Unemployment Benefit In Ireland

Jobseeker's Benefit (previously called Unemployment Benefit) is a weekly payment made to insured people who are out of work. (An insured person, is someone who was paying social insurance (PRSI) before they lost their job). Jobseeker's Benefit is paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs through their network of local offices throughout the country. To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must: * Be unemployed, * Be aged under 66, * Be capable of work, * Be available for/genuinely seeking seek work, * Have sufficient PRSI contributions and * Have sustained a loss of employment in any period of six consecutive days. Capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work You may be asked to show evidence that you are actively seeking work, for example, letters showing job applications or failure to get a job. You may also be asked about domestic responsibilities, for example, who is looking after any child dependants. This question must be asked of both male and female applicants. Other circumstances in which you could be considered unavailable for work and therefore not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit include: * Illness (you may be entitled to Illness Benefit instead) * Looking after a sick or elderly person * Only being available for work for very restricted hours PRSI Contribution conditions In order to qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit, you must pay Class A, H or P PRSI contributions. Class A is the one paid by most private sector employees. Class H is paid by soldiers, reservists and temporary army nurses, who do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit until they have left the army. * you must have 52 weeks PRSI paid since starting work and * you must have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the Relevant Tax Year or * you must have 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Relevant Tax Year and * you must have 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Tax Year prior to the Relevant Tax Year The Relevant Tax Year for a claim is the second last complete tax year before the start of the Benefit Year, for example, if you are making a claim in 2008, the Relevant Tax Year is 2006. There are a number of circumstances in which you will be awarded credited contributions. For example, pre-entry credits are awarded when you start employment for the first time in your working life. This means that you will be able to qualify for unemployment as soon as you have 52 contributions actually paid. Credits are also normally awarded while you are receiving certain social welfare payments, including Jobseeker's Benefit (provided it is for six days), Jobseeker's Allowance or Illness Benefit. Contributions you have paid in other member stares of the EU will be added to your Irish contributions. If you are applying for Jobseeker's Benefit in Ireland and need the contributions paid in another EU country to help you qualify, then your last contribution must have been in Ireland. A person receiving Jobseeker's Benefit who has less than 260 total PRSI contributions paid will be limited to 312 days Jobseeker's Benefit. This provision will not apply to anyone who has already exhausted 156 days on the day this measure comes into effect. Loss of employment You must have suffered a substantial loss of employment in any period of six consecutive days in order to be eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit. To meet this condition, you must have lost at least one day's employment in that period of six days. Your earnings must also have been reduced as a consequence of the loss of employment. You may be disqualified from getting Jobseeker's Benefit for nine weeks if you: * Left work voluntarily and without a reasonable cause * Lost your job through misconduct * Refused an offer of suitable alternative employment or suitable training. Suitable employment does not include the employment in a job that is vacant because of a trade dispute. In addition, it does not include employment in the district you last worked at a lower rate of pay or less favourable conditions than applied in you last job. Finally, suitable employment also does not include employment in another district to the one you worked in last, at a lower rate of pay or on less favourable conditions than are the general norm in that particular district. * Are aged under 55 and receive a redundancy payment of more than €50,000. The exact length of your disqualification (up to nine weeks) will in practice, depend on the precise amount of redundancy payment you received (see below). Redundancy From 1st February 2007, if you are under 55 and get a redundancy payment of more than €50,000 you will be disqualified from claiming Jobseeker's Benefit for the following lenght of time: Amount of Redundancy Payment Period of Disqualification €50,000.00 - €55,000 1 Week €55,000.01 - €60,000 2 Weeks €60,000.01 - €65,000 3 Weeks €65,000.01 - €70,000 4 Weeks €70,000.01 - €75,000 5 Weeks €75,000.01 - €80,000 6 Weeks €80,000.01 - €85,000 7 Weeks €85,000.01 - €90,000 8 Weeks €90,000.01 and over 9 Weeks Rates Weekly rates 2008: Personal rate €197.80 (maximum rate 2008) Increase