How To Become A Wwoofer In Ireland?

How Does WWOOFING work in in Ireland?

It is WWOOF Ireland, which manages the network of the Irish wwoofing, as well in the northern part, connected to the UK, as well as to the southern independent part. However, Northern Ireland is also a part of the network WWOOK UK.

You do not need a permit or a visa to become a wwoofer in Ireland, if you have a European nationality. After three months in Ireland, it will, however, be necessary to declare your presence on the Irish territory at a city hall or at a police station.

It should be noted that while most of the national organizations refuse people under 18, WWOOF Ireland accepts the registrations of people from 16 years on.

How to apply to become a a wwoofer in Ireland?

To get a list of hosts in Ireland, it is necessary to subscribe to WWOOF Ireland. The price you will have to pay is 25 euros for one person for one year, or 35 euros for two people or a family for one year.

The registration is done online and to do it right, just go through the following steps:

1- Go on the official website of WWOOF Ireland.

2- Click on "How to Volunteer" then scroll down at the bottom of the page and click Next.

3- Read the Wwoofer Commitment and then click "YES-I AGREE."

4- Select your subscription by Paypal or by post.

5- Fill in the the form you will get with your full name, email, and password, to pay your subscription fees, then click on "Register."

6- Check your email box and on the confirmation link you got from the website. If you cannot click the link, use your login and the temporary password supplied at the bottom of the message to sign in to the website. You will be redirected to a page which informs you that you have to change password. Click Login and then Enter a new password and validate.

7- Login to your personal page and contact hosts by clicking the 'EMAIL HOSTS' button under their page. Write a short message with the dates you want to volunteer. Hosts will see a link to your profile when they read your message.

8- Wait for any anwers, ask any questions and make arrangements. Hosts may not reply immediately, so contact several hosts.

9- If, at some point, you want to change your dates, or need to cancel, you must contact your host to make them know.

Categories: Ireland

How To Find A Job In Cork, Ireland?

Cork is the second largest city of Ireland. Situated in the Southern part of the country, Cork has numerous opportunities of employment for French-speaking young people. Even if, as everywhere else in Ireland, the creations of employment are less numerous than they were a few years ago, it remains relatively easy to see small job offers in Cork on the condition of mastering a minimum level of English and already having some work experience.

Available jobs in Cork for French-speaking inviduals:

French-speaking job seekers have some advantage to find an employment in Cork. As for Dublin, numerous international companies installed their European seat in Cork. Consequently, big firms specialized in new technologies as: Amazon, Logitech, Apple or Mc Afee recruit French-speaking employees for their customer services. Jobs in their call centers, which are based in Cork, are regularly posted on work websites.

In the hotel business sector, the group Marriott and Starwood Hotels are also big job providers in Cork, because they each installed a center of reservation and customer service there.

How you can find a job in Cork?

The best way to find a job in Cork remains to go there. Reserve some nights in a youth hostel to have the time to look for a job without having to rent an apartment. Another good way to find a job is to buy the local newspapers in which you can find numerous published jobs. You can check newspapers such as the Friday edition of "Irish Times" and "Irish Examiner," where you can find job postings in all of Ireland. You can also check the Thursday edition of "Irish Independent," or the everyday edition of "Evening Echo" for job offers, mainly, in Cork.

You can also go in the offices of FAS, the Irish Employment Agency, in Cork (FÁS Employment Services Office, Sullivan’s Quay, Cork, Tel: 021 4856200 /// FÁS Centre 30/31 Shandon Street, Cork, Tel: 021 4946162).

You can get help in finding a job from the "Centre for the Unemployed," which can assist you in writing a good CV.

Categories: Ireland

Job Health Insurance And Social Security in Ireland

In the previous article, I talked about the job conditions in Ireland and what are the advantages of getting a work permit there. In this article, I am going to talk about the health insurance and the social security in Ireland. So as an employee, you would know everything that is related to gertting a job in Ireland.

 Health insurance and social security in Ireland:

The health insurance and the pension allowance are for the appreciation of each person in Ireland. If Ireland is the main place of residence, citizens of the countries of the EU have all the same rights in terms of social security as the Irish citizens. The contributions in the welfare are relative to your income, whether you are an employee or independent, and thanks to these contributions, you will benefit from the payment of allowances in case of illness, maternity leave, old age, isolation or if you lose your job. If you work in Ireland, you can also benefit from family welfare.

