I finished a few weeks ago. because he's a bit ahead of me I've been able to find out what happens next. A week after finishing Tus he got a letter to attend a group session to ' discuss his options ' , after this he was assigned a case worker and then he was more or less told he had to take part in the Job Bridge scheme. He's now working 40 hours for €5.95 an hour , which is €2.70 less than the minimum wage. I have now also received the letter to attend the group session tomorrow morning and was told I will be assigned a case worker so it looks like I'm heading for Job Bridge too. I'm dreading it as working for less than minimum wage just sounds like taking advantage.

I have fallen into a difficult situation and i am not sure what to do with it im not sure if anyone can properly advise me here but i will try. I started a scheme 6 weeks ago and it started out alright. The staff are lovely and i am happy with the office i work in plus im happy to be out of the house. But it's 6 weeks in now and i am finding that i am not getting any proper experience relating to the area i actually studied in college.

I am happy getting some experience in an office and having something on my c.v. but i don't think i'm really gaining the experience like i was told i would. I was told from the man i was taking over from that their is not enough work for me and the other tus employee who works before me in the morning. When i come in to work i get left with at most an hours worth of work and sit around trying to look busy for the other 4 hours. My boss sits in a position where i can barely even get a browse on the internet to make the day speed up a small bit. The days feel like forever and it feels like a chore going in their.

My main issue is the business deals with alot of incoming calls and i feel the only reason they need me their is to answer phones. My problem with this is my hearing is not great and i constantly keep saying to people phoning in sorry could you repeat that. I just also am quiet a shy person and talking on phones is not something i feel entirely comfortable with. I have been pulled in twice to say i need to improve my skills on the phone and i just can't it's just not my personality. I'm sitting their praying a call won't come in and when it does i can just see my supervisor coming over explaining how i done this wrong and that and it's making me dread go into their. Their are some small jobs i have been doing but over the 19.5 hours that benefit me at the most 5 hours is spent on this. The rest is answering phones and doing receptionist like job's that i don't find are any benefit to me. The biggest part of the job is answering phones and that's the area that i feel uncomfortable with.

I like the place in general but if i'm not answering phones than i don't see how they would keep me their. I don't know how to approach it. I could say it to my supervisor in work but i don't want to make life difficult for myself. I could contact my TUS support worker but it's going to get back to my boss in work making things uncomfortable. The only two outcomes for me seems like i will be talked into staying being promised more work that will benefit me and still leave me stuck taking dreaded phone calls. I will probably get cut from my benefits for pulling out of the scheme.

Nuts102 wrote: »

I have fallen into a difficult situation and i am not sure what to do with it im not sure if anyone can properly advise me here but i will try. I started a scheme 6 weeks ago and it started out alright. The staff are lovely and i am happy with the office i work in plus im happy to be out of the house. But it's 6 weeks in now and i am finding that i am not getting any proper experience relating to the area i actually studied in college.

I am happy getting some experience in an office and having something on my c.v. but i don't think i'm really gaining the experience like i was told i would. I was told from the man i was taking over from that their is not enough work for me and the other tus employee who works before me in the morning. When i come in to work i get left with at most an hours worth of work and sit around trying to look busy for the other 4 hours. My boss sits in a position where i can barely even get a browse on the internet to make the day speed up a small bit. The days feel like forever and it feels like a chore going in their.

My main issue is the business deals with alot of incoming calls and i feel the only reason they need me their is to answer phones. My problem with this is my hearing is not great and i constantly keep saying to people phoning in sorry could you repeat that. I just also am quiet a shy person and talking on phones is not something i feel entirely comfortable with. I have been pulled in twice to say i need to improve my skills on the phone and i just can't it's just not my personality. I'm sitting their praying a call won't come in and when it does i can just see my supervisor coming over explaining how i done this wrong and that and it's making me dread go into their. Their are some small jobs i have been doing but over the 19.5 hours that benefit me at the most 5 hours is spent on this. The rest is answering phones and doing receptionist like job's that i don't find are any benefit to me. The biggest part of the job is answering phones and that's the area that i feel uncomfortable with.

I like the place in general but if i'm not answering phones than i don't see how they would keep me their. I don't know how to approach it. I could say it to my supervisor in work but i don't want to make life difficult for myself. I could contact my TUS support worker but it's going to get back to my boss in work making things uncomfortable. The only two outcomes for me seems like i will be talked into staying being promised more work that will benefit me and still leave me stuck taking dreaded phone calls. I will probably get cut from my benefits for pulling out of the scheme.

Nuts102, sounds to me like a mis-match, jobwise, and that is not your fault. I would guess the host organisation mislead Tus by not saying that there was a lot of phone work involved and I gather, had you been told that before you accepted the job, you would have told Tus it was unsuitable for you.

I would suggest you do go back to your Tus support worker and explain it exactly as you have here. You cannot walk off the job because you will loose your benefits. And quite frankly, if you supervisor in work is being an a**hole, that's not right either. I suspect those of us who get landed with these "work for the dole" jobs are considered "less" in the workplace.

He can't give you hassle - if he does, complain to your support worker. That person is there to support YOU, NOT the other way round. Good luck and keep us posted.

phoenix999 wrote: »

Think you might be confusing it with CE Scheme. Job bridge is full time, 35-40hrs per week, depending on the employer.

Actually, the minimum hours are 30 hrs per week, max is 39 hrs. I know, I completed 9 mth JobBridge last November. The good news is that having now done it I can't do it for another 2 years

9 months is soul destroying and this Tus scheme of a 12 month contract is a nightmare :eek:

Have a similar hearing condition (APD) in my case and I hate answering phones.

I can manage the occassional phone call if the caller has a strong and clear voice and IF there is no background noise in the office, like people talking even.

It can be a night mare for me and I try to avoid like the placque.

Threre is nothing worse than getting bits and pieces of a conversation and worse even thinking some of the info you heard was correct when it's not.

I would explain this to your employer and tus officer, and say that having to constantly answer phones is putting you under great stress and not of any help to you at all.

Explain that your better off working in a back ground situation where you don't have to use the phone or just to take an odd call.

Ok so i bit the bullet and rang the TUS office today. I told him my nerves were at me and i wasn't comfortable working their. So i got called in for a meeting and we discussed things and i made it clear i couldn't handle another day working their especially now after they know i wanted to quit. So he was very helpful and said if i didn't feel the job was a right match he would look for another job for me. In fairness to the TUS officer he couldn't have been more helpful and understanding.

He is going to keep me under the TUS scheme for my payments for a few weeks while he tries to find another job for me. He said he will make sure im not cut of the labour which was a great relief. The worrying thing for me is i don't know whats going to happen if in 4 or 5 weeks if i still don't have a job whats going to happen to me.

Right now i feel much better and feel good with the relief knowing i am not dreading going back answering phones.

The annoying thing is i have been trying so hard to find work and now i don't know how i will be if i can't secure employment in a few weeks. Just frustrating when you know people who have no interest in looking for work yet never get hassled at all.