for a Qualified Adult €131.30 (maximum rate 2008) Increase for each Qualified Child €24 (full-rate) €12 (half-rate) Jobseeker's Benefit rates are graduated according to earnings in the relevant tax year. For claims on or after December 2003 the following graduated rates apply: Average weekly earnings Personal rate (maximum) Inrease for a Qualified Adult (maximum) Less than €80 €88.90 €85.90 €80 and less than €124.99 €127.80 €85.90 €125 and less than €145.99 €155 €85.90 €150 or more €197.80 €131.30 Jobseeker's Benefit is not payable for the first three days of any period of "interruption of employment". A period of interruption of employment is any three days (not necessarily consecutive) in a period of six consecutive days. If two such periods occur within 13 weeks, there is no break in the claim and you do not have another three days of non-payment. A reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable if your average weekly earnings before you became unemployed were under €88.88 (for claims made before 25 December 2003) or €150 (for claims made on or after 25 December 2003). If you are affected by this rule, it may be more beneficial for you to claim Jobseeker's Allowance instead of Jobseeker's Benefit. Taxation of Jobseeker's Benefit Jobseeker's Benefit is taxable. If however you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit because your normal working week has been reduced (systematic short-time work) your Jobseeker's Benefit is not taxed. . Half-rate Jobseeker's Benefit with another social welfare payment If you are receiving a Widow's/Widower's Pension, a One-Parent Family Payment or a deserted wives payment from the Department of Social and Family Affairs and you meet all the conditions for Jobseeker's Benefit, you will be entitled to half the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit. Qualified Child Allowances are not paid with Jobseeker's Benefit in these cases because you are already being paid for such children in your main payment. Spouse/partner working If your spouse/partner works and earns less than €100 gross per week, you are entitled to a full increase for them as a qualified adult. A reduced allowance is payable where their earnings are between €100 and €300. If your spouse/partner earns more than €300 gross per week, you will not be paid any increase for them. Increase for a Qualified Child For new claimants, payment of the half-rate Increase for a Qualified Child will be discontinued where your spouse's weekly income is more than €400. Duration of payment As a general rule, Jobseeker's Benefit is payable for 390 days (65 weeks). There are some exceptions: * If you are under 18, you will only get Jobseeker's Benefit for a maximum of 156 days (26 weeks) * If you are disqualified from Jobseeker's Benefit for nine weeks, this period will be included in the normal period of entitlement. If you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, you may requalify by working and paying the appropriate PRSI contributions for at least 13 weeks. Extra Benefits If you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit, you may be entitled to: * Mortgage Interest Supplement or Rent Supplement - a payment from the Community Welfare Officer at your local health centre. * Smokeless Fuel Allowance (with Unemployment Benefit after 13 weeks) - to help low-income households meet the extra cost of using smokeless or low smoke fuels in designated urban areas. * Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance - an allowance designed to help towards the cost of uniforms and footwear for children who are attending school. The scheme is payable between June and September each year - contact your Local Health Office. * Medical card - if your income is below certain guidelines, you may get a medical card. It covers you for free doctor's care, approved prescriptions etc. Contact your Local Health Office for more information. * School Book Scheme - each year the Department of Education and Science provides grants to primary, secondary and comprehensive schools towards the cost of school books for students in financial need. You should contact the school principal for more information. The school principal will also advise you whether the school runs a book loan scheme, whereby your children's books are provided for a nominal rental charge each year. How to apply You should register as unemployed (sign-on) with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. When registering, remember to bring along your P45 with you. (A P45 is the form your employer gives you when you finish work and shows your current year's PRSI contributions, earnings, etc.). If you cannot get a P45 from your former employer You should also have your P60 forms for recent years. (The P60 form is the end of year statement in which your employer sets out your tax and PRSI paid). If you do not have these documents to hand, you should register anyway and supply them later. You should remember that delay in applying for Jobseeker's Benefit may mean that you lose out on your full entitlements. If your claim for Jobseeker's Benefit is refused, you have the right to appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. Where To Apply Applications for Jobseeker's Benefit should be made to your local social welfare employment office. If you wish to appeal a decision regarding the refusal of a social welfare payment, you should make this appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office using the contact information below. Social Welfare Appeals Office Line 1: D'Olier House Line 2: D'Olier Street County: Dublin 2 Country: IRELAND Tel: +353 (0)1 6732800 Locall: 1890 747434 Fax: +353 (0)1 6718391 Homepage: http://www.socialwelfareappeals.ie/ Email: swappeals@welfare.ie Wheelchair Access:

Bank Nurses Wanted Dublin

Staff Nurse, Nurse bank St. James’ Hospital Nurse Bank Staff Grade: All Nurse Grades Area Of Assignment: Clinical Areas Reporting Relationship: Nurse Bank Manager Salary Scale: €30,339 - €44,298 (LSI x 1) Closing date: Friday 14th March 2008 Ref: 057/08 NURSE BANK STAFF The primary purpose of Nurse Bank will be to provide a group of flexible employees contracted to work on an ‘if and when required basis’ to cover for planned and unplanned staffing shortfalls. The Nurse Bank will centralise the ordering of Bank Nurses and provide an effective, efficient and flexible Nursing healthcare resource to clinical areas throughout the hospital. The post holder works as part of the multi-disciplinary team to deliver a high standard of care to patients within St. James’s Hospital. The post holder will be responsible for managing the care of patients and the needs of their families, ensuring that quality is maintained. The post holder is required to develop additional clinical skills required in their area of work. REQUIREMNETS • Registered General Nurse. MAIN DUTIES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Clinical Practice • Provide nursing care to patients by the use of an individual system of care and work with nursing standards that have been agreed. • To develop an understanding of the specialist nature of the ward and be able to assist in all relevant procedures. • To establish good working relationships with all members of the multi-disciplinary team. • To recognise clinical and professional limitations and seek advice from senior Colleagues as necessary. • Maintain professional confidentiality and ensure that all clinical and legal documents are accurate and legible. 2. Managerial • To adhere to hospital policies and maintain effective links with support services and other developments. • To assist with the development and maintenance of standards of care. 3. Professional • Accept responsibility for own personal and professional development. • Adhere to codes of professional practice and behaviour. • Keep up to date with use of modern nursing techniques and maintain awareness of current changes in nursing practice in order to enhance the standard of clinical practice. • Take personal responsibility for own professional growth and participate in own personal professional development plan with their Clinical Nurse Manager. • Develop the required skills and knowledge to support the service needs within the scope of professional practice. 4. Education and Research • To be aware of own learning needs and ensure that a learning programme is negotiated with the Clinical Nurse Manager • .To attend appropriate study days/courses that will promote professional developments. • To follow current developments within nursing which will increase professional knowledge and skills. • To participate in own performance review with the Nurse Bank Manager. This job description sets out the key tasks and responsibilities of this post. It is essential that it should be regarded with a degree of flexibility, so that changing needs of the service can be met. GENERAL 1. The Hospital Board will not be responsible for the loss or theft of personal belongings. 2. Fire orders must be observed and staff must attend fire lectures annually. 3. All accidents within the department must be reported immediately. 4. In accordance with the “Safety, Health and Welfare at work act 1989”, all staff must comply with all safety regulations. 5. In line with the Tobacco Regulations Act 1990 Smoking within the hospital buildings is Not Permitted. CONFIDENTIALITY In the course of your employment you may have access to or hear information concerning the medical or personal affairs of patients and/or staff, or other health services business. Such records and information are strictly confidential and unless acting on the instructions of an authorised officer, on no account must information concerning staff, patients or other health service business be divulged or discussed except in the performance of normal duty. In addition records must never be left in such a manner that unauthorised persons can obtain access to them and must be kept in safe custody when no longer required. Enquiries Ms. Fiona Gray, Nurse Bank Manager, Bleep: 079, Ext: 2231 Email: nursebank@stjames.ie To apply for this position please forward a letter of application, clearly indicating job reference number, along with four copies of your C.V. to the Recruitment & Selection Division, Human Resources Directorate .Please ensure that you include details of an internal contact extension number & / or internal e-mail address on your application. E-mail: humanresources@stjames.ie