For the refunds of your Social Security, you have to have a Personal Public Services Number (PPS No.) which your employer can order for you.

Note: From the age of 16 years on, all the employees and the independents have to have an insurance.

There are systems of private and public health care in Ireland. The people of the EEA and Switzerland who live in Ireland benefit from the same advantages of the public service and health as the Irish citizens. People who have no big income can benefit from many of these services for small contributions or sometimes free of charge. Or, the patients have to participate at the expense of the medical and hospitable treatments. If your employer does not provide for you a health insurance, you should subscribe to a private insurance or speak about it to your health insurance in your country of origin to know where they can cover you.

The contributions for a pension are also for the appreciation of each. Try to find out if your employer pays the contribution for for a pension for you or not. If he does not make it, it would be useful to continue to pay the contribution for your pension in your native country or to sign a private fund for your pension. Certain level of pension is paid to everyone who worked in Ireland and who paid the contribution for a fund of welfare, but it is about a small amount.

Categories: Ireland

Work Conditions And Advantages in Ireland

In this article, I am going to talk about how one can get a work permit, a residence permit and the working conditions in Ireland for those who are interested in this country.

1- Recognition of your qualifications:

Certain occupations are settled within the EU, and to be able to exercise such a profession in another country than where your qualifications were obtained, you need to get your qualifications recognized. Such professions include: jurists, accountants, teachers and psychotherapeutics. To obtain such a recognition in Ireland, you have to to check out with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), which will not recognize your qualifications, but will address you to the competent authorities on the subject in Ireland.

2- Get a work permit and a residenc permit in Ireland:

If you come from a country of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, and if you wish to stay in Ireland for more than 3 months, then you have to fill in an application for a residence permit at the police station. Depending on the circumstances of your stay in Ireland, you will have to supply certain documents. 

A/ In case of study:

you will have to bring a proof of your registration in a school, a proof that you possess enough funds to meet your needs as well as those of the members of your family, and, in addition to that, you will have to provide a proof that you possess a health insurance. 

B/ In case you are an employee:

You have to supply a contract signed by your employer giving evidence of your occupation and, if you are independent, your VAT number can serve as proof. The residence permit is granted for a period of 5 years and it is renewable.

Note: If you want to take the members of your family with you to Ireland, they must be capable of proving their family ties with you, and a birth certificate is an example of a proof. Besides, the same regulations will be applicable.

3- Finding and applying for a job in Ireland:

Vacancies  in Ireland are often filled through the local recruitment agencies. The governmental agency for work FAS (Foras Aiseanna Saothair) offers information and free advice without requiring a registration.

You can apply for a job also directly at companies or through their website portals. You can also look for jobs posted in newspapers and you can register yourself in a newspaper as a job seeker. For example, "Irish Times" or "Irish Independent".

If you look for a job in Ireland while you still live in your country, you can get in touch with the recruitment agencies in your own country. All the national recruitment agencies are connected with the European Network EURES. You can, in addition to looking for a job there, obtaine more information on life and work in Ireland.

Applications in Ireland are not very detailed. Thus, if you send a recent CV in English without photo, it will be sufficient. Try to explain clearly what makes you the ideal candidate for the job to which you apply. This explanation is a criterion more important than the chronology of your CV. You need, thus, to concentrate on the experiences you acquired from your previous jobs, which make you a person qualified for the proposed job. Don't forget to mention your particular hobbies or your commitment to employees, which can strongly help you. If English is not your mother tongue, insist on the fact that you speak it very well and prove that to your employer.

Note: Giving references is always appreciated. So assure that the concerned people are capable of speaking about your professional talents and experiences.

4- Professional legislation in Ireland:

- Adult employees in Ierland, who have some experience, have right for a minimum wage. 

- The contract can but does not necessarily have to include a probationary period. 

- You are authorized to work no more than 48 hours a week.

- From your first day of work, you are entitled to holidays which have to correspond at least to four weeks a year.

- There are 9 national days off during which the employees can take a day off.

Categories: Ireland

10 Ways To Find A Job In Ireland

Dreaming about going on an adventure in another country when you go on holiday is a thing, but leaving with a precise project is an other thing. Indeed, it is completely possible to propose your talent and your skills in another country than your native country. If Ireland is the country you want to give it a shot, then you're in the right place. The following is 10 ways or steps that would help you find a good job in Ireland:

1- Breakdown the language barrier:

To leave your country to go to work in Ireland, deserves a serious and meticulous preparation. At first, estimate your level in English. If you do not speak English well, do not panic. Begin by refreshing your knowledge in it through reading and listening to more English. Reading is a good way to call back your school learning and the listening allows you to pick up the accent. If an employer questions you about your level, do not lie, but emphasize, please, your capacity of adaptation and your fast learning.

2- Update your CV:

The standards of writing a CV vary from one country to another. So, before sending a CV to an agency or a professional contact in Ireland, you should learn how to present a CV  to be accepted in Ireland. Your experience and your capacities are to be put first. Your diplomas may have no equivalent in Ireland, thus think of looking for footbridges between your diplomas and those of the country. Your employer will be more interested in your capacities to fill the functions of the post for which you apply then by a list of diplomas. Your CV can be up to 4 pages, so do not hesitate to fill it by giving a maximum of useful information.

Note that the letter in support of application does not exist any more in Ireland, and an e-mail is sufficient to present yourself quickly and request an appointment.

3- Be clear on the social networks:

Before packing your suitcase and leaving to Ireland, do a cleaning on your accounts on the personal social networks and register yourself on professional social networks such as LinkedIn (very used by the English speakers), and My Space (Section Jobs in English) for example.

Look quite particularly after the titles, after the descriptions, after photos and after the keywords. Do not hesitate to participate in the professional discussions and sign your user name. A possible recruiter will see your seriousness and your motivation there.

4- Show your availability:

When you fill in your CV, think of specifying that you are already on site. It is important to reassure the recruiters. You found an accommodation, you are settling down and you can appear easily at the interviews. Furthermore, by having beforehand to adjust all the small details, you will be more available, physically and morally, to do more job search, and even see your new employment opportunities. Thus, don't forget to indicate well, when you apply on-line or at agencies, that you have an address.

5- Emphasize your motivation and your determination:

Your diplomas may not have the same importance that they have in your native country, when you are in Ireland. And they are no, inevitably, the sesame, which will open you all the doors of jobs which please you. You have to try hard to sell, at best, your experience, your know-how, your skills and your motivation. Do not neglect the network, the contacts, the agencies and the unsolicited applications.

6- Agencies temporary work:

Try to put down your CV in as many places as you can. Indeed, the possibilities of distribution of your CV are numerous. You can move arround, ask to have an appointment with a councillor, and take all the possible the tests for which they could ask you. It is important that you keep this appointment, because it is then this councillor, that can guide you towards a company and to find you a work in Ireland. Here are some agencies to help you in your job search: Adecco Irlande, Approach celebrity, Recruit Ireland, Move to Dublin.

7- Use the non-specialized sites:

Post your CV on the online job sites is a very good idea. Numerous companies use databases of these sites to build up a fishpond and recruit then by this way. Posting your CV Irish sites is a simple thing: you download your CV, fill the compulsory fields, and then you send your online application. You can try on the following sites to begin: Monster, Irish Job, Jobs, Top Languages. 

8- Post your CV directly on the sites of companies:

To work in Ireland it is also a way to approach the big multinational Companies. Then do not hesitate to send your CV to big groups such as:  Google, Salesforce, Linked In, Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft, and IBM. On the websites of those companies, you will find a Careers column. If your skills correspond and that this work in Ireland pleases you, go for it.

9- Get directly in touch with the employers:

The social networks have this service which we did not have before internet. Today you have the possibility of contacting directly the people in charge of the recruitment. Useless to pass by a recruitment agency, which would be expensive to you and would not bring you the guarantee to find you a job in Ireland. Collect yourself together and knock at their door. Use your professional social networks to chase them and get in contact.

10- Participate in the events:

In Ireland, crossroads of the employment are regularly organized to help the applicants find a work. Do not neglect this channel for your job search. The young companies, just like the multinationals, look regularly for successful young people. Put yourself forward and you will find an attentive ear.

Categories: Ireland